And Now For Something Completely Different

After a little chit-chat with WiBlondie about having no inspiration lately, her companion suggested that maybe I've realized the full therapeutic benefit of blogging and it's time to end it. I gave that some thought and decided that there are just too many things I need to teach the rest of the world so I'm going to get a few things off my chest first. Some might be controversial, some might be thought-provoking and some might be outright ridiculous, but since you keep coming back I might as well give you something good to read! So, lets start by talking about homosexuality, since it has been a topic in a few shows I've seen lately.

I'm heterosexual, but I don't like mushrooms. I just don't care for the way they taste. When I was growing up, everyone else in my family liked mushrooms and I was the one left to pick them off of pizzas and out of various dishes. My parents didn't send me to some camp to make me like mushrooms, they didn't threaten to disown me if I didn't eat mushrooms, and nobody spent time or money researching if my preference for fungus-free meals is because of nature or nurture. Everyone accepted my preference without question. Why can't we do the same for people's sexual preferences?

Oh, I remember, because it is unnatural. Not what God intended. Let's take a closer look at this. I can't speak for all religions, but I'm pretty familiar with Christianity and from what I recall, it's someone else's job to judge us, not ours. I don't have a Bible sitting next to me, but I seem to recall that when the Pharisees brought Jesus the adulteress, he said "Let him without sin cast the first stone." And did He react with disgust when approached by a prostitute? No, he let her wash his feet with her hair. We pass laws forbidding same sex couples to make a legal commitment to each other because their love, as real as it is, is "unnatural", but let codependents, child molesters, wife beaters, and cheaters get married every day.

Allow me to point something out to you - the Bible is full of list of things we are supposed to do and not do. Nowhere, however, does it categorize sins as first degree or misdemeanor. So if you refuse to sway from your religious rhetoric, consider this: Unless you react the same way to all sins and/or sinners, you are a religious hypocrite. What proof do you have that in God's eyes homosexuality or abortions are any more serious offenses than taking the Lord's name in vain, envying your neighbor, having a short temper, or telling little white lies on your taxes? Would you picket a hotdog eating competition because it promoted excessive indulgence? Bomb your local tavern because it served people to the point of drunkenness? Make politics illegal because of the dissension and discord they create?

Let's take that one step further. The Bible says marriage should be honored by all. Sex and sensuality outside of marriage is disobeying God's commands. Do homosexuals fall into this category? Of course, because we won't let them get married. But, so do people who have premarital sex, extramarital affairs, and while we're at it, why not throw in erotic images and the "everything but penetration" sex play that so many unmarried pseudo-religious couples have convinced themselves is OK. One can only assume that individuals who criticize other people's lifestyles are living up to this standard of purity. Who am I to make such suggestions? Well, I'm actually uniquely qualified because I've lived that standard. You see, my first husband and I upheld absolute standards to prevent event a hint of impurity. Holding hands and an occasional kiss on the cheek was about it until our wedding night. Don't be too impressed, we got divorced five years later when we realized we got married for the wrong reason and couldn't stand spending every day and night alone with each other. As for my current husband, well, we bought a house, moved in together and planned the conception of our first child before we got married. Oops, divorce is unnatural... Not what God intended. Hmmmm, but we haven't made it illegal.

The point of this discussion isn't to debate right or wrong, it is to question why people get so wrapped up in the debate in the first place while simultaneously ignoring related issues. The bottom line is, in this time of war and hatred around the world, shouldn't we be celebrating love regardless of the source?