As a Christian, why aren't you leaving judgment to God. Who are you or your Church or your Clergy or anyone else to tell someone in this country that they do not have the same rights as anyone else?
"my fundamentalist Christian parents cared for him right up until his death"
You are sure that he was gay? Were your parents? Did they try to fix him while they were caring for him?
If you want to 'defend' marriage then outlaw divorce. Make all 'unions' between adults civil unions and make it open to all pairs of sane adults. Keep marriage in your church and keep your church out of government.
"Which doesn't mean you're required to violate your religious faith - work on sabbaths and holy days, perform abortions, sex change ops, etc etc etc."
It's a two-way street. Why is everyone in this country required to take off Christmas? Why is everything closed for a religious holiday and everyone inconvenienced even when they are not Christians? Why is someone who is religious more important than someone who is not?
If you are a Hindu, you do not work at Steaks R Us. If you want to work at Steaks R Us, you cannot expect to serve the salad and then go on strike over the main course. It's silly.
If you are an anti-free choice doctor, go and be a neurologist or specialize in geriatrics. Don't got into OBGYN with the purpose of harassing women.
You aren't paying attention to your own link. This is what the article said:
"It relied on the U.S. Supreme Court's current interpretation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment, as articulated in Employment Division v. Smith, which held that a "valid and neutral law of general applicability" need not justified by a compelling interest even if it "has the incidental effect of burdening a particular religious practice."
The practice could either: 1. not perform this particular service period. 2. offer their services to a limited population, say, people that go only to a handful of churches that think as they do. I think that would hold up but I'm not sure.
As I said, there are certain societal interests in NOT DISCRIMINATING JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO. Find a better religion. We have been through this little song and dance before and it is just as wrong now as it has ever been.
Christian Scientists don't believe in much else than prayer. Why should they have to live in a neighborhood where their neighbors are taking Viagra and Xanax? Why should they have to go to a drug store where there are people taking all kinds of drugs? Should they have to pay taxes to support hospital services? I imagine they have some objections to these things.
Scientologists hate psychiatrists and psychiatric drugs. Why should they have to put up with other people taking these things? The list of objections are as long as people's imagination.
"Problematic. LEave it up to the states to legislate."
So you have a religious objection to the federal government legalizing abortion but you have no religious objections to states legislating on this subject? Now you are mixing up religion with federalism.
Anti choice people can be ear, nose and throat specialists or cardiologists. Stay away from women if you cannot treat them appropriately. Stop harassing women. If you are going to be Hindu, don't work at a beef feedlot. If you are going to be a Quaker, don't work at a defense contractor. Is it really so hard?
If someone is an anti-choice obstetrician and that someone refuses to perform a medically appropriate procedure that results in harm to a patient then that obstetrician will be subject to law suits, disciplinary action, loss of license...or not. It depends on the situation. Few doctors are ever disciplined or lose their license regardless of how incompetent they are. More's the pity. Stop harassing women.
Churches do not have to hire atheists and hospitals and practices can kick out anti-choice doctors who act inappropriately and offend their customers.
Bill Frist lied about adopting cats from humane societies in order to practice medical procedures on them. I want that man to stay the heck away from people. If this is your example of a Christian doctor then find a different religion. |
