American history conveniently chronicles countless examples of injustice, intolerance and discrimination perpetrated upon non-white, non-Christian, and non-straight people. In fact, our history clearly illustrates how religion, notably Christianity, has been involved in many, if not all, of these occurrences.

Protestant reformers made history by burning suspected witches at the stake and southern Christians used Christianity to defend slavery. It was preached from the pulpit that the master class was charged with the burden of Christianizing heathens in exchange for rewards in the after-life; and slaves were tricked into believing that disobedience to their white masters would be perceived by God as disobedience to Him. Later, racial segregation in the South became the standard of accepted societal discrimination supported once again by Christian scriptures.

Many other groups continue to use Christianity to defame, discriminate, and harm minority individuals. They include, but are not limited to, the White Aryan Nation, the Neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan , and the Westboro Baptist Church. These groups believe that Christian scriptures condone the killing of Jews, gays, and gypsies; or the lynching, and murdering of black people.

The Catholic church, in concert with other Christian churches, continues to fight to repeal a woman’s right to have an abortion even if the mother’s life is in danger. And the Catholic church has also been a fierce supporter of abstinence-only sexual education programs for children; they blatantly refuse to accept and endorse the use of condoms despite scientific studies that have concluded that condoms can save lives by preventing the spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases as well as preventing unnecessary abortions.

Sadly, Christianity, and especially the Catholic and Mormon churches have not always been a friend to women. The inequalities and injustices that women have had to endure over the centuries due to the patriarchal hierarchy entrenched in Catholicism and the Mormon church are indeed staggering. Women, like black slaves, were the property of their husbands or white masters; women could not own property, they were frequently traded or purchased as if they were commodities, and they could not vote. For all intensive purposes, women were objects of convenience for men. They were baby-making-machines, mothers to their husbands children that they carried in their wombs, cooks, cleaners, and receptacles for their husbands pleasure and seed.

What a nasty walk down memory lane! I find it thoroughly amazing how Christianity can rewrite itself according to the times. I have come to call such revision, morality of convenience. For if one carefully reads Christian scriptures, one might be surprised to find that it shares many similarities with what many Americans refer to as radical Islam.

Last month we witnessed the Mormon church in Utah hijack the state of California after pumping millions of dollars into the California November elections to help repeal Proposition 8. This religiously-motivated political coup resulted in the redefining of marriage as a union between and man and a woman prohibiting the marriage of same-sex couples in California. Again Christianity resurfaced to steal the full citizenship of gay Americans in California.

Christianity also prevented gay Americans from equal protection under federal law. Just this year, The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, commonly known as The Matthew Shepard Act, was a bill introduced in the US Congress. This bill would have extended the 1969 United States federal hate crime law to include among other things crimes motivated and committed solely based on the perpetrator’s hate for the victim’s sexual orientation. Although the bill was passed by both the House and the Senate, it never reached the Oval Office since our Christian President, Mr. Bush, had made it known that he would veto it. Imagine, a nation founded in part on religious tolerance for all people, becomes the schizophrenic, divinely-inspired oppressor of gay people. So much for the separation of church and state.

Full citizenship should not be dependent and contingent upon one’s sexual orientation. American history has chronicled the painful and unjust suffering of women (gender discrimination), Native Americans and African-Americans (race discrimination). The plight of gay Americans centers around sexual orientation. We’ve been a minority group disenfranchised from full citizenship ever since the founding of this nation. Legal, religious, and social roadblocks and detours have always stood in our way when we, like women and African-Americans, challenged the white Christian and straight status-qua. Indeed, America needs to erase the last remnants of apartheid that plague the our nation.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently stated, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” All Americans regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation should be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Just as America defaulted on its “promissory note” with African-Americans, it continues to default on its “promissory note” to gay Americans. And instead of honoring this “promissory note,” the US government simply writes “bad checks” to gay Americans, and these checks always come back with “insufficient funds” stamped on them. Still, we endure this inequality even as we pay our taxes which are then used to subsidize the full citizenship of our straight neighbors who live on Main Street USA. Talk about forced tithing!

Although Christianity does not have a monopoly on intolerance, injustice and discrimination, the United States was founded on Christian principles and beliefs. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider and review our history through the looking glass of Christianity. There are many denominations found in Christianity– liberal, moderate and conservative. It’s imperative that the liberal and moderate Christians come forth and speak out against the injustices being committed to gay people by their conservative Christian brothers and sisters. Just as many Americans expect peace-loving Muslims to speak out against terrorist atrocities committed in the name of Allah, we expect and welcome liberal and moderate Christians to stand up and fight against those whose interpretations of God’s words only seek to do harm to God’s children. Not only is it the responsibility of gay Americans to mobilize and combat the injustices in our nation, it is the obligation of all Americans to stand up for those whose causes have yet to be resolved. Remember, silence is indifferent acceptance, and ultimately the fuel that fires all evils.

