Could Somebody Please Explain …

Posted on by under Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, religion, Social commentary

You just don’t realize how many bigots there are in the world until something like the Respect For Marriage Act (RFMA) comes up.  Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed this bill that would require the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages in the U.S.  In my opinion, the bill doesn’t go far enough, but that’s a discussion for another day.  Suffice it to say that I fully support the RFMA and am only saddened by the fact that we need to pass a law to give people the right to be who they are, to love whomever they choose.  Like everything else, there is a political divide on this issue, but nonetheless, 47 Republicans in the House actually voted for the bill, and at least four Republican senators have expressed that they will vote for it when it reaches the Senate floor.

Wouldn’t you know, some people are furious about it?  The ignominious Franklin Graham said …

“I was confused by the 47 Republicans who followed suit. God says that marriage is to be between one man and one woman—not two men, not two women. The GOP used to believe that too. Will you pray for God’s intervention as this bill moves on to the Senate? Only He can save us from our evil and rebellious ways.”

The House Freedom Caucus issued an ‘official statement’ saying …

“The radical Left has launched an all-out campaign on America’s traditional values and sacred institutions. It has weakened the nuclear family, attacked the norms of masculinity and femininity, and now it wants to further erode the sacred institution of marriage.”

Fox ‘News’ host Mark Levin weighed in …

“All 47 Republicans who voted that way are gutless buffoons. That’s the truth.”

And others, including religious ‘leaders’ and journalists had their say.  Now, folks, here’s what I want to say to these people …

Help me to understand your views. If two people of the same sex marry, how does that harm you?  It doesn’t take away any of your rights, it doesn’t make you homeless or take away your job, it doesn’t affect your health or well-being, so … why do you care?  Nobody is telling you that you must marry a person of the same sex … who you marry is up to you, just as who I marry is up to me and who anybody marries should be left up to them.  What, exactly, is your objection?  I am thoroughly confused and need you to explain it to me.

Some people claim objections on religious grounds, but again … nobody is saying that anyone has to marry someone of the same gender!  With thousands of religions and religious variations in the world, it would be impossible to please every one of them, and here in the United States, there is no state-sponsored or mandated religion.  The nation was founded, in part, based on freedom of religion. It’s the same as I’ve long said about abortion … if you don’t like abortion or it goes against your religious values, then fine – don’t have an abortion!  But don’t presume to tell others what they can or cannot do.

I appreciate the 47 courageous Republicans who stood against the ‘party line’ on this issue and voted their conscience.  Unfortunately, they will likely pay a price within their party and perhaps with their constituents.  And all because … what???  Because about half the people in this nation believe they should be able to regulate or control the lives of others?  Because those same people are so close-minded that they cannot accept those who are not their clones?  Frankly, I think that those who are so vocally opposed to same-sex marriage should maybe take a good hard look in the mirror at their own values, for I see something lacking:  humanity and compassion.  If that’s what religion brings about, cruelty and bigotry, then I think perhaps religion is a large part of the problem in the world today.

47 thoughts on “Could Somebody Please Explain …”

  1. If that’s what religion brings about, cruelty and bigotry, then I think perhaps religion is a large part of the problem in the world today.

    You hit the nail squarely on the head right there Jill. 🎯🔨

    You may not know, but I spent 11+ serious years of 3-yrs bible under-grad, missionary work abroad on 3 continents, church ministry as a deacon, Director of the Singles Home Ministry, and then 3+ years in seminary—Reformed Theological Seminary in Clinton/Jackson, MS. Why do I mention this? Because I not only wanted to learn the Canonical Old & New Testament inside-out, forwards-backwards, and in between the lines explicitly AND implicitly (i.e. biblical exegesis & hermeneutics to the hilt!). Why? Because there’s only ONE method or means to intimately and reliably learn about and know who “Yahweh” and “Yeshua bar Yosef” (sic: Christ the Greek?) truly were. Answer? Thru Special Revelation, or Holy (Greek?) Scripture… versus General Revelation, or observing Nature’s “order” (or disorder). Scripture, scripture, SCRIPTURE… and proper, correct exegesis & hermeneutics of it at that.

