I received an e-mail last night alerting me of a comment that was posted on my gofundme. It was from a woman I don't know and she doesn't know me, but this is what she wrote:
"I didnt "panhandle" through college...loans and hard work grants if you qualify...seriously?"
First of all, what are hard work grants? I'd love to get some of those. I've worked hard for everything I have. I deleted the comment almost immediately after I read it. Thinking about it, I actually did her a favor. I don't think it's something she would want her name attached to. Being a public page, anyone could see her comment, her full name, and search her on Facebook. I thought taking the comment down, and not revealing her name would be the best way to address this. Since posting the comment, she has apologized.
To be completely honest, that comment was the first thing to make me cry in months, which is actually a record for me. Dealing with undiagnosed depression is hard. Its hard to control your emotions and its hard to not let things get to you. After being diagnosed and put on medication a little over 2 months ago, I had been doing great. I felt so much better than I did before I was diagnosed. I was excited for my future and I actually felt good enough to leave my house and actually enjoy being away for a couple hours. After reading that comment, I felt like somebody ripped the rug out from underneath me and just left me there.
I want to make something VERY clear. I do not, under any circumstances, feel good about asking for help. I feel even worse asking for money. gofundme is the last thing I wanted to use to fund my education. I had set it up a few months ago, but I never shared it because I was worried it would be received badly. I was worried that people would think it's some sort of cop-out or they would see it and think exactly what the woman who wrote the comment thought and then demonize me for asking for help. Reading that comment, I was embarrassed. I felt like a really shitty person for asking other people to help me. I felt like I didn't deserve to go to college if I wasn't able to finance it myself. I considered taking down my gofundme, donating the donations that I have received to some sort of scholarship fund for college students in my situation and forgetting about the entire thing. I would defer my admission and work at Midwest Poultry for the rest of my life.
Is this what means to be an American? From a young age, I was convinced that I could do anything, be anything, go anywhere. I could be an astronaut, the president of the United States, I could own my own pet shop. It was beaten into my mind so often and so convincingly that I truly believed it. What kid wouldn't? You don't want to be told that once you graduate high school you'll work in a factory or in an office for the rest of your life. When you're young you dream big things and you're encouraged to. That's the American dream, right? You can do anything you work hard for. If you want something bad enough, you'll get it.
Being an adult, I realize that the American dream isn't available to everyone and I'm one of those people. I have, and continue to work hard for everything that I have/want/need. I've held a job since I was 15. I took AP classes in high school AND worked 20-30 hours a week AND stayed on the honor roll. I'd wake up, go to school, have a half hour to change and get to work and then I'd work until 10-10:30, sometimes 11 pm. that leaves approximately 9 hours to get home, do any homework, do any chores, sleep, wake up, get ready, and go back to school. Do you want to know what I did with the money I made? I paid for a Science Field trip to Florida. I bought my first car. I bought school supplies, clothes, shoes, food. I paid for an art club field trip to Europe. I paid my own car insurance & gas. I paid for club dues and t-shirts. I paid for the dual credit courses I took as a senior in high school. I paid for my graduation cap & gown. I paid for graduation announcements and grad party invites. How much harder could I work? As a senior in high school, I knew college was out of my reach. I applied to colleges that sent me applications and waived my application fee and I got into all of them. I filled out the FAFSA, played the whole Senior charade but kept my acceptances to myself. College was out of my reach and I didn't want to excite myself as well as others with something I knew I couldn't do. I still have all of the acceptance letters. It made me feel good knowing I was college material.
Thinking about actually paying for college was a different story. I got some money from the FAFSA, but only about $5000 total. I didn't know anything about loans but I knew my parents wouldn't qualify to cosign. I didn't have any way to pay for college other than scholarships and I hadn't completed any of those because I didn't think I would win any and I had already decided that I wasn't going to school.
After graduation, I left my job at the EGMM and I got a job as a cashier at Wal-Mart. It didn't pay well but it paid more than the gas station/Subway did. A couple months into my job at Wal-Mart, I was offered a position at Midwest Poultry Services in Mentone. I worked part time at Wal-Mart and part time at MPS for close to 4 months. I hadn't had a day off in 3 months when I decided to quit Wal-Mart. I was working myself too hard and was getting sick really frequently. About a month after I quit Wal-Mart, I was hired full time at MPS. I really liked working at MPS. I had set hours, I got weekends and holidays off with holiday pay, I felt like it was the best job in the world.
