stephen h

continuing the dialogue about marriage rights for same-sex couples and the repercussions from california’s proposition 8 vote this last week… please take a moment to watch this, and pass it on to anyone you know who should see it. -h

Tags: california, gay rights, keith olbermann, Links, msnbc, News, politics, prop 8, video, youtube

…as you would have them do unto you means the church gets what it has coming to it. for some weird reason, the mormon and catholic churches are acting all shocked and offended that there’s a massive outcry against them for their bigotry in supporting california’s prop 8.

apparently it’s ok for churches to take an active part in bigoted oppression, spending time and money promoting hatred and division, instead of championing social justice. apparently it’s ok for the church to take political stands in clear violation of federal tax laws, despite the scriptures stating to honor the laws of the land. apparently it’s ok for them to declare people with alternative sexual preferences as abominations, despite the fact they should deem themselves abominations because they trim their beards and eat fish and swine and don’t throw their wives out of their house every month when they’re on their period.

so, to these churches and to the people who support their policies i say this sincerely: fuck you. your oppression is your own doing. pull your heads out of your hypocritical asses and realize this: you are the problem with society, not them. maybe if you spent more time reading and focusing on the parts of scripture that teach you how to love, you wouldn’t have enough time to spread all that hate. gay people and even homosexuality in general are not your problem, YOU ARE. grow up and grow a pair, and confront your leaders when they speak out in bigotry and hatred. speak out for social justice and the human rights of others, or you will only stir up more hatred against yourselves.

stand up, grow up, and act right, or any oppression that you may face will be your own doing, and will be for the cause of hatred and evil, not for god. i promise you that.

-h

Tags: california, catholic church, corruption, crooks and liars, latter day saints, mormon church, News, politics, prop 8, Thoughts, video, youtube

on the eve of this year’s election day, i wanted to write one final note to those of you who may be on the fence about who to vote for in the presidential race. as it is no secret that i am a strong supporter of barack obama, i’ve heard from some friends of mine that will state either overtly or subtly their opinion that such support must mean an abandonment of the judeo-christian values i was raised with. this note is being written to make the case that exactly the opposite is true.

so i ask of you, please, take 15 minutes this evening before you go to the polls tomorrow to watch the video above.

consider, like i did:

• …that voting for a republican with a stated pro-life agenda will likely never bring about an end to abortions, as republicans have held the presidential office for 20 of the last 28 years, and still have not accomplished anything to that end.
• …obama’s stance on preventing the need for abortions and how that will positively impact our communities.
• …that a woman’s right to healthcare privacy should be something we support, and that there is no biblical directive to force upon others our own interpretations of how they should live their lives. i was particularly impressed by obama’s VP nominee joe biden when he was interviewed on meet the press(see this clip for the whole dialog), and how he talked about the intersection of his own faith and his political agenda, and how the two are separate. holding pro-life religious views and voting pro-choice are not mutually exclusive.
• …that even though obama has a record of attending the same christian church for 20 years, mccain’s supporters still make the claim that obama is muslim, while mccain himself very rarely attends church, and yet he is being touted by pastors and evangelists as god’s candidate, as seen in the clip below:
  
• …the impact of criminalizing abortion while the church still does little to nothing to raise the orphans already in society. consider that occurrences of child neglect and abandonment will rise exponentially, especially without efforts to reduce illegitimate pregnancies(and not relying on using abstinence-only education) and also promote adoption and make the adoption process easier for anyone interested(not just married christian families).

consider for yourself the motivations that religious leaders have for supporting the candidates that they do. consider for yourself that what makes this country great is its religious freedom – the same freedom that god gave you – and that elections are not contests to prove whose religion is better than every one else’s, but are a new chance for us as a country to come together to affect positive change and new directions for our common future.

remember that you can disagree with me and those candidates/causes i stand for, but that doesn’t make me anti-american or even pro-babykilling. let’s come together this election for a candidate who works to break down those barriers for ALL AMERICANS. so tomorrow, please…

Join me in voting for Barack Obama. -h

Tags: barack obama, john mccain, News, politics, Thoughts, video, youtube