“Religious” =/= Homophobe!
Hey there,
First, I wanted to thank you for your amazing blog. As a gay person, I’ve found it particularly inspiring at times when I’ve needed it most. I should also note that it has many times sent me careening down the path of righteous left-liberal queer RAEGGGGGGG at the religious right.
But I wanted to mention something that I’ve noticed becoming increasingly ubiquitous in this country (the United States). That is, many people have been equating the terms “religious” and “Christian” and, as a Jew, I feel that it is important to draw a distinction. Just as hopemanifesto (http://stfuhomophobes.tumblr.com/post/699321113/id-just-refer-to-them-as-narrow-minded-christians) noted that not all Christians are as intolerant as fundamentalist wingnuts we have to struggle against (and some even openly push for gay rights, such as Quakers), not all those who are religious oppose gay rights either.
I am a Reform Jew - which means I’m theologically liberal - but I’m still a pretty religious person. I believe in God, I pray on my own, and I attend services at least once a week. I’m also a co-president of my university’s Reform Jewish group, which means I organize and lead religious services. But my faith is not limited to contemplating the divine: it drives me to seek justice, including justice for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
Unfortunately, the Christian right wants to erase these distinctions, and many people have unwittingly been playing right into their hands. By ignoring the diversity of religion in the United States, we are allowing the Christian right to foist onto us their own particular definitions of marriage, faith, and morality as something that all religious people share. The reality could not be further from the truth, of course - many Reform Jewish rabbis officiate at same-sex weddings, for example - but if we don’t point this out at every opportunity, we’ll be traveling down a losing path, and it won’t occur to people that perhaps banning same-sex marriage is itself a violation of religious freedom.
BestNoah
This very insightful post was sent over my email and I apologize for not getting it on here sooner. Again I want to send out the love to all the Religious Allies out there! Speak out, we love you!
