Spare Me Your Angst

Conservative Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas has suggested that the court should overturn a 2015 ruling that allows same-sex marriage because it "had ruinous consequences for religious liberty."

Somebody, please help me understand his reasoning. How does giving gay and lesbian couples the same rights as heterosexual couples impact religious liberty? The only impact I can see is that equal rights under the law stymies the efforts of evangelicals to force everybody to live according to their beliefs.

Giving equal rights to others does not mean fewer rights for anyone else. As someone pointed out, rights are not pies. Giving some to others doesn't mean that you get fewer rights. And no one is asking for extra rights, merely to be treated equally.

What happened to freedom of religion, and freedom from religion if that is what people choose? The only credible reason to see the 2015 court decision as "ruinous" for religious liberty is that it removes the religious basis for opposing equal rights for the LGBTQ community. And since the United States supposedly has separation of church and state, Thomas's objection seems very suspect. Religious beliefs should have NO role in court rulings.

Religious liberty does not mean allowing certain religious groups to impose their beliefs on others. It means that people are free to practice whichever religion they choose, or to practice no religion if that's their preference. Big difference.

I have to wonder whether evangelicals, who apparently think it's fine to impose their religious beliefs on others, would feel the same way about a group of radical Muslims trying to impose their religious beliefs on America. Would they be OK with sharia law, for example? I think the answer is clear.

So if we remove the religious justification for denying gays and lesbians the right to marry, what possible reason is there to object?  And Christians are not being persecuted when they are kept from using their religious beliefs to discriminate against others. They are still free to practice Christianity as they see fit, but freedom of religion does not extend to discrimination against others.

I admit that I don't understand the gay lifestyle. It isn't for me. But I accept that some people are born gay. I have a good friend who is gay. As he once said, "Why would I choose to be gay when it causes some people to hate me and discriminate against me?" I was a witness at his wedding. I signed the marriage certificate as a witness, and I took photographs of the secular ceremony for the couple. They are still together after 25 years.

Being gay or lesbian is not a choice, just as being short or blue-eyed or Black is not a choice.Some people report that they knew they were gay at a very young age, although they didn't really understand what that meant. I used to work with a transgender woman. Previously known as Steve, she transitioned and became Stephanie. I had no problem working with her, and I found her to be a bright, kind person. Her personal choice was none of my business. I was glad that she was finally living her authentic life.

So spare me your angst about how gay marriage is "ruinous" for your religious beliefs. Perhaps you should spend more time understanding what Christ's message really was, and less about corrupting his teachings and using them to justify your hateful behavior.