You turn on the tv or the radio anymore and you'll hear something about the "oppressed" gays. It is said they are mistreated, denied their basic rights, and otherwise rejected by society. We are told that this is unkind, unfair, and even unchristian. A loving, accepting society is one in which we embrace our gay brothers and sisters and applaud them for their sexual behavior. A forward thinking open-minded culture is one in which we encourage our children to explore all options and interests in regards to their sexuality. It doesn't hurt anyone for gays to love one another and to be together openly. So why make a big deal about it?
It's a big deal because it does hurt people. First and foremost it hurts the gays themselves. Secondly it degrades the sex act and reduces it to an urge to be satisfied as we see fit. This leads to a level of shallowness that robs us of our humanity and our God given identities.
Why the big surge in "gayness"? Some will say that it isn't a surge at all. They would argue that the number of "out" gays is greater only because of the greater acceptance of it. They've been here all along... I couldn't disagree more. I believe that the rise in number and "openness" of gays is directly related to the promotion of self-love at all costs by our culture.
The traditional more conservative culture of the early 20th century has been depicted as one of oppression, rigid orthodoxy, and unhealthy sexual attitudes. Some of this may well be true. But the revolution which happened in the 60's and which continues today does not distinguish between those attitudes and norms which these earlier "oppressive" generations held and the unhealthy or unfair practices that may have accompanied them. One example might be the attitude that men being the stronger sex should "rule" their homes and wear the proverbial "pants". This old well-accepted norm of the past is not in of itself wrong. It may have been abused and misinterpreted by some to mean men can bully their wives and act as supreme dictators over women generally. But to throw out a natural truth such as men are stronger and should therefore act as protectors and guardians of women and children and lead them, because of these abuses, is simply short sighted and irrational.
The same holds true for the norms and attitudes held in the sexual arena. It used to be that sex was for making babies and creating families. It was an accepted attitude that the most basic unit of society was man, woman, and child. This foundation was held in such esteem that the sex act was therefore confined to the establishment of the family alone. This may have been, like my earlier example, abused and misinterpreted by many to mean that men and women are simply "breeders" and "producers" of a good citizen "product". But this abuse does not negate the basic truth of man+woman+child=family=basic foundational unit of every good society. It should not require ANY religious convictions to see the logic and truth in this. Doesn't it just make plain sense? Not anymore.
The state of Mass. has not only enshrined the "right" to marry someone of the same sex but has now also barred its citizens from voting on the matter for themselves. It seems the state legislature and the courts feel that they know better. They can't allow the backwards masses to determine something as important as this. What if they got it wrong and reverted back to tradition (eeww yuck - how unsophisticated)? This goes to show that those in positions of authority and power have no respect for the voters beyond just getting their vote into office. It's as if our leaders are saying "Just vote me in you horse's ass and then shut up and let me lead you where I know you need to go." and then the masses sit idly by and let this happen term after term...
Why has this particular issue been relegated to the "religious right"? Is "traditional" marriage no longer seen as "mainstream"? When did it become "radical" to view one man's and one woman's union to one another, as THE essential rock bed of civilized society? What we are saying when we enshrine this standard in our laws is that this is the ultimate, the superior, the ideal union. Yes, it is possible for something to be superior to another. Why is this so? There is no better union than one man and one woman because together they form a bond which reflects the very best of humankind. Together they reflect ideals which raise up a society. Together they reinforce everything that is good about humankind - cooperation, complementarity, selflessness, life-affirmation, preservation, and promotion, and ultimately continuity and permanence of purpose.
There are those who would argue that a same sex couple can demonstrate and reflect these same ideals. They can exhibit the best of human nature, humankind too. Ah, but they cannot. They can as individuals be perfect mirrors of many virtues and values which support and lift up our society. They can as individuals reinforce the value of human life, the dignity of the person, the value of friendship and self-sacrifice. But the moment they become sexually united to a person of the same sex they have lost this ability to represent themselves as a couple. They are a walking contradiction. They are not and can never be in fact "one" with the one they love. This isn't mere biology. This goes deep deep to the heart of our spiritual natures. We are not just flesh and blood - animals. We have a deeper purpose and call. I feel like most agnostics, even atheists would agree with this. They may not say we have a "soul" but they may say that our intellect lifts us up to a level beyond the reach of all other species. Then what does this superiority demand of us?
The mistake modern society makes is that they respond to this truth (that we are "higher" than all other life on earth) with presumption not responsibility. They presume that this entitles us to do as we please without restraint or consequence. They fail to see the weight of this status. We are higher so therefore we are called to something higher. Yet, we get it wrong again and again. "We are higher, therefore I can do all the lower things I please and still call myself enlightened." This is modern self love, self worship at its core.
We are constantly told to love ourselves. This IS a good thing. But we lose our way when we define love as license. We say love shouldn't hurt. But it does. And it SHOULD! So how do we love ourselves? We indulge ourselves in every whim and pleasure. Then, we call it a right and finding other like-minded people, call ourselves an oppressed minority. Because sexual desire is so powerful and also so very important biologically and more so, spiritually, we go after this area with intensity of purpose! Gays MUST have their right to satisfy their sexual needs and desires. Gays MUST have a right to marry a person of the same sex and act as a "family" as they see fit. Gays have equal status as citizens of this country and it is wrong to deny them their rights. I agree with this last statement whole heartily. I disagree however with the notion that a gay man or woman should be able to "join with" another gay person of the same sex and say this "union" is EQUAL to one man and one woman.
Our obsession with self-love has turned many into self-worshippers. This is the reason that homosexuality is on the rise. This, along with many other sexual sins, greed, crime, materialism, and vanity - all plagues of the 21st century. We have replaced God with ourselves and in doing so we rationalize every selfish behavior as simple "self-love". I must love myself you know. I must accept myself the way I am. Not at all my friends. Where is the progress in that line of thinking? Can't you see how illogical it is? "I must accept myself the way I am" is the mark of total stagnation and self-rot - not GROWTH! We should and must always be trying to improve ourselves. It is an act of genuine love to push ourselves, even when it hurts, to be better and reach higher. It is a genuine act of love to push others, gay people for example, to reach higher even if it hurts.
Those who reject gay marriage don't hate gays. They love the Truth. For many, when the truth hurts they simply call it a lie. Somehow we must convey our message of love, genuine love, with love to our gay brothers and sisters and to the world. We must be able to say BECAUSE I love you I oppose what you want or what you do. It is a simple truth demonstrated every day in a family. I cannot allow those I love do those things which may bring them great pleasure now, if those things will bring them only pain and ultimate sadness later and for all eternity. This is real love.
1 comment:
bravo! Especially the last paragraph.
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