4 months after being hired full time at Midwest, I decided to rent an apartment. I figured I might as well. I was 19 and I wasn't going to school or anything so there was no reason to keep mooching off of my mom and step dad. Renting an apartment was probably one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. I had no idea all the things you had to do before you moved in, or the things you had to do after moving out. I learned what it was like to have horrible neighbors and, maybe most importantly, I learned not to feed the stray cats. They WILL have kittens in your bushes and you WILL save them from the cold & rain and have 7 cats living in your apartment with you.
What I'm trying to explain is I do work hard. I've worked hard for everything I have since I was 15. I've paid for an out of state field trip, an out of the country field trip, 2 cars, and an apartment for an entire year completely by myself. I haven't asked anyone for help with the exception of fundraisers for the school trips, and those didn't cover much of either one of them. I did all of this before I turned 21, most of it before I even turned 20. How many people can say that? How many kids my age have worked for what I have? How many people do you know that can say they've done any of these things before they were 20? Granted most kids go to college, but I couldn't.
I still don't have all the funds I need for college, but don't think I'm not working hard for it. I save what I can from my job at MPS, I completed the FAFSA, I've been completing scholarships and trying to figure out where to get loans from. I'm looking into becoming a resident of Colorado. I know that's where I want to be and live and work for the rest of my life. The feeling I got exploring the campus was an insanely strong sense of belonging and it made me really happy. I'm really hopeful that I won't have to defer my admission, but it's too early to tell. Just know I'm working as hard as I can to make my dream a reality and that even though I'm trying my hardest, It still might not happen. If it ends up that way, it'll crush me. But I won't stop trying. I have the passion and drive to put any money you donate to me to good use, if you invest in my education, you'll be investing in a better future. My biggest goal is to make a difference in the lives of others by locating markers of diseases and other abnormalities. If we work to discover things like this, we just might be able to stop diseases and abnormalities before they happen. We could save lives. I will make sure it happens, hopefully in your life time, but definitely in mine.
If you have any questions regarding anything I wrote here, anything on my gofundme or anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. All my information is on my gofundme page which can be reached by clicking on the gofundme widget on the top left of this page.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this and learn a bit about me.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, June 30, 2014
Freedom FROM religion is important too
Its important to remember that freedom FROM religion is just as important as freedom OF religion.
From about 5th grade to my junior year, I didn't have the option to be free from religion. I was forced to go to church and Sunday school every other weekend and sometimes even youth group. I liked it at first, but then I realized that the majority of things the church teaches is a bunch of crap and the only proof that this religion isn't just a bunch of crap is ONE book written thousands of years ago that has been rewritten and translated and re-translated forever. I'm not going to put my faith in something like that. Doesn't anyone remember the telephone game from elementary school?
I'm not writing this to bash religion. I have friends and family that believe in it and I truly believe that they need it, but it just isn't for me. This is actually the first time I've actually come right out and said that I'm atheist and I know it won't sit well with A LOT of people, but I'm tired of trying to hide the fact or be vague when people ask me what I believe because I shouldn't have to. I shouldn't feel bad for being an atheist. Just like a Christian shouldn't feel bad for being Christian and a Muslim shouldn't feel bad for being a Muslim. The only person your religion should affect is YOU.
It upsets me when people that oppose marriage equality and birth control think that these laws and reforms are discriminating against them because what's happening is people are getting equal rights and choices. No one is taking anything away from the religious. If you don't like birth control, don't choose to take it. But the people that pay taxes and pay for healthcare should have the option. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry someone the same sex as you. Out of the marriages that have already happened between gay people, how did they affect you?
Freedom of religion seems to make religious people angry and I haven't quite figured out why yet (if you're a religious person reading this, feel free to chime in in the comments). You choose your religion so why does it matter what other people do? According to you, they're all going to hell anyway so why does it bother you?
Like I stated earlier, I wasn't given the freedom from religion for a good 6 years of my life and it was awful. I definitely exercise my right to that now and I can't imagine my life without it. Freedom from religion is very important to me and it should be important to you too because without freedom from religion, it might get to a point where there will no longer be freedom of religion either.
P.S. I have a feeling that a lot of people that read this on Facebook are going to be sad for me and want to change me. So this is where you can find out exactly what I believe and why I don't want you to try to change it.
First of all, I do not believe in an afterlife like what is described in the bible. I'm not sure what happens but I do entertain the idea of reincarnation. IF there is a god and a heaven or hell, I'm pretty sure it isn't going to damn me for all eternity. I'm a good person and if there is a god up there that gave me free will to question and doubt, I really don't think it will punish me for that... but if it does, I do not want to spend forever with it anyway. Sounds like an evil thing to me.
