Over the last few years, some prominent politicians and religious figures in the United States have warned that legal recognition of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples will provoke a wrathful reaction from their god, a supernatural being with the power to destroy cities, wreck nations, and even lay the entire world under the waters of a violent flood.
Last night, the New York State Senate voted to approve legislation legalizing homosexual marriage, and the bill now moves forward to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has indicated that he will sign the bill into law.
So, has there been any evidence of wrathful gods punishing New York State for legalizing same-sex marriage? Let’s look at the news from New York this morning:
- The New York Jets football team will be training in New Jersey, rather than Cortland, New York.
- 4,100 public school teacher jobs have been saved in New York City
- Tuition will increase in New York’s state universities
- Train delays between New York City and Philadelphia are likely end by September
- There’s a Jazz Fest at Onondaga Community College
- There’s a Cherry Festival in Seneca County
- Health insurance companies in New York will be required to cover services for children with autism
- A women’s professional golf competition continues
I’m trying to find a big disaster in New York that would provide evidence for the divine wrath theory, but I just can’t… hold on…
In Perinton, some vandals knocked down some tombstones. Does that count?
Well, after a course of extensive internet research, I’ve noted that the weather in New York State will be a bit drippy today, with a 50% chance of rain in spots. Perhaps the Almighty’s plan is to help the apples grow especially large this year so they will be more likely to fall on the heads of passing same-sex spouses, causing worrisome lumps that will lead them to repent.
I’m a big fan of snark, but methinks your on a fools errand.
People who use “methinks”: trying to sound different? Not working.
Just because God may delay his judgment does not mean that he won’t judge. Note this passage from 2 Peter 3:1-10:
2Pe 3:1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2Pe 3:2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,
2Pe 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
2Pe 3:4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
2Pe 3:5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
2Pe 3:6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
2Pe 3:7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2Pe 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
And the sheap will bleat, and cows will moo, and the pigs will go “oink.” Yes, yes. Like in any good fairy tale, it’s always just around the bend and never today. Moo.
Jim,
Funny you should say that because I couldn’t find “once upon a time” anywhere in the Bible. If you really will study it seriously, you will find that it is not a fairy tale at all.
But since you are apparently so wise, you will probably reject what I am saying. I will leave you to your wisdom then.
One final citation, then you can have the last word:
(Jesus speaking) –
Mat 24:37 “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mat 24:38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
Mat 24:39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ”
Notice that those people were *unaware*. They thought things would just carry on as they had been. Once the rains came, it was too late. This is why it says in Hebrews “do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, ” (Heb. 3:8)
The last word is carbunkle.
I’m sorry, anonymous, but do you have an example from the real world, rather than from a novel?
We Are Married…. Let No One Put Asunder
My spouse and I were married on September 13, 2004 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We have been together for more than thirty years. When we arrived back home in Kansas, the sky did not fall; dairy cows did not stop producing milk, and gravity was still intact — although common sense and common decency seemed to have left our segment of the planet under the seemingly endless Kansas prairie sky. Yes, we got the expected “Welcome Back Home to the Good ol’ USA!” reception alright to which we’ve sadly grown accustomed as Gay and Lesbian Americans.
For months, the vile malevolent specter of our very own local home-grown Kansas State Anti-Equality “Heterosexuals Only” so-called Marriage Amendment hung over our heads like the shadowy silhouette of a cowardly mugger ready to strike in ambush from a dark alley. Finally, in early April 2005, a Kansas lynch-mob, drunk with power and prejudice, at last had their little necktie party and strung up our Bill of Rights in the public square of totalitarianism. Apparently, American neo-fascists aren’t satisfied with just being the insufferable bully on the international block, they must also have their pound of flesh at home too.
So what is so surprising about this scenario? Obviously there is not enough conflict in the world, so malicious malcontents in Kansas, as well as throughout most of the US, feel the need to stir up the flames of division even more. All of this brings to mind my saddest and most sustained observation concerning the United States in general. It is in regard to her citizenry’s constantly evolving contempt for other Americans. Overall, it is Mankind’s greatest single flaw too. But in the USA it is the perversion of Christian fellowship and tolerance that is being twisted into a pseudo-religious/right-wing political dogma of dissimulation and group-hate which will be the next great stain on America.
Political gay-bashing and religion-based bigotry has quickly become this new century’s equivalent of racism, gender inequality and ethnic strife. Fanatical homophobia has been effortlessly revived and poisonously retooled from the last century’s panoply of prejudices so eagerly embraced in these perpetually un-United States. Once again, the drama is much the same — only the characters on the stage are played by different actors.
As this tragedy unfolds, those whose duty it is to uphold America’s promise of equality once again turn a blind eye to this country’s absolute assurances of equal justice. How did this nation’s immutable guarantees of liberty degenerate into such an arrogant and heartless popularity contest in America? If you don’t like your neighbor, just simply write them out of the Constitution. Is that it? Is that all it takes to make them disappear? Just fashion a paper noose out of group-specific malicious laws and then lynch your neighbor on a gallows once called the Bill of Rights. Is that the level of barbarity to which we have regressed in America?
