Saturday, August 04, 2012
Some thoughts related to yesterday's post. I don't know many observant "conservative" Christians. By observant I mean people upfront about what they believe & for whom it's more than a convenient rationalization for their political views. Those people - they number two or three - get a bye from me on marriage equality. I've found them over time to be kind people, not vicious in their beliefs. They support some protections for LGBT in the workplace, & legal acknowledgement of some levels of LGBT personal relationships but stopping short of "marriage." Marriage is sacred & untouchable.
Marriage equality for me is essentially a civil human rights issue. As much as I'd like various religious denominations & churches to change their views, it's not that important to me what they require members to believe, only how they as institutions influence public opinion.
However, just mumbling you're a Christian will not do. If you say your civil ethics & most of your right wing political views are determined by your Christian beliefs, then I'm not going to accept you sitting around on your butt Sunday morning reading the newspaper, or doing lawn work, or going fishing, or cracking an early can of beer. I'm not buying any garbage about not being interested in "organized religion" or that you're Christian in your "own way." Once you've removed yourself from a "Church," you've announced two things: The first is that Christian practice doesn't intend an actual, physical community of believers. It most certainly does; although Jesus never expressed himself on homosexuality, he made his intentions clear on community, through both word & personal example. The early history of the movement in the New Testament is mainly about the establishment, organization, education, & occasionally the disciplining of scattered communities. It is here, in letters dubiously attributed to Paul, that we encounter some apparent condemnations of homosexuality. Paul does not condemn slavery. We also find the first strictures on the role of women, who had been community sponsors, & important preachers of the Gospel from the moment Mary Magdalen (possibly other women) ran from the tomb, the first to proclaim the risen Christ, having seen him (or in Luke, angels: "two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning"). The second is that you cherry pick scripture according to what suits you, refusing to submit yourself to the creeds, doctrines, & charitable, social & mssion duties of Christian community (a "mission" in a church may be anything from singing in a choir to helping in a soup kitchen).
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
Marriage equality for me is essentially a civil human rights issue. As much as I'd like various religious denominations & churches to change their views, it's not that important to me what they require members to believe, only how they as institutions influence public opinion.
However, just mumbling you're a Christian will not do. If you say your civil ethics & most of your right wing political views are determined by your Christian beliefs, then I'm not going to accept you sitting around on your butt Sunday morning reading the newspaper, or doing lawn work, or going fishing, or cracking an early can of beer. I'm not buying any garbage about not being interested in "organized religion" or that you're Christian in your "own way." Once you've removed yourself from a "Church," you've announced two things: The first is that Christian practice doesn't intend an actual, physical community of believers. It most certainly does; although Jesus never expressed himself on homosexuality, he made his intentions clear on community, through both word & personal example. The early history of the movement in the New Testament is mainly about the establishment, organization, education, & occasionally the disciplining of scattered communities. It is here, in letters dubiously attributed to Paul, that we encounter some apparent condemnations of homosexuality. Paul does not condemn slavery. We also find the first strictures on the role of women, who had been community sponsors, & important preachers of the Gospel from the moment Mary Magdalen (possibly other women) ran from the tomb, the first to proclaim the risen Christ, having seen him (or in Luke, angels: "two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning"). The second is that you cherry pick scripture according to what suits you, refusing to submit yourself to the creeds, doctrines, & charitable, social & mssion duties of Christian community (a "mission" in a church may be anything from singing in a choir to helping in a soup kitchen).
Labels: human rights
