The to do over "I do"

I am extremely glad to live in Canada as I read about and watch news briefs regarding the kerfuffle over gay marriage in the US. I find it incredibly shocking that the Christian Right, through President Bush, is actually trying to alter the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages in the US.

I must admit that am rather ignorant of all the aspects of the US Constitution other than the whole, "yay, guns!" aspect, free speech, and getting to "plead the fifth" when you're accused of being a Commie by the House of Un-American Activities Commission. What my ignorant self is aware of is that there is supposed to be a separation of Church and State in the US so allowing the "Moral Majority" to dictate their views into a piece of paper revered to be the foundation of the United States is completely absurd. Especially since the ban isn't about civil unions, which I guess they don't consider to be "real" marriages, which I guess also means that Theovis and I aren't "really" married - but only about church marriages. In my opinion, if the church in question is willing to marry a gay couple, there is absolutely no reason the government - especially the federal government - should have anything to do with it. No church should be forced to perform gay marriages by federal or state government either. The governement should just keep their big, fat-cat noses out of the whole issue and go back to the work they're meant to do - kowtowing to the special interests and destroying the environment.

Admittedly, I am not an especially religious person. I think I believe in God but I don't follow any faith in particular - so many of them have a disturbing undercurrent of misogyny. I went to the United Church all through my childhood and youth, singing in the church choir once I was old enough and only stopped going because we moved to Port Coquitlam and couldn't find a United Church with a good choir nearby. I figure God isn't a big fan of off-key warblings, although maybe he's just glad people are "lifting a joyful voice unto the Lord". It could be that it's more that I'm not a big fan of off-key warblings and couldn't imagine trying to celebrate a higher power while my ears hurt (it always comes back to me, doesn't it). Anyway, I think the United Church is (at least one of) the most liberal churches in Canada and were the first to allow openly gay ministers. Ergo I wasn't indoctrinated with a whole lot of "hellfire and brimstone", nor do I even know exactly what they were up to in Sodom and Gomorrah before getting themselves a serious smiting from the big guy upstairs.

I'm sure several people could fill in the blanks of in my religious education and point out the exact verses in the bible where homosexuality is condemned and forbidden, and the threat of a fiery, unpleasant eternity is promised to any and all practitioners. I would challenge them to then point out the verses where the eating of pork and seafood are also expressly forbidden - two extremely common practices in the US, a heck of a lot more common than homosexuality - but I sure haven't seen any protesters outside Red Lobster screaming, "Sinners! You're going to burn in Hell!" I really don't believe that you get to pick which forbidden activities you abide by and which you ignore because they're quaint or outdated or whatever. If you're hammering home on the homosexuality front I'd better see another amendment banning Jimmy Dean Sausages and popcorn shrimp. It's all or nothing, folks, not a mix-n-match combo plate.