I am optimistic that Barack Obama will make gay rights an important issue in his first year in office. Often it takes another minority person to recognize the needs and injustices faced by others who live across town, not on Main Street, USA. Nevertheless, while we wait, we will continue to be creative and productive tax-paying citizens of this nation. However, we will also continue to fight for what is rightfully ours and we will settle for nothing less. And just as women and African-Americans finally secured their full citizenship through amendments to the US Constitution, gay Americans soon will, too.

Hey Steve!

Thomas Jefferson (along with George Washington) was a deist who abridged the Bible into his own version, didn’t think Paul had much to contribute, and discounted the entire Old Testament. Paul happened to be the person (I stress *person*) that mentioned homosexuality- twice, NOT Jesus. Incidentally Paul mentioned quite a bit more about churches that are obsessed with wealth (stadium seating, projectors, big screens anyone?) and how the faithful should live their lives- those who did not live by their terms were to be excommunicated from the Church. He mentions nothing about taking over the government and forcing everyone to live by the “Christian’s” beliefs- then again the Christians were persecuted at that time and probably had more empathy for such things back then. Jefferson (the guy who didn’t believe the Old Testament?) wrote the Declaration of Independence and had a huge hand in the Constitution. Few so-called “Christians” these days appear to even listen to Jesus’s or even the majority of Paul’s teachings. I’d hate to be them when they get before Jesus and try to explain why they supported the killing of civilians and disrespecting and hating other people in HIS name. Freedom of religion means you have the right to practice your religion so long as you are not abridging other people’s freedoms to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Gays are not physically harming you or taking away your property. And may I solve the mystery as to why gays think that “Christians are forcing their beliefs on us.” Christians do not force their beliefs on anyone- much as Christ implored them. My best friend of nearly 20 years is straight, teaches Sunday school, and is quite Christian. But she is not a FUNDAMENTALIST Christian. She is an Episcopalian. Fundamentalist Christians are indeed forcing gays to live by their beliefs. The only basis for what they are saying is THE BIBLE (or the Quran- also from Judeo-Christian tradition). This means they are forcing a group of people to live under laws made by their beliefs. To say that allowing gay marriage is the start of moral decay is a logical fallacy. I do not have any problems at all with you believing the way you do, so long as you leave me out of it. In fact, if someone tried to persecute fundamentalist Christians for their beliefs I would be the first in line to condemn that action. But I expect that same respect to be returned. Please do not foist your FAITH on my civic rights. This country is NOT a theocracy, and God help us if it ever becomes one (example of a theocracy: Iran). It worries me. This is another act of polarization that simply doesn’t need to happen and is horribly un-Christlike. Jesus kicked it with lepers and prostitutes- I’m sure he would have had less success if he spent all of his time judging on them instead of giving them a good example. Like you said, I’m just giving out the information. It’s up to you what you do with it.

Cheers

Hey Michael!
The Constitution is a continuance of the principles of the Declaration of Independence. And you’re right in that it does guarantee the things you mentioned.
And since 75 percent of the document contains principles from the Bible, the other parts from thinkers such as John Locke, who was also a Christian philosopher, then those are the principles that have kept this country together. And again I point out that if gays are allowed to redefine marriage, then what is to stop others from further changing it for other types of relationships?
But can I point out a misunderstanding that gays have with Christians? I’m always reading or hearing from them that we are “forcing” our beliefs on people. We don’t. The only reason I can think of as to why they think that is that Christians (in addition to conservative people) are more numerous than gays and so far have stem the tide of legislations trying to change laws such as redefining marriage. But a country needs morals in order survive, otherwise a police state would be needed to constantly keep things in order. In other words, to have freedom and liberty, there has to be personal responsibility. And believe it or not, Bible-believing Christians who live what they believe are the best friends gays have, because we care enough to tell the truth in helping our fellow man go in the right direction. That doesn’t mean we’re better than anyone; it’s just that we know God has a heaven prepared for those want to know Him, where there is no more crying, pain, lack of love, and other things this world cannot offer. We want others to come with us, and that is why we speak up. People are what God has chosen to tell others, otherwise as I mentioned before, if He appeared before you He would in a sense be coercing you to believe because you would be standing before the Creator of the Universe. I’m just giving out the information. It’s up to you what you do with it.