No, I did not expect homophobes to throw rice at our wedding, but occasionally, albeit foolishly, I expect a modicum of class from people I do not know — such as the simple civility of minding one’s own business. I certainly do not appreciate strangers meddling in my personal affairs; especially when it concerns my marriage. That is not only bad manners, but it is truly beneath contempt.
So, unless Canada’s Marriage Laws or the few Marriage Equality U.S. “free” States fair laws are changed to reflect the rest of America’s narrow-minded contempt for her own most vulnerable citizens, then my marriage will stand in at least a few zones of freedom in the U.S. as well as elsewhere abroad where equality actually means something. And there is nothing any thug in the guise of religion or government can do about it. No amount of hatred for my spouse and me will ever un-marry us. I am confident that those miscreants who envy and despise our joyful union, as well as those unethical politicians who seek political power by inciting a mob mentality in the general public, will not be looked upon favorably by history nor by future generations.
The truth is that decent people elevate themselves by their own achievements and talents; not by standing on the backs of others who are least able to defend themselves. It’s a very sad commentary on modern society, as well as on this really not-so-Christian country after all, that people will still do to others what they would not tolerate having done to them. That is the classic definition of a fascist. And that is certainly not what either The Founding Fathers or Christ would have envisioned for this not-yet-great nation.
Jesus who had embraced the disenfranchised, and who had walked amongst the outcasts of society, would weep today for what is done in his name. Equally shameful is the disrespect shown to the drafters of our Bill of Rights who took great pains to protect the “inalienable rights” of the less politically powerful against the tyranny of the majority. Just try to keep in mind those words: “Liberty and Justice for All…” and “That which you do unto the least among you, you do unto me.” And according to all belief systems which respect the dignity of Humankind, whether secular or religious in nature, that mandate is simply this: All people are created equal in all ways and they are endowed with the same inherent rights, in all things, as all others — there are no exceptions. Too bad some people still refuse to see it that way.
Bigotry has always had a peculiar way of eviscerating virtue when truth becomes particularly inconvenient in advancing petty prejudices and an anti-social agenda. Whether one makes a religion out of politics (such as in Nazi Germany or in Communist regimes) or fabricates politics from religion (such as fundamentalist deity-based totalitarianism anywhere on Earth) the end result is the same. The end result is intolerance, and that is the nexus of most human strife and suffering on this planet since time immemorial.
America owes a birthright of equality in all things, great or small, under the legal umbrella of citizenship which she extends to all of her children. No one’s personal religious, ethical, political or any other belief system can ever be allowed to dictate which Americans should have rights and which ones should not. If that is not anathema to the revolutionary spirit of this country and an affront to our Bill of Rights, then nothing is.
The courage to stand up for the most vulnerable citizens among us against institutional and popular prejudice is a rare act of both bravery and virtue. People of good will, working together, perhaps can someday make America a shining example of a Constitutional Republic that keeps its solemn promise of equality for all. Maybe we can remind others that this nation’s guarantee of individual liberty would never allow one faction to ever vote away another citizen’s civil rights in a thoughtless expression of group-hate. I still believe that there are good and fair people in this country. But considering the lessons of the past, I hope we don’t have to wait for the next generation to grow up in order to find them.
Yes, contrary to the presuppositions of inculcated hate and politically manipulated hysteria, there really is room enough at the matrimonial table for every consenting, non-related, pair of adult human beings who wish to marry in this world — regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, politics, gender identity or sexual orientation. It is obvious to any student of history that loving, mutually supportive same-sex romantic relationships are as old as Mankind. It has always been so and will continue to be so as long as there is a human race.
Let us also not forget that the civil rights of Gays and Lesbians are protected in most of the industrialized Western world. In those truly civilized nations, same-sex oriented individuals can be open and honest about their orientation. Even in this country, which has such a long and shameful history on the issue of human rights, homosexual intimate relationships are just as legally protected under the U.S. Constitution as heterosexual intimate relationships — as wisely decided by the Supreme Court in the Lawrence -vs- Texas decision on June 26, 2003.
Currently, the personal lives of tens of millions of Gay and Lesbian Americans are the bloody battlegrounds where this never-ending war against civil rights is being fought. It is a war that perennially pits progress and egalitarianism against the forces of ignorance and maliciousness. We may lose many battles to those foes who divide this great house against itself — which we call America — but ultimately we will win the final war against the enemies of human dignity and freedom. Of that I have no doubt.
Those who fanatically and sanctimoniously wave the banner of “tradition” are in reality only selfishly trying to protect their own special status at the expense of others. Obviously, if tradition was always such a virtuous thing to uphold we’d still have slavery; women wouldn’t have the right to vote, and America would have king.
