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| "Jesus, Judge and Jury" |
Welcome to the first entry of The Platonic Patriot, where this American loves her country, but is not in love with her country.
The idea for this blog came to me after a couple of angry entries in my previous Right Brain Retrain Blog. I think social commentary and questioning of reality is a good thing, but perhaps not in every venue. I found that the increasing frequency of my rants indicated that it may be time for a new stage in my blogging career… Though I’m not sure career is the correct terminology. Perhaps blogging hobby is a more accurate description.
I won’t bother doing a “getting to know the author” entry as I’m sure I can just set up a little page with the important information. Instead, I’ll jump right into one of the biggest problems that I believe has plagued our society for quite some time now: general disregard for the concept of Separation of Church and State.
In this weeks cartoon, I chose to depict a world in which governance is controlled by one religious deity. Being American, and given the general lack of understanding that this country was not founded as a Christian nation, I felt that Jesus would be the appropriate subject.
I want to start off by saying that I’m not going to waste my time attacking Christianity and pointing out any potential fallacies in logic for a couple of reasons. #1) This country was founded on the concept of freedom of religion and I think everyone is entitled to believe what they like. #2) I am not a Christian, nor have I studied the bible, so any argument I would make against such beliefs would be founded in hearsay and not logic and fact. Of course, I reserve the right to make fun of you for believing in an invisible man in the sky should I begin to read and research the bible one day. Until then, I will stick with what I know.
This frustration has been born out of the recent Supreme Court case concerning whether Gay Marriage should be legalized. I’m not gay myself (though I could be classified as mildly bisexual and bordering on asexual) and frankly, I don’t have definite plans to get married myself to a person of either gender because I believe it is becoming an outdated practice. Of course, I believe in equal rights for all and will stand up for those whom I believe are being treated unfairly.
After doing a bit of research, I can see how some of the benefits of marriage would be desirable to a couple of any sexual orientation. Firstly, there are a few tax benefits. What I managed to get from a couple articles is that the financial losses of one can be mitigated by having a partner with whom they file their taxes jointly. It’s a bit hazy, but it seemed relevant.
Another benefit of being married to your partner is essential their right to act as your living will. Now, if you have the money to see a lawyer and actually set up a living will, this fact is irrelevant. However, the unexpected happens and generally it is the ones that are closest to us that know our final wishes in the event that a will has not been put in place.
Beyond making decisions for an incapacitated partner, being a spouse also grants visitation rights if they are in the hospital or jail. This fact has caused problems for gay couples who have parents that do not agree with their lifestyle. A homophobic mother can prevent her comatose son’s partner of 25 years from seeing him in the ICU if she wants. Coming from a very closed minded part of the country, this is a real issue I have encountered through friends and my own experiences.
Some people suggest civil unions or domestic partnerships for same sex couples. The unfortunate part of these marriage alternatives is that they do not always cross state lines. All 50 states do not recognize civil unions and they cannot be dissolved unless the couple takes up residency in the state in which it took effect and then file for the separation (So if you enter into a civil union or domestic partnership, don‘t move to California unless you‘re sure it‘s a forever sort of thing). Same sex couples do not get the same benefits from these unions as traditional couples either because many states do not recognize their union as being valid.
Then, far passed the financial, social and legal aspects, there is the most important reason to get married: love. I actually find this laughable because our country has such a high divorce rate. However, the reason people are supposed to get married is because they believe their love will last forever (unless they‘re on their third or fourth go around, then I don‘t really know what the excuse is anymore). If two people love each other and want to commit to each other in front of God, government and the general population, I don’t think it should matter if they have compatible genitalia or not.
If your religious beliefs drive you to feel that a man lying with another man is an abomination, then you are entitled to disagree with gay marriage until they day you die. However, as an American, you are not entitled to try to prevent someone with different moral beliefs than your own from obtaining equal rights in the eyes of the government (remember the comment about separation of church and state?). Beyond that, I was always under the impression that being “Christ-like” was about accepting your fellow man and forgiving him for his sins. Perhaps I got that wrong and I should read into the bible a bit more…
For those that think allowing Gay Marriage to be legal will open the door to heinous ideas like marrying pets or polygamy, let me educate you on the “Slippery Slope” logical fallacy. It basically means that when change is proposed, those scared of said change will accuse it of being a gateway to the worst possible outcome. “If we let a man marry another man, pretty soon they’ll want to marry their iPhones, and then their pets and then what kind of sanctity will marriage have?” (says the guy who just married wife number five).
My take is that yes, this will change the way our country looks at marriage, but it won’t likely change again until we develop AI capable of truly mimicking human thought processes and emotion. Of course, unless said AI has a retina display and offers us access to 20 trillion free apps, we’re probably a millennia or so off from developing it.
Marriage defined as the union between a Man and a Woman to me is simply an argument of semantics. Two adults can decide if they love each other and want to commit to each other. We have language to properly express our thoughts and feelings towards each other to determine that we are operating on the same level of commitment. Allowing two men or two woman to join in wedlock will do nothing but prove that we are a forward thinking society capable of continuing to offer equal rights regardless of religious differences. As I’ve said before, you don’t have to agree with gay marriage, but trying to prevent it’s legalization due to religious beliefs is a direct violation of what this country was founded on.
Do you think blacks and whites should be “separate but equal”? Do you think women shouldn’t have the right to vote? If you said yes to either of those questions, by the way, it’s not likely that you have an IQ over 75 and I would prefer you not comment since you are too ignorant for me to reach you. For the rest of you who are opposed to same sex marriage, I want you to imagine how those protesting such simple concepts of equality felt when they lost the battle. It will be very uncomfortable for you because, whether you like it or not, it’s going to happen. It may not be this time, but mark my words, Gay Marriage will be legal in all fifty states within the next 25 years. Are you or your children prepared to live in that multicultural society? Do you have any skills or desirable traits that could emigration an option for you? … Do you even know what emigration is?
That’s really all I have for this week. I’ll have to do more research in order to continue any argument, but for now, I think this accurately describes my viewpoint on the whole topic. I most certainly welcome any comments on the subject whether they agree or combat my views. All that I ask is for anyone reading to keep an open mind and avoid attacking anyone for their views. Of course, if you are out of line, do not expect that I will quietly stand by and submit to any badgering or myself or others brave enough to comment on the subject.
Until next week!
