Texas Faith: Do we need a new national conversation about marriage?

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Humanity
is diverse, that’s God’s intentional creation. The male/ female ratio
has always remained around 50/50 with +/- 2 points variation on either
side. The world would never be 100% male or female, likewise the world
would never be 100% Gay, it will be a natural 10-15% of the population.
Mike Ghouse

Texas Faith: Do we need a new national conversation about marriage?

By Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist
Dallas Morning News, Published on February 5, 2012

Ten panelists contributed to this forum, to read the contributions from all the panelists, please visit – http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/texas-faith-do-we-need-a-new-national-conversation-about-marriage.html/

Has
the conversation about marriage reached a dead-end in our country, as
Blankenhorn suggests? If it has, please explain what you would like this
conversation to now include. If you think we don’t need a new
conversation, please explain.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas, and Speaker on interfaith matters, diversity and pluralism

The
conversation on marriage has just opened up, and we are far from
reaching the dead-end. But until that time we will need two parallel
societies. They will not be in conflict with each other, but each on its
own path.

What is missing in the conversation is our untapped
ability in understanding the wisdom of God. As humans we are
disgustingly selfish, and grind on to the selective verses that suit our
insecurities to force the weak (minority) into obedience, as if we gain
something.

The conservatives among us, particularly those who
are Christians and Muslim, are stuck in the dished-out versions of the
Sodom and Gomorrah story. We need to follow Jesus in spirit, and follow
the merciful and inclusive God of the Universe (Quran).

God has
endowed us with free will. He let Adam make the mistake without slapping
him for eating the forbidden fruit. Instead, he kicked us out, and gave
us an opportunity to multiply and live out in a bigger world with free
will. He wanted us to figure out living with each other without
punishing the few, who opt not to multiply.

As a futurist of
interfaith trends, I have been struggling to understand sin. I found
guidance in Buddhist literature about sin from this analysis, which I
read on ReligionFacts.com:

“‘Sexual misconduct’ has thus
traditionally been interpreted to include actions like coercive sex,
sexual harassment, child molestation and adultery. As homosexuality is
not explicitly mentioned in any of the Buddha’s sayings recorded in the
Pali Canon (Tripitaka), most interpreters have taken this to mean that
homosexuality should be evaluated in the same way as heterosexuality, in
accordance with the following principles: I) Intention – Is the act
motivated by love, generosity and understanding? And ii) consequential –
does the act cause harm and regret (in oneself or others) or benefit
and joy?”

As a pluralist, I draw upon different religious
scriptures, and here is a corollary from Quran about carrying on a civil
dialogue. “Respectfully, I do not practice what you practice, and you
do not practice what I practice, so you live with your belief as I do
with mine, as long as we understand our differences and not harm each
other.”

The dialogue must continue until we learn to respect the
otherness of others and live in harmony. No one’s belief should be
thrust on the other. That kind of freedom is a hallmark of civil
societies.
 …
The phobias that acknowledging and accepting the gay
sexual orientation will cause more people to become gay is as
ridiculous as saying eating Chicken will make you a Chicken. The sooner
we accept this, the quicker we can put this fear behind and move on with
our lives, instead of harassing and denigrating fellow humans. Thank
God, I am blessed to be friends with all of God’s creation including
many gay and lesbian friends. The alarmist attitude will evaporate one
day, why not junk it now? Indeed, it’s a blessing to be free.
…..

References:

 New York Times piece on Blankenhorn. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/us/in-shift-blankenhorn-forges-a-pro-marriage-coalition-for-all.html?_r=0

American Values, marriage a new conversation
http://www.americanvalues.org/marriage-a-new-conversation/index.php

Buddhism about Homosexuality
http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/buddhism.htm

Quran about Civil Dialogue
http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/buddhism.htm
 

. . . . . . . Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place and standing up for
others
as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a
strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a
frequent guest on Sean
Hannity show
on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he
contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly
at Huffington post, and
several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you
want to know about him.


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