Religion: No Rights Reserved

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When will religion recognize gay rights?

I cannot begin to describe how saddened I am by this story. For those not familiar, a 4-year old boy was shot by Peter Moses, a religious cult leader, because he thought the little boy exhibited “gay behavior.” I’m not even sure where to begin. Not only does this show just how rampant homophobia is, but it attests to the fact that religion incites violence.

Why do people dislike homosexuals? Is it because it’s “weird?” For some, sure: They have not been ‘exposed’ to homosexual relationships, so when they see two men or two women holding hands and maybe kissing, they ask, “wait…what just happened?” This is excusable and goes away with time. But for someone to disdain homosexuals and outwardly dislike them, that source isn't ignorance, but comes from religious dogma.

Christianity and many other religions have a dislike for homosexuals. It has never been explained why. When given any thought, it is not morally incorrect. What exactly is wrong with two people coming together and loving each other? Nobody chooses the gender they fall in love with, and for many who do not want “homosexual feelings,” this is a huge burden on them. Without the religious notion that same-sex relationships are ‘evil’ and ‘unnatural,’ this sort of burden and violence would not happen.

Religion seems to be the main culprit in all of this. Without it, needless suffering would not occur. We have all read countless stories showing us the horror that religious dogma can do: Everything from the horrendous actions on September 11, 2001, the threats of violence of abortion clinics, to the senseless murder of a little boy. People do not and will not see the harm that religion does. And do not let religious people tell you that these people were not “true believers.”

I come across this claim a lot, but here’s the problem: you’ll have many people accept belief X, but once someone outwardly acknowledges belief X or advocates it, they are demonized and labeled as crazy. The hatred towards homosexuals is found within the Bible and from religious leaders.

Homosexuals are a large sub-set of the population that is told they are full of sin, are unnatural, and should not be afforded equal rights. If you hear this kind of talk daily, you are not going to treat homosexuals with respect.

What can be done? First, I want to hear religious leaders release a statement showing their revulsion about such acts. Second, I want to advocate that we confront these backward beliefs. Homophobia and the spread of religious hatred are two very common things nowadays, and the best way to combat both is to stand up for what you believe, and lead the discussion. When someone says that homosexuals are disgusting, say something. I do not wish to advocate violence, nor do I wish anyone to disrespect anyone else, but I am advocating for a dialogue. Our situation will not get better if we sit idly by while this happens. People are being harassed with verbal and physical violence every single day, and most of us do not give it any thought.

The only way forward is to speak up and be heard.


Originally posted by: 
Tim


Photo:
Catholic Parents of Gays and Lesbians For Equal Rights  by Pipistrula, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.