"You Do Not Get To Dictate The Way I Live Based On Your Religion"
Freedom OF Religion also means freedom FROM religion
I have dear friends and family members who are Christians. These are people for whom their faith is an integral part of their life. I respect that, but implicit in that respect is the expectation that I don’t allow them to judge me based on what their religion says. If they choose to live within the bounds of their faith, then good on them. I’ve chosen a different path, and I offer no justifications nor make any apologies for the direction I’ve chosen.
If believing in their God and trying to live their faith gives their life meaning and purpose, who am I to stop them? This world can always use more people trying to make it a better, kinder, and more compassionate place.
Of course, the flip side is that I don’t care what their Bible says, and I have no interest in living by the rules contained within those pages. Instead, I live by a straightforward rule: Don’t be a dick. It serves me well. It’s simple, easy to follow, and I think I hit the mark far more often than I miss (and I do occasionally miss).
Friday, we learned what can happen when hyper-Christian zealots believe they can dictate to those who don’t share their beliefs.
With a solid 6-3 Christian Conservative majority, the Supreme Court is in the process of issuing rulings that will change America in ways we can’t fully know yet. Still, the changes will be significant. (Ed. note: The Dobbs v. Jackson ruling was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts voting with the minority.)
It’s also clear that the Conservative majority has no problem inflicting their moral and religious standards on the country. In much of the country, women no longer have the right to make decisions regarding their reproductive functions. That right has now passed to the government.
What fascinates me about this decision is that 24 hours earlier, they tossed out a New York State law, reasoning that the states don’t have the right to regulate guns as New York does. So, the states CAN’T restrict guns, but they CAN control a woman’s reproductive functions.
Man, someday I’d love to live in a country where women have more rights than guns, knowhutimean?
I’m tired of dipping into The Handmaid’s Tale references, but it’s becoming a blueprint for where America appears to be heading. Margaret Atwood once upon a time wrote what she thought was a work of fiction. Whom among us could have suspected that we’d one day view her as a prophet showing us where America is heading?
I don’t mind if people choose to live a life based on a religious doctrine. If that gives their life a sense of meaning and purpose and helps them feel as if they’re making a difference, good on them. This world needs people who want to improve things because there’s no shortage of assholes bent on making things worse.
People who are genuinely committed to living a Christ-like life understand that the way to do it isn’t through forcing their beliefs on others. It’s not about making the rules they live by the laws that govern the behavior of all of us. That’s what small-minded, joyless people do, people who are more committed to political power and social control than peaceful co-existence. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
There’s a simple solution available for the anti-choice zealots. If you don’t believe in abortion, don’t have one. If that’s what works for you, then go with that, but that’s as far as things should go. Nothing gives you the authority to force your beliefs on someone else who may not share your religious, philosophical, or political beliefs.
A woman’s ability to make decisions regarding her reproductive functions is among the most basic of individual rights. Therefore, NO ONE should have the right or the authority to intrude upon that decision in any shape, manner, or form- not the Church, not the State, and certainly not any individual associated with either.
Abortion is health care, a human right, and a decision best left to a woman in consultation with a medical professional- not a priest, a Conservative Republican, or a Supreme Court justice. Take away that right, and you’ve turned women into second-class citizens, which should never happen in a free society.
Dobbs v. Jackson is the first time the Supreme Court has rescinded a right and turned it back to the states. Sadly, I fear it will not be the last under this corrupt and venal Conservative majority.