The truth is that the debate over the issue of marriage has increasingly devolved into personal and economic aggression against people of faith who have sought to live their lives consistent with their sincerely-held religious beliefs about marriage. In numerous incidents trumpeted and celebrated by a sympathetic media, progressives advocating the anti-traditional marriage agenda have used this issue to publicly mock, deride, and intimidate devout individuals for daring to believe differently than they do. This ruling will likely only embolden those who seek to punish people who take personal, moral stands based upon their conscience and the teachings of their religion. It is not acceptable that people of faith be exposed to such abuse. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects our religious liberty and shields people of faith from such persecution, but those aspects of its protections have been denigrated by radicals, echoed by the media and an increasingly-activist judiciary. […] Displays of hate and intolerance against people of faith should be denounced by all people of good will and spark concern among anyone who believes in religious liberty and freedom for all.
Yes, indeed; FRiday was a good day for America…unless, of course, you’re a Conservative culture warrior who believes that this country is risking the wrath of Almighty God by legalizing same-sex marriage (Tsunamis!! I was promised tsunamis, damnit!!). The collective butthurt among Conservatives who now feel their marriages to be threatened and the moral fiber of our great nation to be on the verge of unraveling is as considerable as it is extremely amusing. The above quote is from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who issued is as an unintentionally hilarious press release in the emotional aftermath of the SCOTUS. In Paxton’s cobwebby excuse for a brain, people loving one another (who just happen to be of the same gender) present a clear and present danger to good, God-fearing patriots.
IT’S ADAM AND EVE…NOT ADAM AND STEVE!!!
How much of a threat does Paxton believe the SCOTUS ruling presents to Penis-Americans who are attracted to Vagina-Americans? SO much of a threat that he- the Lone Star State’s chief law enforcement officer- is instructing county clerks to ignore the ruling. Ponder that for a moment…the Attorney General of the Lone Star State is instructing country clerks to ignore settled law because it clashes with his sorry excuse for “sincerely-held religious conviction.” Yep, the beautiful thing about being Texas’ AG is having the self-ascribed right to ignore laws that are…well, just plain inconvenient. Consider that astonishing rationalization for civil disobedience…and consider the delicious irony (and rank hypocrisy) of a law-and-order Republican deciding which laws he will follow. To say that he HAS no such right would be an epic understatement; defying a Supreme Court ruling is the very definition of official misconduct…but Paxton’s a Christian, and so he’s going to obey God’s law over those of Man. That there is no such law is but a mere inconvenience to a foot soldier in the American Taliban who believes his intolerant, fear-based, hollow excuse for “sincerely-held religious conviction” should- indeed, MUST- become the law of the land.
Paxton isn’t the only Right-wing culture warrior to lose their $#!& over sodomy and sin marriage equality suddenly being declared a basic human right. The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer declared that 6.26.15 is the new 9.11 for Christians. Yes. Really. He actually said that, and lacked the self-awareness necessary to recognize the ridiculously self-righteous or offensive nature of those words. Paxton is the Attorney General of the Great State of Texas, so he has something resembling actual authority. Fischer’s just a self-righteous, hateful lunatic marooned in Tupelo, MS, surrounded by bingo halls and his thoughts. He can and should be ridiculed in the same way we’d laugh at an old man yelling at clouds.
Hate lost. Love won. Deal with it. Y’all learned to accept interracial marriage after Loving v. Virginia in 1967. This too shall pass, and history will very likely and deservedly portray you as the hateful, intolerant, hyper-religious hypocrites and bigots you are.
Before we get to disassembling Paxton’s patently ridiculous assertions, I wanted to pass along some of the things I found at Right Wing Watch, where I do my shopping when it comes to uber-Jesus-y Right-wing lunatics. The American Taliban’s generalized reaction to the recognition of marriage equality as a human right was every bit as high-strung, overcooked, and highly entertaining as I’d expected. As you might imagine, in the aftermath of the SCOTUS ruling, RWW was a target rich environment for those, who like Paxton, get their marching orders from an angry, mean-spirited, vindictive God who is surely about to lay waste to Sodom and Gomorrah America. The rich, creamy, uber-Jesus-y goodness which follows is just Friday’s content on their home page:
‘Satan Dancing With Delight’: The Religious Right Reacts To The Legalization Of Gay Marriage
Glenn Beck Warns That His Radio Program Could Be Shut Down Because Of Gay Marriage Ruling
Todd Starnes Warns Pastors Who Refuse To Perform Gay Marriages To ‘Prepare For Hate Crime Charges’
‘Murder Of The Masses’: 7 Insane Right-Wing Predictions About Gay Marriage
Bryan Fischer Compares Gay Marriage Ruling To 9/11, Slavery, Pearl Harbor, And Sodom And Gomorrah
Conservatives React To Gay Marriage Ruling: End Times! God’s Wrath! Civil War!
Anti-Gay Activist: Marriage Equality Like Slavery, Ushers In Doom
Franklin Graham: Christians Must Prepare For Persecution And God’s Judgment On America
Far-Right: Flee America Before God Destroys Us For Gay Marriage!
