You Gotta Fight! (Buh-dump!) For Your Right! (Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun) To Biiiiigotry!
Ah, America:
Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant. Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she's a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation. Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she's demanding that Georgia Tech revoke its tolerance policy.
With her lawsuit, the 22-year-old student joins a growing campaign to force public schools, state colleges and private workplaces to eliminate policies protecting gays and lesbians from harassment. The religious right aims to overturn a broad range of common tolerance programs: diversity training that promotes acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes that ban harsh words against homosexuality, anti-discrimination policies that require college clubs to open their membership to all.
The Rev. Rick Scarborough, a leading evangelical, frames the movement as the civil rights struggle of the 21st century. "Christians," he said, "are going to have to take a stand for the right to be Christian."
Yes, the right to spew hate at gays is the "civil rights struggle of the 21st century." Sort of like how the right to hate black people was the civil rights struggle of the 20th century. Apparently, though, that joke isn't very funny:
Christian activist Gregory S. Baylor responds to such criticism angrily. He says he supports policies that protect people from discrimination based on race and gender. But he draws a distinction that infuriates gay rights activists when he argues that sexual orientation is different — a lifestyle choice, not an inborn trait.
By equating homosexuality with race, Baylor said, tolerance policies put conservative evangelicals in the same category as racists.
Well, technically, since no race is involved, they're bigots. Same diff, as far as I'm concerned. I'd sure like the opportunity to get some clarification on Mr. Baylor's point, though. So, it's okay to tell a gay kid that they're sinful, and that the Bible condemns them, but it's not ok to tell a black kid that he's inferior to you? I'm just trying to keep the hate straight.
Damn those liberal schools. Why can't they selectively allow hate-speech/religious condemnation the way they're supposed to?
posted by MMorse @ 12:36 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
As the nearest thing this here blog has to a religious wingnut, I would like to state something for the record regarding this statement:
"So, it's okay to tell a gay kid that they're sinful, and that the Bible condemns them, but it's not ok to tell a black kid that he's inferior to you?"
Remember that the Bible teaches that we are all inherently and actually sinful (something that these people are likely to have forgotten) and that no one group of people is inherently worse than another.
Here's a question. Do I have a right to hold up a sign on my college campus that says "Murderers are sinning."? Is that "hating" murderers? What if my sign said "God hates religious zealots!"?
One could argue that these things are choices. And I suppose it's okay to hate people based on choices they make. I don't think sexuality is a choice per se. What does it mean to "tolerate" homosexuals?
Remember that the Bible teaches that we are all inherently and actually sinful (something that these people are likely to have forgotten) and that no one group of people is inherently worse than another.
So, then, shouldn't this girl feel only right keeping her judgements to herself? If we're all sinful, and none of us righteous, then why would she want/need to lift a ban on tolerance?
Here's a question. Do I have a right to hold up a sign on my college campus that says "Murderers are sinning."? Is that "hating" murderers? What if my sign said "God hates religious zealots!"?
It's certainly morally condemning them from a place of superiority. Isn't the point of Christianity to judge not?
Wasn't Jesus the one doing the judging?
What does it mean to "tolerate" anyone? Is it acceptable to call a black kid a nigger, because you've been taught that that's what they are? Or because the prevailing culture believes that they're inferior?
of course not. Why are gays any different? Because it's a "choice"? Well, Christianity's a choice...so should Christians not get bent out of shape when people criticize their religion?
If we're all sinful, and none of us righteous, then why would she want/need to lift a ban on tolerance?
Good question. She needs to feel righteous (as do most of us, Christian and non). That's all.
Isn't the point of Christianity to judge not?
Not really. The "point" is to love God and love our neighbor. One way to get to that point is by not "judging". I don't think Jesus meant that we have no right to point out sin, but rather when doing so we must not ignore our own (the mote and the beam).
Christianity's a choice...so should Christians not get bent out of shape when people criticize their religion?
I could argue that it isn't a choice as that's what I believe, but in either case, choice or not Christians shouldn't get bent out of shape. We do anyway, but we are human after all. Getting back to tolerance, I don't like that word. It smacks of doing the least you can get away with. I don't want to tolerate people. I want to love them.
Jesus didn't tolerate anything. He was an X-treme Dude. He did everything to the Maxx. Tongue out of cheek for a moment, you'll find that to be true. He loved and hated both with passion.
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