Indiana Pence and the Law of Doom

Governor Mike Pence of Indiana has really done it this time. With his signing of the RFRA anti gay law, he has not only incensed the LGBT community, he has caused at least 13 corporations (not including Starbuck's, whose CEO has publicly blasted the good Governor) to rethink their positions on Indiana as a viable location for business. (See http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/29/13-companies-outraged-over-indianas-anti-lgbt-law-the-state-stands-to-lose-billions/ for the story). Why was it so important for this law to exist? A very good question, which I hope we can figure out here.

Apparently, the religious right in Indiana believes that LGBT lifestyles are unnatural in the eyes of God. Sound familiar? Of course it does. It's the war cry of all hypocritical religions all across the world. I am a Christian raised in a traditional Christian religion (Greek Orthodox for those of you keeping score). I believe, as does my religion, that all people are God's children, and everyone has a lifestyle that they choose according to God's Commandments. I don't recall any of the Ten Commandments saying "Thou shalt only live with a member of the opposite sex", and, as an altar boy umpteen years ago, I don't recall any passage in The Bible that states that. Not in the original Bible, anyway. Lord only knows what "perverted for my purposes" Bible these other morons read. I also believe in Jesus helping those in need, but that is a totally different subject to be examined at a later time.

"Fags deserve to die". Think about that statement from the perspective of Christian values. According to the (real) Bible, no one deserves to die, not even murderers, although there are some who need bamboo shoots left to grow under their fingernails. God is all forgiving. Those who operate under the pretense of being Christian, are not. They are some of the most prolific haters in the world. In fact, they are more like fundamentalist Muslims than Christians. They use God's name to hide their hatred, when, in fact, they are nothing more than sociopaths under the guise of religious soldiers. I know none of us are perfect Christians or Jews or Muslims or Buddhists (you get the idea), but we, as a whole, are not full of hate for anyone that doesn't conform to our ideals. Sound like anyone you might know of? Hint: He had a little tiny mustache under the center of his nose.

Now, Indiana wants to be the next Berlin, harboring as much hatred as they can muster. What's next? No Christians other than fundamentalists are allowed to do business in the state? Hmmm, that's OK by me. I have no intention of going there anytime soon anyway. I don't like the social climate.

And, just for the record, I am not gay, bisexual, transgendered or a lesbian (well, if you look at it purely as loving women, then I guess I am in a fashion). My interest in this topic is due to the fact that, as a musician, I have interacted with and have many friends who are lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered. There is no reason other than I found them to be great people to have as friends. I have a lot of straight friends too. I have also found them to be great people to have as friends. Most of them also have enough of a brain to realize how wrong this kind of segregation is. As opposed to the Mike Pences of this world.

So, where does this hatred come from? Is it in the cells even before birth, or is it a learned emotion? Of course it's learned. We are not born hating anyone or anything. We learn it from our surroundings, especially our parents. Hatred is the most base of human emotions, the very essence of evil. So, what place does it have in a Christian faith? Well, going back to the (real) Bible, it has no place in religion, just as religion should not dictate political policies. Governor, you are in violation of God's laws. Shall we start flogging you now?

Chik-Fil-A is not my idea of chicken. Even though I was raised as a New England Yankee, chicken is supposed to be fried in a deep fryer with breading all over it, preferably with some BBQ sauce (OK, so I'm not a purist, sue me). I have never liked KFC and I don't like Chik-Fil-A any better. So, I have no problem with driving by your "restaurants" without patronizing them. Please feel free to take them out of my LGBT loving state. Our kids will be healthier for it.

As I had stated before, there are no less than 13 companies/corporations who have already condemned this travesty of a law. The list reads like a who's who of corporate giants. The NCAA (the NCAA for God's sake!) is considering moving this year's Final Four out of Indiana, and that's only a couple of weeks away. In fact, Charles Barkley called for that move publicly. The Disciples of Christ have stated in a letter to Indiana's brain trust “…The recent passage in the state legislature of the RFRA bill is distressing to us. It is causing us to reconsider our decision to hold our 2017 gathering in Indianapolis.” The Disciples of Christ are against this law! If that's not a ringing testimony to how wrong this is, I don't know what qualifies.

There is, unfortunately, nothing those of us outside Indiana can do about this, other than to continually show our disgust at such things. Indiana is not the end of it. Virginia is now considering a similar law and I'm sure others will follow. Where does it end?