So, yeah…Paxton has plenty of company on the crazy train. If Paxton’s theology is correct, those of us on here on the Left Coast should be heavily invested in preparing survival kits for the inevitable earthquakes and tsunamis God has promised us (except that She did no such thing). That doesn’t mean his argument isn’t absurd on its face, so let’s examine and parse it for entertainment value, shall we?
The truth is that the debate over the issue of marriage has increasingly devolved into personal and economic aggression against people of faith who have sought to live their lives consistent with their sincerely-held religious beliefs about marriage.
Um…no. HELL no. It has nothing to do with “personal and economic aggression against people of faith.” People who actually endeavor to LIVE the teachings of Jesus Christ understand that He never preached against homosexuality or same-sex marriage. He was actually far more concerned with peace, love, tolerance, and co-existence…things that “Christians” like Paxton find exceedingly inconvenient in light of their “sincerely-held religious beliefs.” That those beliefs have little if anything to do with religion and everything to do with hatred, homophobia, and discrimination seems to bother Paxton not at all.
In numerous incidents trumpeted and celebrated by a sympathetic media, progressives advocating the anti-traditional marriage agenda have used this issue to publicly mock, deride, and intimidate devout individuals for daring to believe differently than they do.
Yeah, that’s pretty much pure, unadulterated, USDA Grade A bullshit. We don’t deride or mock people for believing differently…but we will (and do) deservedly call them out for their insistence that their “sincerely-held religious beliefs” afford them the right to force their narrow, intolerant agenda on all Americans. It’s not about intimidation; it’s about the American Taliban believing their “religious beliefs” to be morally superior and therefore should be a standard all Americans are held to. BTW, there is no “anti-traditional marriage agenda. There only “agenda” is the belief that no has the right to determine how others should live and love.
This ruling will likely only embolden those who seek to punish people who take personal, moral stands based upon their conscience and the teachings of their religion.
Uh…no; you don’t get to call homophobia and discrimination based on someone’s sexuality and lifestyle “conscience” or “teachings of their religion.” That’s not religion, that’s tyranny. If your religion allows you to force your narrow moral rule book upon those who think, believe, live, and/or love differently than you, you have no religion. What you have is far-too-convenient justification for being a sociopath. Taking “personal, moral stands based upon their conscience and the teachings of their religion” is nothing of the sort. There is no right to deny others basic human rights because you find their lifestyle or sexuality objectionable. You don’t get to assert the superiority of your moral universe because you’ve convinced yourself that your conveniently self-serving bastardized version of Christianity says so. That belief has far more to do with your hateful ignorance and prejudice than with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
It is not acceptable that people of faith be exposed to such abuse.
Of course abusing people of faith is unacceptable. Abusing ANYONE is unacceptable…but that’s not what’s happening here. Telling someone they there’s no right to discriminate against and deny someone their rights as a human being isn’t abuse. It’s standing up for justice and treating people with dignity and equality. The only abuse here is what “people of faith” are demanding to be able to do to those they find objectionable.
Denying the “right” to persecute those one finds objectionable isn’t itself persecution. It’s standing up for basic human rights.
Move along, people; no hypocrisy here….
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects our religious liberty and shields people of faith from such persecution, but those aspects of its protections have been denigrated by radicals, echoed by the media and an increasingly-activist judiciary.
Bullshit. SO much bullshit; the challenge is to know where to wade in without risking being caught by a riptide of pure, unadulterated, self-serving BS. The 1st Amendment protects, among other things, freedom of religion- that much is true…but “freedom of religion” does not translate to “freedom to discriminate against those you find to be objectionable.” There is no right to deny others basic human rights, and calling someone out for that is not sufficient to claim “persecution.” Being called out for acting with arrogance, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness isn’t persecution. The definition of religious liberty doesn’t encompass the right to treat human beings as second-class citizens and “less than.” Whatever happened to treating others as you would wish to be treated?
Displays of hate and intolerance against people of faith should be denounced by all people of good will and spark concern among anyone who believes in religious liberty and freedom for all. How about we lose the arrogant self-righteousness and try this on for size: “Displays of hate and intolerance against ANYONE should be denounced by all people of good will and spark concern among anyone who believes in basic human rights and treating others with respect and dignity.” You don’t get to decry “displays of hate and intolerance” that aren’t your own…not without being laughed of the stage for being a self-righteous hypocrite.
What the SCOTUS ruling said was simple: “They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.” There is no longer an artificial distinction between “traditional marriage” (good) and “same-sex marriage” (bad). There is only marriage, the union of two people willing desirous of making a lifelong commitment, and no one- neither government nor hyper-Christian culture warriors- gets to determine who’s worthy of marriage and the rights that flow from it.
Love won. Hate lost. It’s time to get over the entitled, self-righteous butthurt and deal with it. Love is the law.
I’m sure if the haters work hard, they’ll soon find another minority class to direct their considerable Christian hatred love and hatefulness charity toward. It’s What Republican Jesus Would Do ©, don’tchaknow? Without that self-righteous hatred and well-honed self-superiority, the American Taliban would lose their raison d’etre…and they might have no option but to (GASP!!) learn tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion.
Oh, the humanity….
