At this point, I think I can finally say that I'm surprised by the volume of comments we've received in regard to Lisa Miller's cover story about
religion and gay marriage. My inbox has received more than 5,000
e-mails today, mainly from people responding to the previous post about
the religious reaction to our cover story. And that's just chump
change; our Web editors inbox brims with more than 26,000 missives; our
CEO received more than 20,000 e-mails after a campaign organized by the
American Family Association revealed his e-mail address, and the
offices that handle the hand-written letters are overflowing with notes
from impassioned readers, well-wishers and self-proclaimed subscription
cancelers. Meanwhile, the story itself has accrued nearly 10,000
comments.
To percolate all that information into one blog post would be an
impossible task. Naturally, much
of the response comes from conservative Christians. (Or, actually,
let's just say Christians. The word "conservative" has caused ire among
those who say we're being simplistic over here at NEWSWEEK, that being
Christian is reason enough to be against gay marriage). "The author will know exactly what the Bible says on marriage at the moment of their deaths," threatens one reader. "The Bible is VERY clear on sexual immorality and that those who commit it will be 'outside the gates.' Also,
contrary to what the authors have stated, Paul states in Hebrews 13:4,
'Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept clean.'
The Bible is clear on homosexuality and the penalty for continued,
willful, disobedience." Among those who responded, the general
tack is that crucial moments in the Holy Book, like the punishments
levied on those from Sodom and Gomorrah, were left out of the piece so
that NEWSWEEK could present a consistent, cohesive argument. And in
speaking out against homosexuality, the words "sodomy," "sodomite," and "sexual promiscuity" are used as go-to terms for the reasons many of the readers feel the Bible is against homosexuality. "I do NOT believe in the gay lifestyle, nor do I believe you were born that way," says one reader. "I believe you make that decision. You cannot change or re-write the Bible. You might try to twist
it to fit your situation, but either way the Bible was written by God
who loves us enough that He gave His only son to die on the cross for
us. It's a shame that the "gay" lifestyle is being pushed so hard on
us. It's wrong and that's all there is to it. God loves every-one but
He doesn't love the sin. I certainly don't want to see two men or women
together. That's not how God wanted things for us. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah?"
If
you've been reading the comments, I'm sure you're aware that the
viewpoints I'm re-posting are among the more polite ones. If you look,
you'll find references to necrophilia, pedophilia and other venomous
comments that detract from intelligent conversation. That's why I was
really glad to get this e-mail from a reader named Tara White: "I am not surprised at all at the amount of responses I am sure you are getting from both sides," she writes. "I
bet some of them are not very nice and probably say hurtful things. I
would like to apologize for them since I think that kind of attitude
totally undermines whatever point they are trying to make about their
view," she says, before politely expressing her own opinion of the issues: "I
not only believe that gay marriage is wrong but that being gay in the
first place is a sin. A sin no different than adultery, premarital sex,
murder, stealing, and lying. While that may sound strange because in
the world's view lying is much better than murder, in God's eye's a sin
is a sin and that much is plainly stated in the Bible. God does not say
that good people who only sin a little can get into Heaven. He (through
the Bible) says that the only way into Heaven is through belief in His
son Jesus Christ. Anything short of perfection leads to death (Romans
3:23 and 6:23). Only Jesus leads to the Father (John 14:6)."
If readers accuse NEWSWEEK of being "revisionist" (which
is a common thread throughout the feedback), then Ms. White's take is
exactly the opposite. That said, I appreciate her honesty, especially
since many agree with her: "My own belief is that God said be
fruitful and multiply. He created man and woman to do this. If he
intended us to be attracted to the same sex, where would we be now?
There would be no human life on Earth," writes another reader.
Even ignoring religion, the vote on California's Proposition 8 was
often evoked to suggest that Americans, on whole, are against gay
marriage and that it doesn't really matter what the Bible has to say. "Get it through your heads that the
majority of Californians voted and believe that marriage should remain
one man and one woman," writes one reader. "No one's rights are being violated."
Lest
this post go forever, let's switch to the other side, where the
viewpoints tend to be a bit more personal, especially considering those
gay men and women who have been fighting for the right to marry, and --
rightfully so -- are offended after reading hundreds upon hundreds of
comments that refer to their sexual orientation as a "perversion." Like Lisa mentions in her piece, many readers (both gay and straight) mention how the Bible discusses slavery: "I
look forward to a time in the (hopefully) not too distant future when
we, as a country, will look back upon this period of discrimination
against homosexuals with the same regret and shame that we feel about
our past involvement with slavery, or in denying rights to women or
blacks," writes one commenter. "The arguments then were eerily
similar to those now...and yet the ignorance was eventually overcome. I
think about my children, and their children, and the world I want them
to grow up in. One where love and commitment between two consenting
adults is honored and respected in all aspects of our society, and
allows all of the same privileges." Aside from that comparison, others address the sin of self-righteousness: "Get over yourselves!" chides one reader. "Not
everyone believes in your God. I believe in humanity and charity and
goodness. I do not need a book of your God to tell people how they can
live. I am straight married woman with two children; I teach them to be
kind, generous and charitable."
And in the same way that
agnostic readers point to Prop. 8 as an American straw poll, many
others argued against reading into the Bible at all: "Finally, a serious, thought-provoking review of the facts," writes one reader. "The
Bible has been used for such exclusion and hatred by homophobic
right-wing religious believers. The true Christians will read this
story, apply it to themselves and make changes in their views to be
more like the God they serve. The other Christians will condemn this
story, distort these Biblical quotes and facts and continue to judge
the entire LGBT community."
Is that a fair analysis of what's
happening? You tell me. Before I end, it feels right to include something from a gay
reader. So here's this e-mail that was sent to me from one reader,
Vajdon Sohaili:
I am not a member of the media or even a blogger, simply
a person who, with my American partner of nine years, was forced to
emigrate to Canada because the United States would not recognize our
relationship — and as such, I wanted just to say thank you, not only
for an article that finally offers some perspective on all the
religious rhetoric, but also for the editorial courage of standing up
for equality in the face of the predictable backlash. I can't help but
believe that the majority of ordinary religious Americans would not
support discrimination if they recognized it for what it was — but
unfortunately all they hear from their leaders is fear-mongering and
misinformation and propaganda. It is not the first time in history that
religious leaders have held a stake in divisiveness, but this may be
one of the last divisions.