    But here’s the ultime faux pas. There’s only one MASSIVE, major, devastating problem that completely undermines and dismantles EVERYTHING about 3rd- and 4th-century CE (Greek & modern) Christianity:

    Yeshua was Mishnaic Hebrew. Not Greco-Roman!

    And furthermore, he was a Late Second Temple, Sectarian Jew of the rural Judaic sects during super-energized 2nd-century BCE and 1st-century CE Messianism. These historical verifiable facts are NOT found in the Canonical New Testament we have today. Nor is it reflected or practiced anywhere in traditional Greco-Roman Christian churches today or found in the very Greek-influenced, very Greek-written New Testament today!

    Thus, everything the uneducated, proclaiming Christians utter today is wholly UNFOUNDED… by any corroborating historical truth or facts to a/their very Romanized 3rd–4th century Christos. In five words, Jesus was a Mishnaic Jew. Period, stop. You will never learn anything about the real Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef’s Late Second Temple Judaism, what he actually taught & represented all his short life, especially his last 3-yrs in Jerusalem by solely relying on the (Greek) Romanized, canonical New Testament. Very very little, if at all.

    Therefore, when politicians, or any Christian Faither-Church-goer says this:

    God says that marriage is to be between one man and one woman… [or]

    …America’s traditional values and sacred institutions. […] …erode the sacred institution of [Christian?] marriage.

    Doesn’t know a damn thing about what they’re talking about when referring to “Christos” or their canonical New Testament. Period. It’s jibberish mumbo-jumbo THEY’VE been brainwashed with as a child, and done over repeatedly 1.5–2.0 millenia and changed, edited, amputated, and maligned by Greco-Romans so many times over you’d lose count!

    Franklin Graham, the House Freedom Caucus, Mark Levin, and all other self-proclaimed “Christian-faithers” are blowing mythical, religious LEGEND-SMOKE out their asses… if I’m perfectly frank. 🙄😄

    Biology, genetics, endocrinology, anthropology, and all other related scientific fields/studies are MUCH MORE reliable, logical, and highly plausible than antiquated superstitions and blind-faith. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hello Dwain. I have been told the best way to convert a religious person to atheism is to get them to read the bible. You prove that in spades. You took the training, you were there in classes, and you were there in the times when it was just you and …

      So I give a lot more credit to your atheist statements than most. Thank you for being the person you are. I think there must have been a lot of others that understood it as you did but felt they had no choice but to go forward, their entire life was wrapped up in the religion. Again thank you.

      For those that do not know there is an organization devoted to helping clergy leave their churches. As I said many think it is their only way to provide for themselves or their families. The links is https://clergyproject.org/ Hugs

      Liked by 2 people

      • You are very kind Scottie, but thank you Sir! ❤️

        That peer-pressure and very real black-balling or banishment from several/many sectors of daily life by fellow (former) Believers, should you become treasonous to “the/their Faith,” is absolutely a prison sentence, especially if your own children or immediate family members are part of the risk/loss. That’s what happened to me and my decision to deconvert. To this day, my two children—a daughter of 28 y/o, married & pregnant; a son of 21 y/o—refuse to have any contact with me. My daughter’s last words to me in 2018 were “you will never have anything to do with your grandchildren. You will never see them. They will never know who you are.” Even sharing the Parable of the Prodigal Son with her didn’t phase her one bit. Yes, that is supposedly the “love of Christ” in their hearts. 🙄🤦‍♂️

        So I can totally understand why some clergy/ministers are VERY reluctant to publicly deconvert then speak out against all of Christendom and its falsities as I have done and still do. 🤷‍♂️ But it’s a no-brainer for me: Stay (humbly) true to yourself always. Others deserve at least THAT purity.

        Liked by 2 people

    • Wow … my head was spinning by about your 3rd sentence, Prof! You are far more educated in such matters than I am, or than I ever even want to be! For the most part, I stopped believing at around age 5 and haven’t seen anything since to convince me that there is some higher being in ‘control’! My reasons are simpler, not as well-researched as yours … I just look around and see a world in chaos and I ask questions that nobody can answer. Early on, I got tired of people saying, “You just have to have faith” or “It’s god’s will”. But your in-depth studies prove the point that I only sensed! People use religion as it suits their purposes, and if it doesn’t suit their purposes, they simply interpret it to do so, much as they do with the Constitution. It’s about manipulation … and they start them early, right out of the starting gate (cradle) to ensure they’re fully indoctrinated by the time they reach adulthood.

