Gay marriage: Why the Paranoia?
The Christian conservatives who claim to have a pipeline to the morality of the country are trying to have marriage between same-sex partners banned forever, preferably with a Constitutional amendment. They fail to see that the basis for any long term commitment is love, devotion, and dedication to the preservation of the union. Conservatives somehow think that same-sex marriage threatens the very structure of heterosexual marriage. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Heterosexual marriage destroys itself, as documented by the 60% divorce rate recently quoted on the news.
The basis for the movement is homophobia, plain and simple. Homophobia is a nasty, insidious disease that preys on the unfounded fears of people who listen more to the misguided and erroneous stories and anecdotes of uninformed and undereducated antagonists who like nothing better than stirring up trouble. The objections being voiced today about same-sex marriages are the same ones voiced in the 1950’s and 60’s against inter-racial marriages. Thank God, people realized that the moral fabric of the nation could not be threatened by inter-racial unions, and the same is true for same-sex marriage.
The main thing that these gay marriage opponents fail to recognize is that genetic makeup determines from birth whether or not a person is heterosexual or homosexual. Ask any openly gay person when they discovered they were gay and the answer is “during childhood” or “ever since I can remember.” There is nothing parents can do to make a child become homosexual. There is nothing any other person involved with a child can do to “subvert” a child into homosexuality, regardless of rumor to the contrary. There is nothing a parent can do to prevent a child from being homosexual. A child is born with the sexual preference they exhibit and this cannot be changed. It can be repressed, which is what the “gay to straight” groups do when they manage to “turn” a gay to straight living with their fear tactics and intimidation, but the true tendencies with always be there. It’s similar to telling a cat that it is wrong to be a cat; he should be a dog instead. The idea is ludicrous and only those who do not read the medical findings or refuse to accept the undisputed physical evidence continue to espouse the belief that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice.”
Then the issue of Christian religious beliefs is raised. Traditional Christian belief is that homosexuality is a sin and that gay behavior is condemned. Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who espoused only love, compassion, and understanding in his teachings. To my knowledge, nowhere did Jesus condemn homosexuals as he did not condemn any of his followers. He welcomed those who looked for truth and were drawn to his words regardless of their backgrounds. He forgave and accepted them when others rejected them and cast them out. Nowhere in the red-letter edition of my King James Bible are there words against homosexuals printed in the red letters, words reported to have been spoken by Jesus. Nowhere did he say that homosexuality was a sin. Nowhere did he state that any person, homosexuals included, were to be persecuted and treated cruelly or unkindly. Any references to homosexuality in the New Testament were written by Paul, who succeeded in taking the early Christian movement in a different direction than Jesus intended.
To all those who condemn homosexuality because “the Bible says so”, I invite them to show me the words of Jesus that specifically state that in the red letter edition. Those words are not there.
For many years I have known of the existence of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Israel and the scrolls found in Nag Hammadi in Egypt in the 1940’s. Those found in Nag Hammadi include the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Andrew. These have all been authenticated and are believed to have been written during the first century, as were the four traditional gospels that are included in the Bible as read today.
Before I continue, I would like to remind you that the Bible as we know it does not contain all the manuscripts written at that time. The ones included were carefully selected by the Council of Nicea in 353A.D. in order to shape the Roman Church to their own purposes and to assure control of the masses through religion. The Vatican vaults deep below Vatican City in subterranean caverns contain millions of manuscripts that were collected through the millennia and access to these manuscripts is restricted to a few scholarly priests within the Catholic Church who owe obedience to the Pope and the Church hierarchy. The information contained in these manuscripts have never been released to the general public. This is a matter of record and history.
Among the scrolls found in Nag Hammadi was the Gospel of Mary. It was found in 1896 and sent to the Berlin Museum. It has been authenticated and dated to about 50 A.D., along with the Gospel of Thomas. Believed to be the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the intimate friend and follower of Jesus and the first to see him after the resurrection, the writing tells of conversations between Jesus, referred to as the “Teacher”, and some of the apostles. This takes place before the crucifixion.
Quoted from “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” by Jean Yves Leloup.
“Peter said to him, ’Since you have become the interpreter of the elements and the events of the world, tell us this: What is the sin of the world?”
The Teacher answered, ‘There is no sin. It is you who make sin exist when you act according to the habits of your corrupted nature. This is where sin lies.”
The ‘sin of the world’ is thought to refer to the concept of original sin, wherein human nature, matter, the world and the body are traps from which deliverance is needed. When one sees sin and evil everywhere, the consequences are especially serious when they are seen as living in an “other”, for this other must then be destroyed or killed. Those who have committed such crimes in the name of God see themselves not as murderers, but as saviors, ridding the world of sin and evil to make it pure again.”
These are the people that are truly sinful, the ones who think they can inflict pain, suffering and death on those who are different, who look, live, or believe differently. There are those who feel that the way they believe is the “One True Way” and that the rest of the world should share those beliefs, or else. I believe that God is more than capable of taking care of things and that anyone who acts against another human being in the name of God commits the worst sin of all.
What the passage is saying, “there is no sin”, is that sin, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. To “act according to the habits of your corrupted nature” means acting in any way that does not recognize that part of God that lives within you and within every other human being. The human body and the sexuality that accompanies it are not sinful. These have been given to us as a gift from God to be used in the experience of being human. It is when we lose sight of the fact that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and focus only on the human side of things that the problems begin.
I have somewhat wandered afield from the subject I intended to write about today but I think the bottom line of the Gospel of Mary is that we, as humans, can look at sin as anything against the human norm, anything against a revered scripture created by humans, anything against the teachings of an organization created by men with ulterior motives, or we can follow more closely the red letter words of Jesus, if we are Christian.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the peacemakers. Let your light shine before men. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them.”
There are no words printed in red that said to beat up someone because they looked different, no words that condoned violence against another person for any reason. Jesus did not condemn sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, and did not even mention gays. If he had thought homosexuality was such a huge sin, don’t you think he would have plainly spoken out about it? He was not a shy man, as the New Testament clearly shows. If he accepted all people and treated them with love and compassion, who are we to do any less?
I have some wonderful friends who happen to be gay. Some of them are parents and their children have grown up to be balanced, worthwhile, successful adults. Same-sex marriages do not threaten heterosexual relationships in any way. There is no threat to children or the American way of life. Gays are exactly like non-gays in almost every way. They hold jobs, teach school, attend school, run marathons, build homes, run multi-million dollar businesses, perform in the arts, serve in the military, drive trucks, ride motorcycles, and all the things you and I do daily. The only difference is their sexual orientation which is genetically bred within and cannot be altered.
Love is never a bad thing when it is consensual between two mature persons. I personally support the Massachusetts Court in their decision that said to disallow same-sex marriage is to discriminate against part of the population, which is clearly against the law. I also abhor the idea of a Constitutional amendment to limit recognized marriage to one between man and woman. Most of us will continue to pair up that way anyway. To deny anyone the sanctity of marriage when there is true love and commitment is a sin, in my estimation.
Think about this, please: Brittany Spears got married for only 55 hours, and that was allowed. Elizabeth Taylor has been married and divorced 8 times. My good friends have lived in a committed, monogamous relationship for more than 12 years and they are not allowed to be formally recognized as a married couple.
At the risk of offending some, I feel that all the hype about same sex marriages is ridiculous and those who are trying to prevent them from being recognized legally are misguided souls who need to look with their hearts and open their minds to let the fresh air of a more enlightened idea enter.
I wish you all love, light, and peace, regardless of color, creed, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation!