I think that Jesus is probably the same sort of thing that Hercules is and that the bible was just some poorly written book from thousands of years ago. It's the equivalent to a book of poetry by a bunch of different poets. Except people don't actually take those literally.
So I don't really believe in anything, but my beliefs are subject to change if new information shows up and I like it that way. I will never believe in god unless there is solid evidence so that's the main reason I don't want anyone trying to change me. You'll get nowhere and I'll probably just make you really mad. ^_^
From about 5th grade to my junior year, I didn't have the option to be free from religion. I was forced to go to church and Sunday school every other weekend and sometimes even youth group. I liked it at first, but then I realized that the majority of things the church teaches is a bunch of crap and the only proof that this religion isn't just a bunch of crap is ONE book written thousands of years ago that has been rewritten and translated and re-translated forever. I'm not going to put my faith in something like that. Doesn't anyone remember the telephone game from elementary school?
I'm not writing this to bash religion. I have friends and family that believe in it and I truly believe that they need it, but it just isn't for me. This is actually the first time I've actually come right out and said that I'm atheist and I know it won't sit well with A LOT of people, but I'm tired of trying to hide the fact or be vague when people ask me what I believe because I shouldn't have to. I shouldn't feel bad for being an atheist. Just like a Christian shouldn't feel bad for being Christian and a Muslim shouldn't feel bad for being a Muslim. The only person your religion should affect is YOU.
It upsets me when people that oppose marriage equality and birth control think that these laws and reforms are discriminating against them because what's happening is people are getting equal rights and choices. No one is taking anything away from the religious. If you don't like birth control, don't choose to take it. But the people that pay taxes and pay for healthcare should have the option. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry someone the same sex as you. Out of the marriages that have already happened between gay people, how did they affect you?
Freedom of religion seems to make religious people angry and I haven't quite figured out why yet (if you're a religious person reading this, feel free to chime in in the comments). You choose your religion so why does it matter what other people do? According to you, they're all going to hell anyway so why does it bother you?
Like I stated earlier, I wasn't given the freedom from religion for a good 6 years of my life and it was awful. I definitely exercise my right to that now and I can't imagine my life without it. Freedom from religion is very important to me and it should be important to you too because without freedom from religion, it might get to a point where there will no longer be freedom of religion either.
P.S. I have a feeling that a lot of people that read this on Facebook are going to be sad for me and want to change me. So this is where you can find out exactly what I believe and why I don't want you to try to change it.
First of all, I do not believe in an afterlife like what is described in the bible. I'm not sure what happens but I do entertain the idea of reincarnation. IF there is a god and a heaven or hell, I'm pretty sure it isn't going to damn me for all eternity. I'm a good person and if there is a god up there that gave me free will to question and doubt, I really don't think it will punish me for that... but if it does, I do not want to spend forever with it anyway. Sounds like an evil thing to me.
I think that Jesus is probably the same sort of thing that Hercules is and that the bible was just some poorly written book from thousands of years ago. It's the equivalent to a book of poetry by a bunch of different poets. Except people don't actually take those literally.
So I don't really believe in anything, but my beliefs are subject to change if new information shows up and I like it that way. I will never believe in god unless there is solid evidence so that's the main reason I don't want anyone trying to change me. You'll get nowhere and I'll probably just make you really mad. ^_^
Monday, March 17, 2014
An Open Letter to Male Acquaintances
Please stop hitting on/complimenting me.
It isn't appreciated, welcomed, or flattering.
I don't need you to add "cutie" onto the end of a sentence when talking to me. I don't WANT you to. The only thing that does is make me want to ignore and/or block you forever.
I'm not unaware of how I look. I see myself every single day. I don't need you to remind me that I'm pretty, cute, beautiful, adorable, gorgeous or any other adjective you think might make me feel good if you were to say it.
In all honesty, your opinion of me does absolutely nothing. Your random compliments, which are more like rude interjections of your noticing my appearance, are not welcome in any conversation we may have.
I don't need or want someone I don't really know to just blurt that out. Actually, I don't want anyone other than occasionally a boyfriend to blurt that out. That may be the only time it is remotely appropriate.
Would it be cool or acceptable for me to just add random compliments in the middle of a conversation, or would it be inappropriate and weird? Would it make you feel good, or awkward?