      Liked by 2 people

      • 😄 Thank you Jill. You’re right, religion IS indeed used to suit their political agendas. It’s done all over the world.

        But in all honesty, everything I’ve learned, researched, confirmed, corroborated, etc, etc, is not that difficult for anyone else to find and learn with an average (or better) IQ. I’m serious. It is mostly just hard patient legwork, homework, extensive reading, and BASIC testing of hypotheses and following where the data/evidence takes you—and certainly critical-thinking skills/analysis applied neutrally.

        After 11+ years as a 100% committed born-again Christian, followed by an additional 15-something deconverted years pursuing the heavily Mishnaic Hebrew Yeshua bar Yosef (Jesus) and his specific Sectarian rabbinical reforms he wanted only for Homeland Jews… not a new Greco-Roman religion… the conclusion is unavoidable: 1) Jesus was unequivocally and strictly Mishnaic rabbi Jew, and 2) the much later fabricated Greco-Roman version of a Christos represents little-to-nothing of the real historical Yeshua bar Yosef—that absolutely CAN be found in 1st-century Tannaitic Jewish sources, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other extraneous contemporaneous sources.

        Hence, what all Christians proclaim today as ‘divine, infallible truth’ is in the end complete, unfounded non-sense. Purely an invented myth like Greeks/Hellenists always did via well established Apotheosis. It’s bogus, but only survived 2,000+ years of history because of the power & might of the Roman Empire.

        How does all this apply to your post here? Simple. What all Christians, particularly radical Evangy-Fundy ones, assert as timeless truth from their Greco-Roman Scriptures, their God, and their (blind) faith… holds no supporting, corroborating evidence. Period. But 99% of modern Christians are way too lazy to do this homework/legwork; hence, blind-faith thru peer-pressure. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Hello Jill. Grand post. The Respect For Marriage Act also protects mixed race marriages as Loving vs Virginia is under as much threat as birth control, sodomy laws, and marriage equality. I think it is all about control. As we have clearly seen being against abortion was not pro-life but forced birth. What all these issues have in common is they relate to sex. How you have it, when you have it, with whom you have it, and the consequences of having it. And why would that be important unless you felt the need to control all that not for yourself but to dictate to others what you will allow them to do. Some groups in the US feel they have the right to tell others what to do and when to do it. They see it as they have the freedom to tell you what to do, and your freedom is to do what they tell you. Remember Ted Cruz trying to ban dildos in Texas? Why? The need to control what other people do. In Texas a household can only have 6 total. Yup republicans that was so important they made it a law. I remember the slogan was “Live and let live”, I wonder why that changed to “You’re having my baby …” Hugs

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks, Scottie! Yes, the religious right seems to feel a need to control and manipulate, and I’m not at all sure why. Perhaps it’s to validate their own skewed beliefs, but it is among the most frustrating things … grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. No, I didn’t know Cruz ever proposed banning dildos!!! How utterly ludicrous! But then … most everything about Cruz is disgusting, isn’t it? Sigh. I much prefer “Live and let live”. Hugs

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Thank you for sharing!!.. I am not into religion or faith based ideologies myself;… again, the problem is the closed minded people who use such ideologies to justify and dignify their actions and it is a issue that has ( and still does) fueled many conflicts..“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” ( Mahatma Gandhi)… 🙂

    Especially in today’s world where change is taking place, knowledge and technology is ever growing and is posing a threat to those beliefs that were created (without physical evidence) over 2000 years ago… 🙂

    Hope all is well for you and yours in your part of the universe and until we meet again..
    May the love that you give
    Always return to you,
    That family and friends are many
    And always remain true,
    May your mind only know peace
    No suffering or strife,
    May your heart only know love and happiness
    On your journey through life.
    (Larry “Dutch” Woller)

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks, Dutch!!! Yes, closed-minded people who cannot stand the thought of others being different in any way. They seem to need to validate their own beliefs by forcing them on others. Personally, I much prefer “Live and let live”, as I believe most people do, but the radicals are noisier and therefore get their way more often, it seems.

