If I were bold enough to make a statement like "all babies born with blue eyes and curly black hair will have a weight problem when they become adults", there would be a tremendous outcry to inform me such a statement is totally without foundation and ludicrous. Likewise, if I were to make an assertion that all short women with red hair are lesbians, I would likely receive a similar, yet perhaps lesser response.
The idea that labels are applied to groups of people with similar interests or characteristics is nothing new. It is human nature and certainly part of the American culture to stereotype individuals or groups of people based on religion, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, skin color, economic status, educational achievements and so on. There is probably an endless list of labels which we apply to one another.
What surprises me most is when individuals from one of the so-called oppressed groups are unable to see beyond their narrow scope and, in turn, apply labels to entire groups of people. No matter what your stance on same-sex marriage is, I cannot imagine anyone believing that all Christians or all Republicans are opposed to same-sex civil marriages. Those who are most outspoken are probably correct in stating that the debate over whether government allows civil marriages is a separate debate from the one that takes place within Christian churches or other religious institutions. However, let’s do a reality check here. Does anyone actually think they are going to convince me that all Democrats favor same-sex marriages anymore than all Republicans are opposed to them? Not even all gay couples are flocking from Minnesota to Iowa to get married and not all gay people are campaigning to legalize same-sex marriages.
Of course, there is validity to the argument that Christians need to look at their own issues such as crumbling families, addictions, divorces, child abuse and neglect, just to name a few. On the other hand, quoting the divorce rate for the heterosexual population and tying that to all Christians is about as informed as me, being a former farm boy and farmer, stating that there is no difference between growing corn and soybeans. What is the difference between the “gay community” attacking all Christians or Republicans and the likes of Fred Phelps and his family who run around pretending to be good Christians while they picket the funerals of soldiers who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan?
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
The idea that labels are applied to groups of people with similar interests or characteristics is nothing new. It is human nature and certainly part of the American culture to stereotype individuals or groups of people based on religion, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, skin color, economic status, educational achievements and so on. There is probably an endless list of labels which we apply to one another.
What surprises me most is when individuals from one of the so-called oppressed groups are unable to see beyond their narrow scope and, in turn, apply labels to entire groups of people. No matter what your stance on same-sex marriage is, I cannot imagine anyone believing that all Christians or all Republicans are opposed to same-sex civil marriages. Those who are most outspoken are probably correct in stating that the debate over whether government allows civil marriages is a separate debate from the one that takes place within Christian churches or other religious institutions. However, let’s do a reality check here. Does anyone actually think they are going to convince me that all Democrats favor same-sex marriages anymore than all Republicans are opposed to them? Not even all gay couples are flocking from Minnesota to Iowa to get married and not all gay people are campaigning to legalize same-sex marriages.
Of course, there is validity to the argument that Christians need to look at their own issues such as crumbling families, addictions, divorces, child abuse and neglect, just to name a few. On the other hand, quoting the divorce rate for the heterosexual population and tying that to all Christians is about as informed as me, being a former farm boy and farmer, stating that there is no difference between growing corn and soybeans. What is the difference between the “gay community” attacking all Christians or Republicans and the likes of Fred Phelps and his family who run around pretending to be good Christians while they picket the funerals of soldiers who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan?
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." [Matthew 7:1-5 NIV]
~ DB Turnmire
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