I, as well as many other women, have dealt with this my entire life. There is nothing more awkward than someone you don't have feelings for randomly interjecting compliments into every day conversation.
"hey cutie" why is that acceptable? I'm sure most will read and think I'm severely overreacting, but it is extremely awkward when someone starts off a conversation like that (which is why I RARELY reply to anything of that nature). When I read it, or hear it, the first thing I want to do is vomit, then punch you in the face.
Maybe you are expecting me to be smitten by you and your "smooth talking" but your "smooth talking" is the opposite of smooth. It's rough and bumpy and when randomly thrown into conversation, it's the equivalent to a sudden stop on the highway. I might be having a conversation I'm genuinely interested in and then all the sudden I'm told I'm hot and all I want to do is say, "OMG, you're right! I never noticed! I never really looked at myself before! I am so, so happy that you just randomly told me that because I might have never noticed!" all expressed sarcastically, of course. I want you to feel as stupid and awkward as you just made me feel. It's just not something anyone should have to deal with or put up with. It really has NO business in everyday conversation.
Don't get me wrong, I love compliments, but there is a time and a way to say them and not come off as creepy and annoying. For instance, maybe I haven't seen you in awhile and you walk up to me and tell me I look nice. That is appreciated. But maybe we haven't spoken in awhile and we're texting/messaging and catching up and you say, "how's the weather, cutie?" or "How are you today, hottie?" or "So, do you go to college, beautiful?". Not appreciated. Ever. Actually, It's more like a one-way ticket to friendzoneville so good luck getting out of there.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Serious Boyfriend vs. Serious-about-me-boyfriend
Sometimes I go through this internal struggle dealing with wanting a boyfriend and not wanting someone to tie me down all at the same time. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but when looking around at everyone else, it seems like the main goal for people my age is to have kids. Kids are definitely not something I want now or even in the next 5 years. What I do want is to travel and do as many new things as I can until I feel like I'm ready to have a family or get too old or die or just can't travel anymore for any reason.
It's taken awhile to figure out exactly what it is that I'm looking for, but I think I finally know. I want someone I can do fun things with, experience new things with, and travel with. Someone to confide in and talk through things with. Not necessarily a serious boyfriend in the sense he thinks he wants to spend forever with me, but a serious boyfriend in the sense that he is serious about me, meaning he isn't texting 20 different girls, or if he is, not thinking of them romantically. We don't need to see each other daily, weekly, or even monthly. (I grew up watching my mom and step dad make a long distance relationship work. He lived in Illinois and she lived here in Indiana. This lasted approximately 8 years. Married but living in different states for 8 years. I know that certain struggles come with that but I'm not oblivious to them and I have the knowledge to work those out.) Even if it was possible and my bf lived a block from me, its not imperative to see him every single day. I like my alone time, and I can't imagine life without it right now. It would be nice to find someone who wants the same sort of companionship as I do, but I don't think it's likely. So, Until then, I will definitely be taking full advantage of being a 20-something single female.
Sometimes its hard to figure out exactly what you want, and writing it down, its easy to figure out, even if it isn't considered normal or if its hard for others to understand.
It's taken awhile to figure out exactly what it is that I'm looking for, but I think I finally know. I want someone I can do fun things with, experience new things with, and travel with. Someone to confide in and talk through things with. Not necessarily a serious boyfriend in the sense he thinks he wants to spend forever with me, but a serious boyfriend in the sense that he is serious about me, meaning he isn't texting 20 different girls, or if he is, not thinking of them romantically. We don't need to see each other daily, weekly, or even monthly. (I grew up watching my mom and step dad make a long distance relationship work. He lived in Illinois and she lived here in Indiana. This lasted approximately 8 years. Married but living in different states for 8 years. I know that certain struggles come with that but I'm not oblivious to them and I have the knowledge to work those out.) Even if it was possible and my bf lived a block from me, its not imperative to see him every single day. I like my alone time, and I can't imagine life without it right now. It would be nice to find someone who wants the same sort of companionship as I do, but I don't think it's likely. So, Until then, I will definitely be taking full advantage of being a 20-something single female.
Sometimes its hard to figure out exactly what you want, and writing it down, its easy to figure out, even if it isn't considered normal or if its hard for others to understand.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
I Believe in (Marriage) Equality
Something that has been in the news a lot and for awhile now is marriage equality. I, for one, firmly believe in it and its a topic that I love debating about.