      I hope all is well with you, my friend. Thank you so much for the beautiful Irish Saying. That one line, “May your mind only know peace” … is a wish of mine, for these days ‘peace of mind’ seems most elusive.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. First off, my apologies if I rant in your comments boxes today. I’m feeling rather cynical and jaded at present. Religion IS the problem with the world and has been ever since man decided he needed a reason for the bad things that were happening. Floods, famine, death, disaster. Surely there was something they could do. Ah! Someone must be doing things to humans because they weren’t good enough. Enter religious practices like sacrifice, penance and sin. Great way to avoid the helpless feelings that come from knowing the world is a scary place. How many blood sacrifices did it take for the sun to shine again? We could do the math of an eclipse with a blood moon but I think you see my point. Enter greedy, power hungry men and the women who wanted to be with them and religion became putty for the wealthy and ambitious. Still is. Now it just has tentacles and more arms and legs than a millipede. But that isn’t to say I don’t believe in a source that guides existence. I just don’t believe it has human emotions or frailties. God created man in ‘his’ image? I think not. Man has created gods in his own image, to his own specifications that can change with his own whims. I can understand where they came up with the Adam and Eve scenario though. Look at Ginny Thomas. If ever there were a bearer of bad fruit…

    Liked by 5 people

    • Men and gods are a lethal, torturous combination on this planet. On behalf of my gender—especially the heterosexual dimwits with empty skulls and WAY TOO MUCH testosterone!—all throughout human history… I deeply apologize. 😔

      Liked by 3 people

    • I am no expert on the world’s religions, but from what I’ve seen, they are all exclusionary, all promote tribalism, hatred/fear of ‘other’, and thus is bigotry in all its forms born. You are so right when you say that “Man has created gods in his own image” … people shape religion based on their own prejudices, based on what they want their lives to be. And yep, Ginny Thomas is a bitch extraordinaire. I will happily see her tubby butt behind steel bars! And now, I best hush before I start ranting! Love ya, my friend!

      Liked by 3 people

  9. Thanks for continuing to be an ally, Jill. It’s all about pandering to votes these days – whether it’s about same sex marriage, guns, abortion, and human rights issues around race and gender identity. Very transparent, predictable and frustrating.

    Liked by 5 people

    • Always, my friend. Yep, they have to keep both the wealthy corporations on their side, and the vociferous evangelicals. But I think the day is rapidly approaching when they will find they have a fight on their hands. We are getting sick and damn tired of having their holier-than-thou bigotry forced on us, I think. Sigh. Now where did I put my boxing gloves??? 😉

      Liked by 2 people

  10. You ask great questions, Jill. How do any of these issues interfere with the way they want to conduct their own lives? The answer is they don’t, period. However, as has been the case throughout history, it is not enough for the religious right to keep their ideas to themselves, they have to impose them on everyone! Absolutely everyone! And they will never be content until they do. Unfortunately they now have a political party in the pockets AND a Supreme Court to do their bidding. Let’s all watch as “The Freedom Party” now begins their assault on our rights.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Thanks, RaPaR! This is what puzzles me the most … they have no ‘skin in this game’, so to speak. It doesn’t affect their life in the least bit if I am gay, or if I choose to have an abortion, so … as the infamous Clara Peller famously said, “Where’s the beef?”

      I’m rather sick and damn tired of the ‘holier-than-thou’ bunch of crappola … those who think their way is the ONLY way and that the whole rest of the world must conform to their bigoted, narrow-minded beliefs!

      They may have a political party and a Supreme Court in their pockets for the moment, but … they’re just spoiling for a fight. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Not “clueless” but obstinately opposed. Just like after the Newtown massacre 91% of Americans wanted stronger gun laws and background checks yet the GOP wouldn’t lift a finger. We truly have no representation.

      Liked by 5 people

      • Ah yes … I failed to mention in my reply to Ben that they also mostly listen to the wealthy corporations who will donate unlimited amounts to the politicos who will vote in their favour when it comes to such things as regulating guns or fossil fuels!

