In my first blog for nearly a year I wanted to write about something controversial. Well, how about this? In November, Minnesota (and I don’t know how many other states) is going to vote on the issue of legalizing, or more accurately recognizing, same sex marriage. There can’t be too many issues more controversial than that.
This is controversial from a number of aspects, but the issue I want to address is how a person, any person, should deal with such topics. More specifically, how do we decide what is the right thing to do? Do we make our decision based on our feelings? Do we research the issue in search of some precedent? Do we allow ourselves to be influenced by any of the multitude of strongly opinionated organizations that continue to speak out on this? So many questions, it’s hard to know what the right approach is. Or is it?
I just came from church (Catholic) where the priest reminded us of the Church’s position on this issue and that as Catholics we are expected to support that position, which creates an interesting dilemma for me. I have been Catholic for my entire 56 year life. Fundamentally I believe in the faith, and I certainly respect the Catholic Church’s (or any church’s) view on this or any other issue. I mean, if the Church doesn’t speak out for what they believe in, who else will?
The problem is, of course, is that this isn’t a church issue. Oh, but it is say the zealots! This comes right from the Bible! While it is a very debatable point as to what, if any, teachings about gay marriage come from the Bible, that’s not even the point. We have something called the separation of church and state in this country, and most would consider that to be one of the key aspects of our constitution that has made us great.
That’s true, agree the zealots, but as a person of faith, I am still expected to support my faith openly and with commitment. Hmmm, sounds like a good point. In fact, as a younger man that argument was used to influence me many times. Now, though, I have to ask, “What does it mean to be a person of faith?” If I blindly vote the way my (or any) religion tells me to, am I supporting my faith, or acting as a robot without really being part of my faith? Am I allowed to make a decision, or are all my decisions predetermined because I belong to a religion? And let’s face it; all religions, including the Catholics, have evolved their teachings throughout time, so committing to a decision based on religious views can be a bit risky.
But to be fair, I do want to be true to my faith, and I do respect my religion. Why would I be part of a religion if I wouldn’t be willing to support them on critical issues?
On the surface, this is a tough question. But in truth, it’s actually quite simple. The fact is, when dealing with religion, faith, God, and morality issues in general, there is very little black and white. For most of us, we struggle with moral issues all the time. Divorce, abortion, contraception, the death penalty, and on and on. These are not simple issues. Oh, they may be for the zealots, because they seem to know exactly what is right and what is wrong. Unfortunately I have not been given that gift of knowledge and I actually have to think about these things.
So for anyone looking for an absolute black and white answer to any controversial issue, including gay marriage, here is what I have to offer; I simply don’t know. And the fact is, neither does anyone else. But I do know this; there was a man 2000 years ago that modern day zealots think we should listen to, and he taught two fundamental things; we should love God and we should love all human beings. This individual was the least judgmental person ever to live. That we should listen to him is the one thing I can agree with the zealots on, with the difference being that I think we should actually listen to him and not package his information in a way that supports our own beliefs.
I know one other thing as well. I know one of the best days of my life is when I got married, and every part of my life has been different because of that. Who am I to say that I, or anyone, can deny that experience to anyone else? Who can, in good conscience, walk into a voting booth and decide that a large number of people do not have the choice to be happy. Of course the zealots do, because they know more than the rest of us.
Are people allowed their personal views on moral issues? Of course, and thank God our country guarantees them that right. But can we dictate our personal views through legislation? The very principle of our country says that we should not.
I would love to see the clear cut line between right and wrong so that decisions would be easy. But clear cut lines do not often exist in our imperfect world. What I want more than anything is for everyone to have the chance to live their lives to the fullest. Who could possibly deny that to anyone? Who would even want to?
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