It started out innocently enough

On facebook, inspired to by the state of Maine voting against gay marriage, I wrote this:

Just like in the Civil Rights Era, there are many opposed to equal rights for all. They have their reasons they use to justify their bigotry, most use the excuse of "it's immoral" or "it'll be bad for the children". My question is since when is the law about imposing one mans morality upon another?

First I want to start with the obvious comparison, interracial marriage. There are many people today who still say interracial marriage is wrong. Up 1967, it was illegal to marry someone of a different race.

Just eleven short years before I was born was when Loving v. Virginia changed that. There are still people today who feel mixing races is immoral. They feel it's immoral and it's bad for the children. But there are many happy well adjusted children who come out of mixed race marriages. Just like there are happy and well adjusted children who come out of gay marriages and partnerships. For the people who want it kept criminalized because they personally feel it's immoral I ask why is it your business to keep your neighbor from being immoral? Why do you want to force your neighbor to live by your personal standard of morality? Do you want your neighbors to try to force you to live by their moral compass? Perhaps they feel large families are immoral as they use up a lot of resources. Perhaps they feel morally, all children should attend a school outside the home. ... Read More

No one wants to have to live by his neighbors beliefs. Yet many who fight it most passionately when it comes to wanting to live as they choose, fight vehemently to dictate what their neighbor is allowed to do. I think this is extremely hypocritical and patently un-American.

My cousin Emily responded with
Our grandpa still thinks it's a sin, actually.

I replied
I know, I remember when I was ten and at their house and he had a spirited discussion with a member of his church and he was very insistent that God loves white people more then he loves black people. If this person would just do some deep study in Leviticus they would see this for themselves. I love grandpa but he does have some very bigoted... Read More opinions.

The thing for me is I don't think everyone should agree with me. We all have brains and we all get to use them to make our own conclusions. I will never tell someone they are wrong for thinking a certain thing is immoral(whatever it may be) and for choosing not to do that thing. But I do have a big problem when they want to make it illegal(or keep it illegal) for other people. If it harms others or their property, then it should be illegal. But otherwise, as long as all parties are adults and mentally capable of consenting, who the neighbor sleeps with and marries does not effect me.

Em responded
I agree with you mostly, except I definitely believe that there are absolute truths. Our society's post modern mindset doesn't work anymore, philosophers realized this at least ten years ago and it's only starting to trickle down to us "commoners". There must be absolutes, there must be right and wrong in some situations. However, I don't believe ... Read More that marry across races falls into wrong, lol. People are people. God said creatures could only multiply "after their own kind". A dog can't get a cat pregnant. They're not the same kind. Therefore, if a black man can get a white woman pregnant, they are obviously the same kind, and are logically under God's law to marry. (whether it's God's will or not for that specific couple to marry is a whole other matter, lol)

And then I responded to her
I do believe there are absolute truths. Some things will always be wrong and some things will always be right. Physically harming an innocent person will always be wrong for example. But there are far more things that don't fall into the solid "always right" and "always wrong" categories. These things fall in the "right for some people" and "wrong for some people" areas and as such people should be able to choose for themselves and not be denied a right given to everyone else because of their neighbors choice of religious beliefs say they are wrong.

For example, I have tattoos. Many people think they are immoral and wrong. But should they have the right to tell me I cannot get one? They get to make that choice for themselves and no one else. Unfortunately, for many people, they feel like they have the right to keep the choice to marry the person they love away from people based on gender. They have every right to feel it's wrong and to not take part in same sex relationships, but I don't think they have the right to tell them they cannot legally commit themselves to one another.

I'm going to continue this in the next post......