Once again, we find ourselves choosing sides over who's right and who's wrong. The latest news story to emerge within the past week is that of Chip and Joanna Gaines of the beloved HGTV show Fixer Upper, who were the subjects of a Buzzfeed article outlining their pastor's vehement anti-LGBTQ beliefs.
Needless to say, a media firestorm erupted, comprised of countless op-eds and thinkpieces, each contributing its own two cents. But this is more complicated than meets the eye.
It is unclear why Buzzfeed decided to expose this pastor at this time, but one thing is clear: this man has a proven track record of vitriol against the LGBTQ community. This is not uncommon of subscribers of multiple religions since the beginning of time. Be that as it may, it's absolutely no excuse for hate.
Too often, religious beliefs are used to justify hate and intolerance toward marginalized groups, including other religions. Living in the age of Trump and his "alt-right" (read: white supremacist) cronies, this is especially pervasive in American society. Conservative Christians, for example, tend to victimize themselves for what they perceive to be anti-religious discourse, which has allowed and catalyzed the ascension of the far right to our federal governing bodies.
I grew up in a very traditional church where we sang centuries-old hymns every week and gazed at stained-glass windows from the Civil War period. There was no shortage of so-called "Bible literalists" who preferred tradition over change. I am very familiar with how these Christians think and how they live their lives. Nevertheless, some of these people are (surprise!) good people who believe in their specific interpretation of the Bible.
But what puzzles me about this group is that they go out of their way to criticize others for not sharing their same beliefs under the guise of perpetuating "God's will." This is a very dangerous practice, and it has inevitably seeped its way into our political discourse.
I am of the school which believes in tolerance and acceptance of those with whom you don't see eye to eye. I believe that everyone has a right to an opinion, regardless of whether someone else agrees or not. But blindly calling out others for a perceived wrong is not how we should go about things.
It is in times like these when I wonder how we ended up at this crossroads of religion and politics. But then I realize that church and state have never been truly separate; personal convictions have always managed to make their way into our laws.
If you boil it down, it doesn't really make sense how so many people want to inject their religious beliefs into our federal legislation. Church and state are too similar to be in a committed union: they both deify a figurehead, appeal to the masses, and feature a diverse array of viewpoints and perspectives. Thus, they are far too homogenous in the eyes of conservative Christians to be joined together. And could you argue with that?
