"The Gay Issue" Still Haunts Some (Updated from 2/28/2014)

“Our society is undergoing many dramatic changes. However, I sincerely believe that Senate Bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve. It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want. Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value, so is non-discrimination.”

-- Arizona Governor Jan Brewer

So the veto went for the bill that would have allowed one group to discriminate against another group on the basis of their beliefs.  And yet, the supporters of Senate Bill 1062 are crying foul for the very same reason.  They feel that being forced to earn a living by providing services to people of gay persuasion violates their religious liberty to live and work by their religious beliefs.   As Arizona Senator Steve Yarbrough stated: 

“This bill is not about allowing discrimination. This bill is about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith.”

Gee, I can see the sign above the drinking fountains showing the gays which one they can use.  It won’t be long before the bus driver directs them to the back of the bus where “their kind” rides.  Goodness knows, no self-respecting hetero wants to share a restaurant with them.  Hell, better we just pin a rainbow patch on their sleeve, herd them onto trains and build some special showers, right?

Is the gay culture really the problem here, or are ignorance and fear rearing their ugly head once again?  Or, is it the heretical Christians that believe this is the love, forgiveness, and sweet understanding that Jesus would visit upon the gay community?  Perhaps wishing, as all good Christians do, better they should die and decrease the surplus population.

There is a growing abhorrence of heretics and hypocrites in this country.  It usually comes to light when history begins to repeat itself, as it always seems to do.  For the past several years it has been evident in discussions concerning our politics and spiritual beliefs.  Maybe we are reaching that point where history needs to come full circle.  Maybe we need another dose of book burning, lynching, and men wearing white hoods and robes that hide in the shadows like the cowards they are, using God as their justification for protecting the rights of the few.  Do we?  Or can we find tolerance in the seething sewer of this hatred?

But, then, does Senate Bill 1062 really make any business sense?  In Germany prior to Hitler, shopkeepers would welcome Jewish clients and their money.  Did they like the Jews?  Who knows what they felt before the Nazi Party made Jews a scapegoat for all the ills of the world.  Since the Jews were probably the only ones with money, I’m sure shopkeepers welcomed them with open arms, regardless of their personal feelings; it would just be good business.  

Gail Collins of the New York Times wrote in her column, after the veto of 1062: 

“Maybe we have reached a critical historical juncture. Struggles for human rights always begin with brave men and women who stand up, isolated, against the forces of oppression. But, in the United States, victory really arrives on the glorious day when the people with money decide discrimination is bad for business.”

This will all boil down to who you want to support - gays that just want the same rights as all of us, or Christian stormtroopers that would see us go down that oft-traveled road of "spiritual hypocrisy" in the name of Christ.  For me the choice is a simple one:  Find another restaurant.  The model is a simple one, as well.  If you separate the healthy demand from the unhealthy supply, the supply will have to change to survive and grow.  Gays are not going away, those that choose not to service this group of movers and shakers will find themselves with a finite clientele or, more to the point, out of business.

All the gay community wants is the freedom to love whomever they choose.  The fact that they find any true love in this day and age should be applauded.  I wish to remind the Christians, and others in my Congregation, of a Bible verse I quoted, in a recent post, concerning my own faith: 

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

-- Romans 14:1-23

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com