Same-Sex Marriage Bans and Spiritual Separation
There is a perspective that perhaps we have lost in the public arena about law, namely, that it has a spiritual dimension. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us about this in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail." He writes,
Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality....Paul Tillich said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression 'of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness?
Dr. King's position that laws enforcing separation of peoples denigrate human personality and dehumanize us all. He believes that these laws are rooted in our fallen and sinful natures and mirror the tragic separation of man and the divine. In King's view, just laws point toward brotherhood, and even though they may be created by a majority, the minority will find them suitable.
Are not same-sex marriage bans and laws denying equal rights to LGBTQ people laws that are rooted in separation that diminish human personality? Certainly the gay community does not willingly live under anti-gay laws that deny us visitation rights to see partners in hospitals or custody rights to our children. Certainly our personalities are not enhanced by living without the same life options and privileges that heterosexuals enjoy. Laws such as these enforce marginalization and damage our human community for the sake of maintaining the status quo.
You may argue that I am taking Dr. King's words out of context and using them to advocate a cause that he would not support. It is important to note that in "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. King uses the words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence to support his case for civil rights. While Jefferson himself likely would not have been marching with Dr. King in Selma due to his personal racism and fear that giving freedom to African-Americans would cause civil unrest, Jefferson's words were still liberating and prophetic. I do not know if Dr. King would support gay rights if he were alive today. While he rooted his faith in strict biblical interpretation, he also considered himself like Jesus, who was, as he argues, "an extremist for love."
Even though the laws denying equality to LGBTQ people are not as far reaching and debilitating as Jim Crow segregation, they are unjust laws rooted in the principle of separation nonetheless. To let these laws stand would be a great spiritual mistake.
Labels: civil rights, gay marriage, LGBTQ, Martin Luther King Jr., same-sex marriage
posted by drivebybanjo @ 2:51 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
I agree. It's not just religious dogma that keeps the laws on the books. It's also our perpetuation of "the traditional family". I think if our law makers would take an honest look at our country and its people they'd see that the traditional family rarely exists any more. They are holding onto a model that is fading.
I have two friends who love each other very much and deeply desire to be married but can't because of these laws. They wear wedding rings to show their commitment but refuse to have a ceremony, as some do, until it can also be a legal ceremony. I see the love they share. They deserve to be treated under the law the same as my husband and I.
Thanks for posting this and I believe that you are right to interpret the words of Dr. King in this way.
Lisa
Thanks Lisa, I really appreciate hearing from you.
This is a great post. I think when the Supreme Court decided against segregation in Brown v. The Board of Education they set a precedent of justice based on consideration for the negative psychological impact which segregation has on a person's psyche - and yet we lag behind as a society in recognizing that this same principle applies in the case of LGBTQ citizens. If we value liberty why do we dole it out only to the majority? "He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself."
-- Thomas Paine
I'm generally of the same opinion as you on gay rights -- which is why I cannot stand the hypocrisy of the Democrats on this issue. ANd it seems to be getting worse. The Republicans may be wrong on the issue of gay rights and on homosexuality in general, but at least they are not saying one thing and doing another. And remember what it was that Jesus called people when he got mad at them: hypocrites!
Churches have the right, as does any private institution to dictate who among them has what privileges while a member of that institution (so long as they are legal). In this case, that right would be marriage. If churches (read synagogues, mosques, etc...) do not want to marry homosexual couples then they are free to act upon that belief.
But when we as Christians, Muslims, Hindus or any other faith member begin to enact laws that promote separation and segregation, we are always wrong.
I have long believed that not every person of faith belongs in politics, not because they would be more apt to insert their beliefs into law (our laws should be based off of the most uplifting moral code that we as a faith community can proclaim), but because not every believer fully understands that in America, your beliefs cannot and must not encroach upon mine in any way that dehumanizes or degrades my choice of lifestyle, sexual orientation, race, religion, or economic status.
In fact this issue is a wonderful opportunity for people of faith (of which I am one) to demonstrate the unconditional love of God and welcome into the fold those who have been abandoned to the fringes of society and deemed second-class citizens. Much like slavery and the institutionalized segregation of blacks in this country, our treatment of homosexuals will be yet another time in our Christian history that we will ultimately regret. That day will come when we stop believing that God is always on our side, and hope and pray that we are on His.
My partner and I have a great same-sex marriage and we are well supported by our family and friends. We have found that those who are secure in their straight marriages or relationships are more supportive than those who are not. That speaks volumes.
Jos76
www.jos76.wordpress.com
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