The horrors of human bondage are most often conceived and perpetuated by using that contemptible excuse of upholding the self-serving status quo. Unquestionably, when tradition is used as justification to oppress others it becomes a thing of evil and an enemy of civilization. Old notions and elitists traditions must yield to inclusiveness and egalitarianism if peace is ever to be realized and a stable society maintained.
A hallmark of civilization is marriage, and marriage is both a binding oath of mutual loyalty and a personal contract which clearly details responsibilities and rights entered into between two romantically involved individuals who pledge to share their lives with one another. That very same institution belongs to all loving, non-related, adult couples. No apartheid-like system of separate tables (i.e. civil unions, domestic partnerships, etc.) will ever suffice. To deny same-sex couples who are also engaged in constitutionally protected, intimate, mutually supportive relationships the same protections and rights that many married heterosexual couples take so easily for granted is an affront to human dignity and an assault on American principles of fairness.
Too many brave and good citizens, Gay and Straight alike, have fought and died on too many bloody battlefields so that all people can partake of freedom. No one should belittle their ultimate sacrifice by parceling out equality as if it were their own special gift to give to a favored segment of society. I truly believe (just as I previously stated in an essay I wrote which appeared in the Kansas City Star) that there is more than enough room at the same table of marriage for each of us who wish to take on all the responsibility it demands, as well as reap its rewards. As tempestuous as marriage sometimes is, it most often provides for couples pledged to one another for life, be they heterosexual or same-sex couples, the only real promise of a safe harbor in which to lay anchor and to protect their most precious cargo — each other.
We too have sworn an oath — to have and to hold ’till death do us part. My spouse and I made that promise to each other officially on September 13, 2004 when we were finally, legally allowed to be married in a country to the north which respects human dignity and individual liberty. Although, I still can remember that one cold winter night on January 10th, 1975, when Bill and I first met — we were just kids in our early twenties then. We also made that pledge, albeit unofficially, to one another. Now as then, in good times and in bad times; forsaking all others; ’till death do us part; let no one put asunder.
It means just as much to us today as then. And perhaps just a little bit more, because at least a few more compassionate people and a few more civilized nations are finally starting to respect our right to be recognized as a family at last. They know, as we do, that love is the most important ingredient that makes a family. Families can’t exist without it. All kinds of families spring into existence because of it. That is the bedrock of marriage. Nothing else is required except devotion — plus the courage to fight for the ones you love in the face of adversity. That is what actually makes a family. And, in case anyone forgets, that is what marriage is truly all about.
(C) Bud Evans 2006 & 2010
[originally published in 2006 and then revised in 2010 to reflect the growing number of Marriage Equality States which have joined the 21st Century by rejecting anti-GLBT bigotry as an official state policy]
(Bud Evans is a studio artist and writer who lives with his partner, Bill, for over thirty-five years who has also been his spouse since September 13, 2004 when they were legally married in Vancouver, B.C., Canada)
This little news story is smart, sarcastic, and very quippy. Of course there were no instantaneous disasters. It seems God does not exist and all those religious figure heads believe in fairy tales. Aren’t they so silly? Or so you think:
2 Peter 3:3-10 (NLT)
3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.
4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.
6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.
7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
Seek after the Lord before it is too late. Now is the time to seek for Him through His word, but there will be a time when He will NOT be found and then it will be too late. Now is the time to fall on your knees and repent before the Lord. Act quickly as time is short.
You want me to “fall on my knees and repent before the Lord”, and you’re AGAINST gay marriage? I’m confused.
I think you will understand once you get tired of your gay life. Your sexual desire will take you to the animals, all sorts of fancies and then don’t know where. There is no end to this devilish thing. Satan wants to bring you to the brink where you will just give up with suicide. I hope you understand God’s grace and turn around.
No, no, I think you misheard Satan. I just talked to him, and Satan said what he wants is a nice pulled pork sandwich, hold the cole slaw, and a 32 ounce Pepsi cola. Could you go fetch that for me, Nick? I don’t want to keep Satan waiting.
I like fancy things.
God’s word says that homosexuality is an abomination in His sight. He considers it a SIN. God created us in His image. His word reflects that image. Of course, if you don’t believe in God, then your path is doomed anyway, homosexual or not. He sent Jesus to save us from our sin and instructed followers to preach the truth of God’s word, convict of sin and lead men to repentance. He will be tolerant for so long. His punishment may not be meaded out in the sinners lifetime on earth, but, it will be in the after life. It seems to me the homosexual life choice is very selfish and distructive. Be prepared for the consequences. Eternity is forever. Remember, God loves the sinner but hates the sin. I hope your convictions are worth an eternity of separation from God and what He has prepared for those who love Him as well.
God’s word of the day is phlebotomy! People who deny the worth of phelbotomists are An abomination in his Sight. He considers IT a sin not to occasionally capiTOlize letters within a sentence! God created us quesadillas for dinner. Will you not even try your quesadilla, but allow it to fester upon the plate of iniquity? Shame! Shame and damnation!