Marriage Equality

     With another enormous ruling this week, the Supreme Court has declared in a 5-4 vote that same sex couples have an equal right to marry.  Of course, our nation is divided in its wake.  On one side are the people who are clinging to the ideology that love is love, no matter the gender, and then there are those who oppose it because it is not moral in the eyes of God.  Reports are flooding in from various parts of the country where certain states are still refusing to issue marriage licenses.  There are also threats against churches who refuse to perform same sex marriages by means of removing their tax exempt status.  May I suggest that everyone just go to your separate corners, have a drink, and take a nice calming breath?
     First let's examine the side that is anti-marriage equality, aka, same sex marriage.  God says it's an "abomination" as seen in Leviticus 18:22.  There is also the argument that it goes against nature because the purpose of sexual intercourse is to procreate and the first marriage was that between a man and a woman.  Religion is not something to be discarded, people's faith is just as deserving of respect as anything else.  However, there was also a time where the congregation was discouraged from seeking answers outside of the kingdom of God.  Remember all of the astronomers who tried to teach us about the celestial bodies?  How the thought of the Earth not being the center of the universe went against the social norm.  Most of those astronomers did not end up with a happily ever after.  For the longest time people believed the world to be flat and that ships could fall off the edge.  Brave sailors proved them wrong.  If we were to examine a lot of events that happened with scientific advances, we would see a lot of bright minds going against the grain on religion.   
     There are a lot of things in the Bible that are not so pretty.  Women's rights for example.  There are many Bible verses where women are clearly to be second to the men, and to that we as a society threw that nonsense out the window and ran it over a few times.  There were a lot of people very unhappy with women's suffrage, and yet we have survived as a nation, hell we've thrived!  There are also some passages in the Bible in support of slavery, but again that just is a no-go.  A lot of these held beliefs are things that are taught to us as children.  Some as adults evolve on their thinking, while some, hold fast to those teachings. 
     At the end of the day, the Bible does tell us not to judge.  Judgement will come to all of us one day.  The Bible also tells us that if we do not hold any sin we can "cast the first stone," yet I remember that we all are born with original sin, so we cannot judge others based solely on that.  No, I think what needs to happen now is if people cannot get on board with marriage equality then the best thing to do is to not spread hate, but to look away.  If God truly is opposed to same sex couples, then on judgement day let God deal with it.  On the same token, do not force churches and/or indivduals to perform ceremonies or make cakes, and then go forward with punishing them for not doing so.  If a business or church is truly against it, then let the consumer use our free market system and find someone else to perform their wedding and to provide services for it.
     Personally, I have no problem with marriage equality.  Love at the end of the day is love, and dammit we need all of it we can get.  I will admit to everyone that this was an issue I initially struggled with, and let me share with you what it was that changed my mind.  First, if being gay is indeed a sin, then why are there those feelings one develops for another present? Attraction is attraction, plain and simple.  I believe one is attracted to someone based on the person, not their gender.  Second, I look this man that I feel in love with.  If the shoe was on the other foot and heterosexuality was considered immoral and someone tried to tell me that what I felt for him was wrong then I would be more than confused, I would be angry.  I would fight to the last breath for what I feel in my heart and that is what sealed it for me.  Change can be difficult to come by, especially something as major as this.  If you cannot accept gay marriage, then at best do not spread hate.  If you are for gay marriage, then do not force people to believe in what you believe.  Let the person evolve over time through intelligent conversations and personal observations.