I’ve been pondering this post for a long time.
As Prop 8
hits the Supreme Court fan and thousands of people watch to see if the Justices
will make history, a large part of the population has remained largely silent.
They’re holding their breath.
I’ve been a part of that group, but I’m so tired of being
bullied into silence. It’s time to speak for what I believe.
First, let me say that I know and love a few gay people. I
have friends and family members who are gay. They’re awesome people. They’re
attracted to people of the same gender. That’s fine with me. I understand that
it’s a core part of them, just like loving and being attracted to my husband is
a core part of me.
I know that people who are gay or lesbian are just as
capable of goodness and kindness and love as straight people. I think they deserve happiness, and I think
they deserve equality.
Yet, every day when I log onto Facebook, scroll through
Twitter and check the news I get hit in the face by hate. I’m told that I’m a
bigot, that I have no brain, that I’m old-fashioned and uncivilized. Why?
Because I support traditional marriage.
This is a decision I’ve struggled with, for all of the
reasons I listed above. I know that people are people, gay or straight. I want
everyone to be happy.
So how can I deny gay couples should have the right to
marry?
It’s because of what I believe about marriage. As a
Christian, I believe that marriage is sacred. I believe that God created the
institution of marriage as the best environment to create families who learn
and grow and try to become like Christ.
I also believe that homosexual relations are morally wrong.
Just as I believe that any sexual relations not between a married man and woman
are morally wrong. To me, sex is a sacred act meant to express love between
married couples and to bring children into the world. And marriage is a safeguard, a sacred
contract.
To me, defining marriage as between a man and a woman is not
an act of hate like the media tells me it is. It’s not a point for endless debate
on the merits of hetero versus homosexual couples.
It’s about defining something legally that God designed a
long time before we got here.
I hope my gay friends know that I love them, and I want them
to be happy. I may not agree with all their actions, but I know that I can’t
fully understand what they’re going through. I’m not trying to disrespect you,
I just want some respect from you too.
Respect for what I believe, for what I hold sacred.
This doesn’t mean you have to agree with what I’ve said or
how I feel. Just please stop the intolerance and hate for what I believe.
Please don’t call me a bigot, please don’t call me stupid. I’m well aware of
all your arguments for gay marriage, but I morally can’t support them, because
of what I believe about marriage.
I still love you.