        Liked by 2 people

    • I think their only concern is what a small handful of their constituents, the loudest ones, want. Those who would turn this nation into a white, Christian, male-dominated society seem to have the loudest voices and therefore the politicos, especially in the south, listen to them and try to give them what they want. Sigh. To hell with the rest of us, I guess.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Hello Jill. As I mentioned to Nan the other day, the white straight Christian males will be the assumed authorities and have all the rights, the white women will be their wives, the rest of the population will the lower class workers with few rights and low incomes. That seems to be the system these people want. Hugs

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Pingback: Could Somebody Please Explain … | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  14. Aside from the fact “religion IS a big part of the world’s problems today,” no one will be able to explain such autocratic beliefs in any way that makes sense to us. I have listened to their reasons, and they all involve a god, in the end. Mostly, a particular God who claims to be the “one true god,” though, if you examine those three words, they tell us there are other gods in the world, so God, if he were real, would be admitting he is not the “only god” in existence, just that his followers should believe him when he says he is the best god there is. All other gods are subordinate to him, but there ARE other gods!
    Except, since there are no gods of any kind, they are all equal-ly worthless.

    Liked by 3 people

    • It seems to me that if there were a god, or multiple gods, in charge, then the world would not be in such chaos, that he or they would have managed to have brought people to the point of acceptance and love, but instead we see hatred and violence wherever we look.

      Liked by 3 people

      • And a lot of that hatred is religiously inspired. The world is a sad place to be, and yet it is our only place to be. It crushes my spirit that we cannot find a way to live together in peace and harmony, but it seems impossible at this juncture in time and space. Fortunately, we can get past this, if we don’t kill ourselves and the planet with us first. But the odds are not in our favour.
        However, I have always enjoyed betting on longshots…

        Liked by 3 people

        • Agreed that much of the hatred is inspired by religious bigotry, and some by corporate manipulation. More on that in a future post. I am pretty much resigned to the human species destroying itself in one way or another, either nuclear war or climate change, and since I have no money, I can’t bet on a longshot, but for the sake of future generations, I hope you win your bet.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Lol. It is a gentleman’s bet with myself, nomoney involved. And I don’t consider myself a gentleman in the true sense of the word, but I do hope I am a gentle man. I, rawgos, will not be here to see if I win the bet, but I hope I still exist somewhere when the final dispisition of the bet is determined.

            Liked by 1 person

  15. It seems that Individual Freedoms may be the main problem. Some People believe Freedom means being able to follow the herd or the party line not express individuality .Along with their version of Freedom comes the right to create restrictions that override the choices of the indiviidual.
    Cwtch.

    Liked by 4 people

    • You are exactly right! Some people seem to think we should be homogenous, which explains their hatred of those who don’t look just like them, believe exactly as they do. They would shove us all into a generic box. But wouldn’t the world be boring if they had their way! And how would we ever grow, learn, progress as a society if we don’t open our minds to new ideas? I would not wish to live in such a ‘cookie-cutter’ world!
      Cwtch

      Liked by 2 people

      • I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, they ARE getting their way! Right now the SCOTUS is preparing to debate whether or not a state legislature has the right to govern over federal elections in their own state! Guess which way that’s going to come down? Even if the “rules” employed by the GOP violate their states constitution or their gerrymandered districts are downright imbecilic, the states will not be able to overturn them or fight them. This is the way the SCOTUS will wrap up control over the state election process. And we all know what the GOP is willing to do to win elections so prepare for the worst kind of election corruption imaginable! They can assign their Electoral College votes to anyone they choose regardless of whether the actually won the election. They’ve gutted the Voting Act, overturned Roe which also has other privacy implications, and now they’re going to dismantle a state’s right to govern their own elections.

        Meanwhile, back at the Dumocrats headquarters…….[queue the crickets please!]

        Liked by 2 people

        • Yeah, I know, but I still think they won’t be able to have their way in the long run. There are more people in the nation who value diversity, who come down on the side of “Live and let live”, and at some point, we will go into fight mode. It hasn’t happened yet because … I think because we still believe that the system has enough safeguards built in to stop the radical right. If, in fact, we learn (as we are learning with Dobbs et al) that the safeguards cannot hold back the tide, then I think there will be an internal war. Either that, or we will truly become Nazi Germany all over again. Sigh.

          Liked by 1 person

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