Another short diary expressing tremendous dismay about the way my Roman Catholic Church, or at least one of its churches on one night, is handling the issue of same-sex marriage.
As most of you must know, in the election earlier this week, Marylanders endorsed Question 6, which creates the right to same-sex marriage in the state (the law is actually very carefully written to refer to civil rights and to try to minimize offense to religious groups, especially since Maryland is a largely Catholic--and liberal--state).
This morning, my wife and I went to an after-election "gloatfest" (my term) brunch of about 20 Democratic party regulars, an event set up by my wife and a local Democratic politician we love and have greatly supported.
At the breakfast, the restaurant's co-owner came to our table and gave an incredibly moving speech about how much he appreciated our help, that he and his gay partner now finally feel like first-class citizens after decades of struggle. This guy is a friend of mine, and I was almost in tears after his speech. He and his partner have been together for more than 20 years. I hope to be at their wedding.
Then tonight we went to our local Catholic church for Mass, and got a grating, legalistic, judgmental tirade from a very young deacon, who is not yet a priest, screeching about how the Catholic church in the United States is being "persecuted" and is having its "religious liberties destroyed" and about how the same-sex marriage victory in Maryland was a sign of the encroaching victory of secularism over truth.
He said at least four times that Catholics in the United States are being "persecuted."
He said several times that U.S. Catholics are having their religious liberties attacked.
I came VERY close to walking out.
I'm a "yellow dog Democrat." That means I ALWAYS vote (40 years now) and ALWAYS vote for the D, with no exceptions in all that time.
I guess I'm also a kind of "yellow dog Catholic" (my coinage), in that I can't imagine leaving the church. Many reasons for that I won't go into here.
But DAMN it pisses me off to get right-wing bullshit like that from the pulpit!
This is just a quickie rant, not a scholarly article. But I'm SO pissed off!
And I'm really angry with myself that I didn't confront that twit deacon. Apparently he's currently appointed to the church (it's a very large church), so I hope I'll have the beans to do that.
How in the hell does it infringe on my religious liberty, or amount to persecution of me, if my state lets some gay people have increased civil liberties and rights??!!
I really don't get it at all!
Sorry for incoherent rant. I'm too angry to think straight.
P.S. Please feel free to add tags.