Anniversary of Liberal, Activist Judges' Destruction of Marriage

Godless atheists and liberal, activist judges have been destroying America for decades. Every time society inches forward in terms of civil rights or general equality, religious conservatives begin beating their chests in lament over their lost America. Currently much of the chest-beating is about gays, gay rights, and gay marriage. Forty years ago, almost the exact same laments were said over desegregation, racial integration, and interracial marriage. How can gay marriage be destroying marriage now when interracial marriage apparently destroyed it decades ago?

Activists for gay liberation recently celebrated the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court case which not only legalized interracial marriage, but also solidified the legal principle that marriage is a fundamental right which the state cannot take away arbitrarily. Mildred Loving even offered a statement to mark the date:

"I believe that all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights," she wrote.

Among those on hand Tuesday were San Francisco residents Stuart Gaffney and his longtime partner, John Lewis. Gaffney, who is biracial, has long used the example of his parents when discussing the fight for marriage equality.

When the California Supreme Court declared that state's interracial marriage law unconstitutional in 1948, it said, "The essence of the right to marry is the freedom to marry the person you choose, the person who is irreplaceable to you." ...

In a video created by the coalition, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond said, "Marriage is a civil ceremony that apportions some rights and responsibilities to both parties. I ought not be denied that simply because of someone else's religious bigotry."

"If for some reason you don't want me to marry in your church, that's okay, it's your church. But don't bring your religious bigotry into city hall. Everyone has a right to marry the person of their choice," Bond said in the video. Source: Bay Area Reporter

Mildred Loving's full statement also says:

When Richard and I came back to our home in Virginia, happily married, we had no intention of battling over the law. We made a commitment to each other in our love and lives, and now had the legal commitment, called marriage, to match. Isn’t that what marriage is?

Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the “crime” of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” He sentenced us to a year in prison, but offered to suspend the sentence if we left our home in Virginia for 25 years exile.

People who do not subscribe to religion-based bigotry should not have to live their lives according to the theology of religious bigots. People who object to interracial marriage don't have to marry someone of another race and they can attend churches where such behavior is condemned. People who object to gay marriage don't have to marry someone of the same sex and can attend churches where such behavior is condemned.

The rest of us, however, are autonomous and free citizens of a secular and democratic republic. One religion's prejudices cannot be the basis for law. In a secular state, personal religious beliefs are ultimately irrelevant to the law — including those beliefs which aren't bigoted. Fortunately, even religious believers who support gay liberation recognize that religion is a constant supporter of bigotry and discrimination in America:

"Religious teachings and beliefs have been misused to deny American citizens their fundamental rights and freedom to marry the person they love. The United States Constitution has been compromised by prejudice in the name of religion," said Mitchell Gold, the founder of the group Faith in America.

"Religion has been used in our history to support slavery, racial segregation, and deny women the right to vote. Today, we know that use of religion was misguided and wrong," said the Reverend Irene Monroe. "The use of religion to deny same-sex couples the freedom to marry, with all of its important protections and responsibilities, is no less wrong."

Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), the only out lesbian serving in Congress, said, "In our nation's long march toward equality, Loving v. Virginia is truly a landmark." She called the decision "a beacon of hope" in the LGBT struggle for marriage equality.

The decision personally resonates with her because "my American Jewish grandfather married my British Anglican grandmother and brought her to this country at the onset of World War II. If it were not for the Loving decision, it would have broken the law in many states when their daughter met and married an African American man who became my stepfather."

"Today, I, as a lesbian, am not allowed to enjoy the same rights, to marry my life partner because of societal taboos, homophobia fears against same-sex marriage that are untenable today," Baldwin said.

Conservative evangelicals refuse to acknowledge any similarity or parallels between past prohibitions on interracial marriage and current prohibitions on gay marriage. At the same time, though, it seems uncommon for conservative evangelicals to admit that it was morally and politically wrong for their predecessors to oppose things like interracial marriage and racial desegregation in the first place. I'm not saying that they would like to return to such polices, but I am saying that without an admission of past wrongs there's no way they will be able to move forward and correct the current wrongs.

In principle, it's possible for an atheist to oppose gay marriage and equal rights for gay citizens, but in practice this is incredibly rare. The simple truth is that American society continues to treat gays as second class citizens because of homophobia and heterosexual supremacism which is justified, defended, and supported by traditional religions — and Christianity in particular. There is no avoiding the culpability of Christianity and Christians for this situation — just as Christianity and Christians were culpable for segregation, slavery, and more. A lot of progress has been made, and with the help of progressive Christians, but only greater secularization of society will bring us as far as we need to go.