Another Reason to Vote Obama....

Obama GOOD!

McCain BAD!

If you care about civil rights here is another reason to "Vote for Obama":

Ultra-conservative Puritanical Religionist Republicans of Dooooom!

Civil Rights has a history, (especially under Bush politics) of suffering and being violated horribly under a Republican regime - I am talking to you Patriot Act, to which the ACLU has had to fight hard to try and fix. Who knows how many innocent people's lives have been wrecked with these horrible laws in effect. Will these people whose rights have been violated ever be compensated for their governments enforcement of these broken laws? No. They will receive a "My bad!" and then be left tot recover from having their life destroyed by an illegal law.

The next president will most likely have the chance to nominate 2 or 3 Supreme Court Judges. The McCain camp is against Gay Rights which is very strongly a civil rights issue which he is against from a puritanical and ultra-conservative (save me some votes) standpoint. This way of thinking is one of the greatest problems with the Republical Party - Conservative Christian Religionism is their hidden mantra.

McCain will appoint judges that will enforce a close-minded backwards-traditional mindset and in an attempt to crush all of cultural progress out of fear, as well as crushing our civil rights in the process.

Marriage, Love, and Gay Marriage Reading

Here is some reading about Marriage, Love, and Gay Marriage from Biblical, Anthropological, and other perspectives:

Articles

• An Elastic Institution: American Anthropological Association (2004)
• Anthropologists debunk ‘traditional marriage’ claim : The Washington Blade (2004)
• Gay marriages fit into this adaptable institution: USA Today (2004)
• Multicultural marriage: Boston Globe? (2006)
• Scientists counter Bush view: The San Francisco Chronicle (2004)
• The Science of Love, and the Future of Women by Helen Fischer: Ted (2006 - Video/Audio)

Books

• Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray (1994)
• Divine Sex: Liberating Sex from Religious Tradition (2006)
• God is not a Homophobe: An unbiased look at Homosexuality in the Bible (2006)
• Myth of Monogamy, The (2002)

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong!

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, cosmetic surgery, hair dye and air conditioning.
2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
3. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.
4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Brittany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.
7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.
9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

Gay Marriage

I have mentioned before that I support gay marriages (same-sex marriages) and that I am willing to perform same-sex marriages. This is a civil right issue and it is a travesty that this is an issue here in America.

What follows are a few links that talk about gay rights and gay marriage. If you take a look at nothing here but one link - check out Out Take Online - click through the intro and take a look at the Trailer.

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LBGT) Project
• Fair Wisconsin
• Freedom to Marry
• Out Reach
• Out Take Online
• Gay Civil Rights
• Unitarian Univeralist Association (UUA) Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender (LGBT) Community

You may also want to check out the book 'God is not a Homophobe: An unbiased look at Homosexuality in the Bible' by Philo Thelios.

Thanks for stopping by.

I am Ordained

On May 25, 2007 I became an ordained minister for the Universal Life Church. Why did it do that? That is a good question and I am going to try to answer it, at least a little bit, here. Some will laugh and some will cry (at the apparent absurdity) when reading this, and that is OK. =)

Religion, theology, spirituality or whatever you would like to call it is a person seeking that answer to the question that plagues each and every person in one way or time or another. Some have the strength to look for the answers themselves and some do not. Some are happy being told what to believe and some find satisfaction in their own pursuit to the answer. I have not really cared either way until the last few years when I began my own little search to find my answers. Will I ever truly find the answer? Just like everyone else - No, I shall not. Will I find the answers that make sense to me and sate my need for more answers? I certainly hope so.

There are things that I have thought and read about (from civil rights and relationships to religion) and conclusions that I have come to (but I will discuss them at a later time), and being guided by my home in Unitarian Universalism which has an penchant for lay lead services, I found this ordainment path rather appropriate for me.

Becoming ordained, is in some way, a personal affirmation that I am in charge of my spiritual journey and that no one else can travel it for me. I am responsible for my beliefs and no one can tell me what to believe. (Well, they can, but that does not mean that I will be a believer.) I must decide and discover what truths resonate inside me. Others may assist me along my journey by helping me to discover what I believe, but let them not condemn me for not partaking fully what is true in their own heart, for in each person lays their own truth and only they have the power to discover and unleash it.

I have semi-recently performed my first wedding ceremony and wow was I nervous. I am happy and more than willing to perform services for (and I support) those of the 'LGBT+P' persuasion.

Civil Unions and Marriage Ban in Wisconsin

I want to talk about the Civil Unions and Marriage Ban in Wisconsin from a White Man's Burden sort of perspective. If you have seen the movie I think that you know where I will be going with this. This is a great statement movie starring John Travolta and Harry Belafonte, where the racial roles are reversed between the African American and White communities. In this movie African Americans are dominate racial force and whites are the minority.

Role Reversal

The majority of people in the world are heterosexual. What if this was not the case? What if it was the other way around? What if homosexual relationships were the norm (we are going to disregard the species perpetuation issues with this, so work with me here).

Being heterosexual in a homosexual world. You are in love with someone of the opposite sex even though the world tells you that you are wrong and you might even have a disease or mental disorder. You are afraid to show your love and commitment for your partner for fear of ostricization or being spurned, not only by people that you do not know, but your friends and family as well.

You get together with your partner and declare you love and commitment together and you want to get married. You cannot due to government laws, and because of this you are not able to get health insurance from your partner, see them in the hospital, make medical and financial decisions for them in case of an emergency, get bereavement leave, and host of other benefits that are taken for granted by the homosexual majority.

How lonely it is. Living in fear and worry that something might happen to your partner and you may not be able to do something about it because the government is trying to tell you who you can love and are trying to punish you for it.

Final Thoughts for Today's World

How will same sex unions in todays world affect you. Odds are that it will not affect you at all, unless you are in the homosexual minority seeking marital rights for you and your loved one.

Whether or not same-sex unions are allowed will not affect the heterosexual population at all. Same sex unions happen whether anyone likes it or not. These unions currently may not have the force or protection of law but they are still there, even if you do not want to acknowledge it.

Allowing marital freedom, as it is intended, to same-sex marriages will give everyone the peace of mind that they deserve for committing to their loved ones. It will give everyone the safety and security that is deserved for their commitment. On November 7th go out there and vote against this tragedy in American politics and prevent the destruction of the true meaning of marriage - commitment. Do not let intolerance and prejudice be the cornerstone of your country's laws. Take back America and let it stand for Freedom.