Tuesday, November 01, 2005

An Open Letter To The "Moral Majority"

Dear Conservative Christian Republicans,

Hi. Andrew here. I dunno if you'll remember me. I voted with you back in 2000. Great year for us. Of course we sorta split ways after that, but never mind. I thought now would be a good time for us to catch up a little. Also, there are a few things I've been meaning to ask you about.

You see, there's this guy running the world right now that I know you're very fond of -- this Bush fellow, I think you know the one I'm referring to. Well, anyway, I've overheard some of the things you've been saying about him recently, and I was wondering if you could elaborate just a little.

I direct you to this statement, stolen from the blog of an old friend's wife:

President Bush I salute you! Thank you for being man enough to keep your promise: To nominate someone to the Supreme Court that is in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Thank you for not trying to nominate someone that will appease the liberals intent on legalizing same-sex marriage and killing babies.

Later this same blog makes mention of a general "homosexual, babykilling, moral lacking agenda" of the Democratic party. Naturally, I understand this is just one Conservative Christian Republican's opinion, so if this does not accurately represent your views, please feel free to correct me. But here's my question. . . .

Are you suggesting that given the choice, Jesus prefers the missile launching, poverty ignoring, environment destroying, CIA operative leaking, empire building agenda of President Bush over the agenda of the Democrats? Because theologically speaking, I think I take issue with that.

For instance, let's compare homosexuality with, say Hiroshima or Dresden or, um, Iraq. Am I to believe that the Ultimate Being who invented chemistry, quantum physics, DNA, and the vast known and unknown universe is more bothered by butt-fucking than by wiping out whole villages of men, women, and children? Is that what's really pissing him off? The cocksucking? Seems petty. I mean, this is just me, but I'd think it might bother him more that thousands of blacks were abandoned by their nation in the wake of the greatest natural disaster in U.S. history. Or that 2,000 young men and women have died in combat for a war based on deceitful claims regarding weapons of mass destruction that never existed. Or even something as paltry as millions of dollars being taken from the poor and given back to the rich in the form of tax breaks. But no, you're telling me that it's the gay pride parades that are really sticking in his craw. I don't quite understand that, because Jesus never once mentions homosexuality in the gospel, but he talks a lot about charity and nonviolence. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Bible condones homosexuality. I'm just saying Jesus himself never mentioned the issue, which would make me think that if we're going to weigh the sins, pick the lesser of two evils, it is my impression that Jesus would be more concerned with ending violence and poverty than with ending consensual adult sexuality. Your thoughts?

On the other hand, I'll concede your point on abortion. I think the Democrats as a party have really taken an ill-conceived (no pun intended) stance on this issue. I don't know where life begins. I can't say with any conviction how many cells it takes to make a person, and I'm all for erring on the side of caution. But here's another issue where I have some questions. If you really want to save the lives of the unborn, wouldn't it be a good idea to prevent unwanted pregnancies to begin with. I'm no statistics expert, but in my own fuzzy math estimation, it would appear that the rate of abortions would decline with a rise in the rate of condom and birth control use. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure countless studies have proven this. Yet President Bush supports a sex education agenda that has actually influenced a decrease in condom use, resulting in more unwanted pregnancies. And we salute him for this?

I guess what I'm trying to get at, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is this: I have no problem with your moral convictions. I happily encourage you to make every attempt to legislate them and send me to jail for not obeying them when that happens. However, I make this humble request. If you're going to claim moral superiority, you might consider electing official of superior morals. You might consider saluting elected officials who govern open and honestly, who seek to solve international problems through diplomacy, who seek to care for the poor and the sick, who responsibly steward our environment and natural resources, who admit their mistakes, and who put the good of the powerless over the good of the powerful. Perhaps then America will understand what all this fuss over morals is about. Until then, I would consider reading Jesus' words without bringing to them your own political agenda. You might be surprised by what mattered most to him in his ministry.

Sincerely,

Andrew Kenneth Gay

1 comment:

  1. Oh Cousin! It's amazing how much alike we are! These are issues I have been dealing with a lot lately (along with quite a few of my peers). Even outside the political equation it's hearbreaking to me that more people understand Christians to be judgemental demeaning people without thought or concern for others. Right now I am overcome with the desire to disregard all the pretentious and legalistic views of what it means to be "Christian" and simply follow in Jesus' footsteps. Grace, Love, Compassion, Understanding.

    "Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." -James 1:27 The Message Bible

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