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I was asked a very pointed and upfront question the other day, by someone in my IRL who wanted to validate a point of his faith against recent court decisions, and I found myself completely chilled by my response. And as honest as I found myself being, I still keep seeing myself thinking it over and wondering if what I said was right, accurate or even plausible, or if I acted out of a cold, unyeilding anger.
Okay, I'll get to it. Somone at work asked me if I'd heard about the recent Supreme Court case (US) which overturned a Texan (and several other states as well) law making sodomy illegal. I said, quite plainly and with much enthusiasm "Well it's about damned time!" I got curious looks until I said, "Look, the police have much more important matters to deal with than what goes on between two consenting adults in their own home. Let's harrass the drug dealers, murderes, gangbangers, pushers, pimps and thieves in this country instead of law abiding, tax paying, honorable, loyal and friendly citizens."
And that's when it struck me. The person asking the question just looked at me and threw up his hands and said "But God says it's wrong! A man should not lie in sin with another man."
To which I replied. "God didn't say it. The bible says it, and unless someone wants to come down and tell me otherwise, God didn't pen that book. For all your biblical scholarly nature, my friend, I think you have overlooked two key points. One, God's law is not man's law. This case was something about man's law. And second, the bible has been used to prove and disprove so many things that it contradicts itself."
"The Bible is the absolute truth of God!" he thundered back.
"Then you do everything exactly as the bible says?"
"To the letter," he snapped angrilly.
"Then when was the last time you brought a goat into your place of worship and sacrificed it? Why do you celebrate your religious observances on the first day of God's week and not the sabbath the same as the Jews? Do you carry a spade into the desert, 400 paces from your tent before digging a hole to relieve yourself in?"
"Times have changed since then. We don't do that anymore."
"Then you aren't following your bible so perfectly? You just pick and choose what works best for you?"
He got up and walked out of the break room. Then he turned back and said, "God will punish the wicked, including them damned faggots one day."
"Last I heard," I said, calmly, "God loves us, died for our sins and has infinite patience, forgiveness and love. How can an act of love, even one you find discusting, be wrong to such a person, especially, as you yourself have told me in here many times, God made us as we are?"
Okay, so here's the question for the rest of you. Who was more wrong, me for heartlessly, and coldly tearing at his faith and beliefs, or him for damning whole groups of people on a misguided notion that plagues modern christianity in its many forms? Be honest, guys, I've thought a lot about this the last few days.
It's not the wolf you see you should fear, but all the ones he howls with. Don't be afraid of the song, but don't piss off the choir.
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Wearing the inside out. 
