Oh, hello! Come on in and have a cup of tea with me.
I was brough up in a Catholic household. Church every weekend, Sunday school, confirmation, the whole works. It was fine then. It was all I knew. I’d look around at all the people and silently make disparaging comments about them in my mind. I didn’t know better.
When I finally started paying attention, I decided that I didn’t really like what they were saying. It wasn’t that they were saying anything different or new, it is just that I started having my own opinions that didn’t necessarily agree with theirs. I don’t think either opinion could be labeled right or wrong – just differing. I was my opinion that going to church was being preached AT, rather than preached TO. There were the commandments – you can’t do this or that. And obviously, murder and adultery are not good things. (Well, adultery might be, depending upon your own moral compass. I’m not judging. But murder? Still bad.)
Like many others, I consider myself to be more spiritual than religious. I still pray. I still believe there is something greater “up there”, or wherever. And it has crossed my mind more and more frequently that I might like to find a new church. Being the card-carrying lazy apathist (yes, I just made that up – you’re welcome) I am, I haven’t made the effort to go visit any churches to see if their philosophies more closely match mine.
To be clear – I am in no way saying that the Catholic belief system is bad or wrong. It just isn’t for me. I think we should all be able to practice any religion that works for us; worship at the altar that works best for you, and let me do the same.
Then, I see this headline in a Tweet from a local news station:
Maine’s Catholic churches plan a second collection weekend to help the referendum campaign to overturn the law recognizing gay marriages.
And that pisses me off to no end. I would have the same reaction regardless of the religion at the center of the story. While I can appreciate that this does not necessarily fall under the separation of church and state, what business is it of any church to get involve in this law?
This whole gay marriage thing and the opposition against it? It’s beyond my scope of comprehension as to WHY THE PHUCK IS IT ANYONE’S BUSINESS IF TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE EACH OTHER GET MARRIED????????? We should celebrate MORE love in this world, not try to squelch it. If two people get married, it doesn’t affect my life in any way. I don’t care if they are gay or straight. And now for the church to get involved?? WHY? So, your beliefs may not be the same, so you have to make others’ beliefs wrong? How is that showing the love of a higher power?
And don’t even bring in “the Bible says it’s wrong” crap. This is NOT A RELIGIOUS ISSUE. It shouldn’t be a state issue. It shouldn’t be ANY issue. If these couples aren’t hurting you or themselves, leave them alone to be who they are.
Dear Catholic Church,
Stay out of it. Take care of your own house before you start finding fault with anyone else’s house. And that goes for all your brother religions as well. Just because you may not believe something doesn’t make it wrong. Isn’t there a “turn the other cheek” edict somewhere that should be followed?
I’ll get off my soapbox now. I’m a little dizzy from the altitude. I just think, again, that we should encourage love. Regardless of the form it takes.
*Maggie tried to stop me from writing this by walking on the keyboard and planting herself on my lap for a number of hours. She knew this would not sit well with folks. But since it is my blog, and my opinion, I’m okay with it.
MagAndMoo's Blog 
Lesley
I cannot add anything more eloquent than you or Laurie or Steph have already said. So I will just chime in with my hearty agreement.
And a big chuckle at “apathist.”
Mary
i come up with a lot of new words. i should totally work for webster. the dictionary people. not the oddly short black kid from tv.
Steph
Frankly, there’s no valid reason why gay marriage can’t be recognized by the government. The government’s job isn’t to legislate morality; merely to effect the greatest good for the greatest number of people while maintaining individual freedoms and rights.
Churches who oppose gay marriage are free to act within their own interests – excommunication, refusal to perform marriages, etc.
I honestly, honestly, honestly do not see why this is so damn hard for so many people to grasp. Gay marriage being made legal has zip to do with anything other than proffering certain people in certain relationships certain legal rights and responsibilities. Nothing more, nothing less.
Legal recognition of gay marriage doesn’t grant gay marriage moral legitimacy or sway, any more than it granted my heterosexual marriage moral legitimacy – it was up to Bill and me to provide our marriage with its moral basis.
I’m shutting up now. Also, I might have to repost this comment on my own blog as an entry. lol.
Mary
don’t shut up! more people need to speak out about this in order to drown out the ignorance!!
ChimaeraLaurie
That happens to be one of my soapboxes, too. The Mormon Church as well as the Catholic Church were the main proponents of Proposition Hate here in California. People seem to be able to interpret the Bible any way they want, and the funny thing is that it ALWAYS says what they themselves believe.
My son has a sweatshirt that says, “Apathetic Agnostic; Don’t Know, Don’t Care.” He also has shouting matches with the fundamental Christians during their anti-gay rallys on his campus, which makes me both very proud and nervous.
Mary
ooooo! i just read “under the banner of heaven” and have been wondering if it’s too soon for another religious posts about mormons…. to the point where i’m wondering if i am as open minded as i once thought.