For those of you who don't know, (I'm not sure how you wouldn't) marriage equality is the idea that same sex couples should be allowed to get married and have the same rights as a heterosexual couple. As of right now, 18 out of 50 states recognize marriage between same-sex couples. 3 states (Oregon, Nevada, and Colorado) recognize rights for same-sex couples, 1 state (Wisconsin) recognizes limited rights for same sex couples, and the other 28 states prohibit it.
To make it clear, I'm not lesbian, but it makes me sad knowing that there are people out there that are and are unable to marry the person they love just because they aren't in a "traditional" or "normal" relationship. It makes me even more sad that the arguments against them are all based on the bible and if they aren't, sometimes even when they are, they are complete nonsense and make me embarrassed that I live on this planet.
The arguments I'm referring to are as follows;
1. If gays are allowed to marry, what is to keep me from marrying my cat?
2. If gays are allowed to marry, what is keeping me from marrying my son/daughter/etc.
3. Being gay is unnatural.
4. Gay Marriage is against my religion.
5. Gay marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage.
6. Marriage is for procreation.
7. Religious people will be discriminated against.
8. It will harm the children.
9. Marriage is a Christian thing.
First (and second) of all, how is bestiality comparable to marrying a human being the same sex as you? It isn't. That argument isn't even worth spending time on. Same goes for marrying your son or daughter or aunt or uncle or cousin or mom or dad. Someone the same sex as you does not automatically make them related to you. Also, having a mature sexual relationship with someone of the same gender is not comparable to pedophilia or incest. In my opinion, none of those arguments should even exist. Marriage is between two consenting adults.
Third, Sorry to break it to you, but being gay is natural and you are born that way. Here's some proof of that
"Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, "erased" between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren't erased — they're passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study." - Read more on that here.
Fourth, it doesn't matter if it is against your religion. Our nation is not a Christian nation. Nor is it a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, or a Jewish nation. (there will be another post about this later). Are you going to tell someone who is Jewish that they can't celebrate Hanukkah because you celebrate Christmas? Probably not. If you would, I'm embarrassed for you. Also, not to go completely off topic, but (assuming your religion is Christianity) Doesn't the bible say you shouldn't get a divorce? Commit adultery?
Mark 10:2-12 - And some Pharisees came up to Him, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" And they said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." And in the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery."
Yep. Thought so. I think if you are going to judge someone and condemn them for their sexual orientation, you should probably follow all of the rules... not just pick and choose which ones you think sound accurate or easy. With that though, I'm also going to say this, I personally don't think an old book written and rewritten a million times is the best resource to base your morals and values on because society is always changing and a lot of what is mentioned in the bible (like stoning) is barbaric and does not have any place in the world today.
Fifth, gay marriage will not ruin the sanctity of marriage. The sanctity of marriage is based on YOU and YOUR marriage. Meaning, your marriage is good and holy and sacred until YOU do something to change that. If you cheat on, disrespect, or treat your partner like garbage, thats what ruins the sanctity of marriage. It has nothing to do with two other random people who love each other enough to get married.
Sixth, marriage is not for procreation. If that were true, are you going to tell the people who are heterosexual that can't have children that they can't get married because they will never have offspring? Not only that, but what about the people who don't even want kids? Do you realize that marriages used to be for power or alliances? Also, I don't know about everybody else, but I'd like to get married because I love my partner and want to experience the rest of my life with him by my side. Not because I want to have children.
Seventh, this idea of backwards discrimination really bugs me. Homosexuals should not feel bad for wanting the same rights as everyone else. If someone is getting discriminated against, it certainly is not Christians. It's the people with limited rights. Giving another human being the same rights you have isn't even close to discrimination. The only way I can even see that argument is if I assume that you think your religion is so holy and true that no one else should get to have the same rights as you because they aren't pure enough.
Eighth, not sure how two parents who love each other and their children will harm them... unless you think gay parents will make a child gay but as I already discussed in #3, you're born that way. You're parents aren't going to change a thing. Unless, of course, your parent passes you an epi-mark.
Ninth, if marriage is a Christian thing, why are Muslims, Jews, Atheists, and Buddhists allowed to marry? Marriage is only a religious institution when a member of the clergy officiates it. There is a thing called civil marriage, which means it is carried out by a government institution.
I believe in marriage equality, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because all the arguments against it can be shot down and disproved.
I stand on "the right side of history".
If you are interested in reading more, here are some links.
