Love Is Love

Here's the thing. You can disagree if you like, but (sing it with me if you know the words) this is my blog and I'll voice MY opinions, thankyouverymuch. I believe that love is love. I believe that sexual orientation is not, by and large, a "choice" or a "lifestyle" but a part of a person's genetic makeup. Just like race. Forty years ago (give or take), there were laws against marrying someone of another race. And to the vast, vast majority of us now, that seems completely preposterous. And you know what, when my children are adults, you mark my words, they're going to feel the same way about same sex marriage. And I will rejoice in that day.

You can call me Godless for that, if you must. I'm not Godless. I have a wonderful, communicative, fulfilling, comforting relationship with God. God is a part of my life every second of every day. Everything good in my life, God has provided, and I am well and truly grateful, always. And I tell God that, many times daily...when I'm not begging God for the strength not to hit for the hills when my five year old is making me want to tear out my hair, that is. My relationship with God is my business. It's personal.

Another of my opinions is that believing in God, having a relationship with God, need not preclude us from recognizing scientific fact. I think we can believe in God and still believe in evolution. I think we can believe in God and still believe that God made us all different, intentionally, and that God doesn't see those differences as "right" or "wrong."

The thing about the Bible that causes so much trouble is that, for better or worse, it is man's translations of God's teachings. Of course, the men who wrote it received messages from God. But haven't you ever played a game of telephone? Stuff gets lost in translation. I'm truly not trying to make light of serious issues here. It happens. My question is always why we can take certain parts of the bible with a grain of salt, but then must take others absolutely at face value? We've stopped owning slaves and smiting our neighbors for their transgressions, yet for some reason, people get really focused on NOT moving on from the passages they see as forbidding homosexuality. I'm not a biblical scholar, so I don't pretend to be an expert here, but still, that seems kind of lopsided.

It's been very interesting to me to see the gay marriage issue play out on social media. It's been interesting to me to see so many friends change their profile pictures and post pro-marriage equality items. It's been equally interesting to see other friends get decidedly defensive, as if those of us in favor are personally targeting them, in some way. I can only speak for myself. I'm not. At all. It's got nothing to do with anyone personally. It's an issue I believe in. Period. It's also been interesting to see people make fun of those of us speaking up in support - saying things like, "Oh, yea, Facebook and Twitter are gonna make SUCH a difference!" Well, but here's the thing. Social media CAN and HAS made a huge difference in social issues. The hikers who were being held in Iran gave a huge amount of credit to Twitter advocacy to helping get them home. Last year when the Komen Foundation screwed up so enormously, the Facebook and Twitter backlash was so severe that they reversed course. Those are just a couple of examples.

I just can't wait for that day I spoke of before, when people are shocked that gay marriage was ever even an issue. How, as a developed nation, is the US standing in the way of consenting, non-related adults who love each other getting married? The mind, it wobbles.