It seems that more and more everyday there is a divide in
the United States based solely on two political ideologies. I have always referred to myself as a “Democrat”. By publicly voicing my political beliefs, it has
caused me to see just how much hatred there is between those who prescribe to
the Republican ideology and those who prescribe to the Democratic ideology. The problem, as I see it, is that those who
call themselves Republican have a very distorted and unrealistic view of the
Democratic belief system.
The best part about a blog is that it gives people, like me,
a forum in which I can voice my thoughts and concerns about topics such as
this. You see, I am tired of reading
things that are derogatory toward those who have a more liberal view on our world. To be a liberal or a progressive is to believe
in change for the greater good. Being liberal
is not a belief that the government owes us something or that we should be able
to have things free of charge. In fact,
that is so far from the truth that it’s hard to even express it in words.
As a “Democrat”, I believe in the constitution of the United
States as it was written and intended by its framers. I believe in progress for ALL citizens, not
just a “chosen” few. I believe in
equality for ALL human beings – regardless of their sexual orientation, gender,
color of their skin or their socio-economic standing. I believe that woman has the God given right
to choose what they wish to do with their bodies, even if that choice includes
ending an unhealthy or unwanted pregnancy.
I believe that each individual has the right to love who they wish
without fear of ridicule or persecution – even if that means they love someone
of the same gender. I believe that our children
are our future and we owe it to them to leave them a world that is better than
the one that we grew up – this includes environmental conservation and laws
that ensure a safe and healthy world for everyone. I believe that humans have made a lot of poor
choices that have divided our country and our world, and it is our responsibility
to take actions in which lead to correcting our mistakes.
The United States constitution stipulates a separation of “Church”
and “State”. The proof is written in the
Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. This is probably the most important amendment
as it prohibits Congress from enacting any law which establishes an official
religion of the country. It also provides
the freedom to practice any religion which you may choose to practice, provides
freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of peaceful assembly (or
protest) and the right to bring grievances against the government. This has been the “rule of the land” since
December 15, 1791 – over 200 years!!!
While originally this only applied to the federal government, the Supreme
Court in 1925 applied the 1st Amendment to laws enacted by the
states as well when it made its decision in Gitlow v. New York.
With this decision, states were held to the same standards
as the Federal Government and should not be permitted to enact laws which
restrict citizens from the rights afforded in the constitution. With this in mind, how do we as, American
citizens, continue to allow laws to be enacted that are based on the beliefs of
one religion? Laws which outlaw abortion
are being enacted based solely on the beliefs of individuals who practice the
Christian faith. They use their bible as
a means of restricting the rights of individuals who do not hold the same
values. In addition, they use their bible
to discriminate against individuals who choose to love someone for who they are
and not what their gender is. Banning
same-sex unions and banning abortions are only two examples of how the
Christian faith and those who follow the Christian ways is in direct violation
of the 1st Amendment. Yet, it
is continuing to happen. Christianity
continues to invade our politics and dictate the lives of those who do not
follow this faith. Why do we continue to
allow our country’s laws to be enacted based on a religious doctrine? Isn’t that what our forefathers were fleeing
when they left their homelands? Religion
was the basis for wars as far back in history as I can remember – yet, even
today, it continues to be the means in which people try to argue for their
values.
Being a Democrat doesn’t mean that I am anti-religion – it doesn’t
even mean that I am anti-Christian. I
believe that everyone has a right to hold their own religious beliefs and have their
own faith. I do not believe, however,
that anyone has the right to force their beliefs on another. I no longer subscribe to the Christian faith
in my personal life because I do not believe in its teachings or its
tactics. That doesn’t make me less of a
person and it doesn’t mean that I am against others who consider themselves to
be Christian. It simply means that I
have another belief which is different.
It doesn’t make my belief wrong – nor does it make me less of a
human. It simply is the way it is.
One day, I hope that we can open our hearts and our minds to
each other’s differences. I hope that we can close the divide between opposing
points of view and realize that we are all humans first. We are all meant to work together to ensure
that best possible world for everyone – not just a chosen few.
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