A Huff Post article about the top 10 arguments against gay marriage
Some random facts about marriage
A historical look at marriage
For those of you who don't know, (I'm not sure how you wouldn't) marriage equality is the idea that same sex couples should be allowed to get married and have the same rights as a heterosexual couple. As of right now, 18 out of 50 states recognize marriage between same-sex couples. 3 states (Oregon, Nevada, and Colorado) recognize rights for same-sex couples, 1 state (Wisconsin) recognizes limited rights for same sex couples, and the other 28 states prohibit it.
To make it clear, I'm not lesbian, but it makes me sad knowing that there are people out there that are and are unable to marry the person they love just because they aren't in a "traditional" or "normal" relationship. It makes me even more sad that the arguments against them are all based on the bible and if they aren't, sometimes even when they are, they are complete nonsense and make me embarrassed that I live on this planet.
The arguments I'm referring to are as follows;
1. If gays are allowed to marry, what is to keep me from marrying my cat?
2. If gays are allowed to marry, what is keeping me from marrying my son/daughter/etc.
3. Being gay is unnatural.
4. Gay Marriage is against my religion.
5. Gay marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage.
6. Marriage is for procreation.
7. Religious people will be discriminated against.
8. It will harm the children.
9. Marriage is a Christian thing.
First (and second) of all, how is bestiality comparable to marrying a human being the same sex as you? It isn't. That argument isn't even worth spending time on. Same goes for marrying your son or daughter or aunt or uncle or cousin or mom or dad. Someone the same sex as you does not automatically make them related to you. Also, having a mature sexual relationship with someone of the same gender is not comparable to pedophilia or incest. In my opinion, none of those arguments should even exist. Marriage is between two consenting adults.
Third, Sorry to break it to you, but being gay is natural and you are born that way. Here's some proof of that
"Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, "erased" between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren't erased — they're passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study." - Read more on that here.
Fourth, it doesn't matter if it is against your religion. Our nation is not a Christian nation. Nor is it a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, or a Jewish nation. (there will be another post about this later). Are you going to tell someone who is Jewish that they can't celebrate Hanukkah because you celebrate Christmas? Probably not. If you would, I'm embarrassed for you. Also, not to go completely off topic, but (assuming your religion is Christianity) Doesn't the bible say you shouldn't get a divorce? Commit adultery?
Mark 10:2-12 - And some Pharisees came up to Him, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" And they said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." And in the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery."
Yep. Thought so. I think if you are going to judge someone and condemn them for their sexual orientation, you should probably follow all of the rules... not just pick and choose which ones you think sound accurate or easy. With that though, I'm also going to say this, I personally don't think an old book written and rewritten a million times is the best resource to base your morals and values on because society is always changing and a lot of what is mentioned in the bible (like stoning) is barbaric and does not have any place in the world today.
Fifth, gay marriage will not ruin the sanctity of marriage. The sanctity of marriage is based on YOU and YOUR marriage. Meaning, your marriage is good and holy and sacred until YOU do something to change that. If you cheat on, disrespect, or treat your partner like garbage, thats what ruins the sanctity of marriage. It has nothing to do with two other random people who love each other enough to get married.
Sixth, marriage is not for procreation. If that were true, are you going to tell the people who are heterosexual that can't have children that they can't get married because they will never have offspring? Not only that, but what about the people who don't even want kids? Do you realize that marriages used to be for power or alliances? Also, I don't know about everybody else, but I'd like to get married because I love my partner and want to experience the rest of my life with him by my side. Not because I want to have children.
Seventh, this idea of backwards discrimination really bugs me. Homosexuals should not feel bad for wanting the same rights as everyone else. If someone is getting discriminated against, it certainly is not Christians. It's the people with limited rights. Giving another human being the same rights you have isn't even close to discrimination. The only way I can even see that argument is if I assume that you think your religion is so holy and true that no one else should get to have the same rights as you because they aren't pure enough.
Eighth, not sure how two parents who love each other and their children will harm them... unless you think gay parents will make a child gay but as I already discussed in #3, you're born that way. You're parents aren't going to change a thing. Unless, of course, your parent passes you an epi-mark.
Ninth, if marriage is a Christian thing, why are Muslims, Jews, Atheists, and Buddhists allowed to marry? Marriage is only a religious institution when a member of the clergy officiates it. There is a thing called civil marriage, which means it is carried out by a government institution.
I believe in marriage equality, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because all the arguments against it can be shot down and disproved.
I stand on "the right side of history".
If you are interested in reading more, here are some links.
A Huff Post article about the top 10 arguments against gay marriage
Some random facts about marriage
A historical look at marriage
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