I guess that's where I fall on it. I really don't care what anyone believes, and I don't have any campaign to convert anyone one way or the other. Jesus, Allah, Buddah, Zenu or Flying Spagetti Monster, I think they are all a bit nuts, but whatever gets you through the day, and the whole world is nuts anyway.
EG: the gay stuff at issue
I don't care who you want to marry. You want to marry some dude? Knock yourself out. I don't care, it doesn't effect me, and heteros have already made a mockery of marriage anyway with a 50%+ divorce rate, so they should hardly be talking. Esp all these preists and religious types, seeing as so many are closeted homos anyway...
What I don't like is how quickly and often religion is used to to make laws and public policy. I don't think .gov should be butting into people's personal lives and approving or disapproving who you want to live with and marry. I think its quite sinister how many politicians pull out the bible to rile people up on some dumb issue to try and get votes.
Why are we even arguing about gays and the military and marriage? Oh, because some Pol thought it would make a great wedge issue to help turn out conservative votes so he could be re-elected.
***cough, Bush, cough* 2004*** So much for freedom, self-determination and personal responsibility...
Not that the Left hasn't done it in history, but it seems to be an essential tool of right-wing politician's modern election strategy is to go bible-thumping.
So far we got one former front runner calling homos slaves, and running a clinic to "pray the gay away" funded in part with questionable use of tax dollars. Another surging wannabe promising to force american muslims to take "loyaly tests" and ban them from serving in his govt. You have two Mormons being attacked by evangelicals for being cultists and fake christians. There was Rick Santorum (ha!) telling an
active duty gay soldier in Iraq that he should go back into the closet and he would see to it as president, meanwhile the audience is booing the soldier b/c he's gay and not one of the lionhearts on stage thinks to defend the soldier, who is in a war zone fighting and potentially dying for his country, but is not entitled to respect b/c of what he does in his own personal time.
Then there is current ~front runner Rick Perry. Wow, buddies with all sorts of wacky extremists to even start on.
Now while there are many respectable Christians (and non-Christians) out there who are very thoughtful, charitiable and temperate people, there seems to be a fairly large mass who want to impose autocratic religious rule on everyone, and are signifigant enough that they are constantly pandered to. There are tolerant Christians, but they are not the people who really have the power.
Its the others I worry about and really feel no motivation to show them deference or admiration for their courage and "faith." I'd just rather everyone STFU on the religious stuff and let people live their lives as they wish. We have enough other problems as it is to go starting needless fights and divisions.