My big fat gay wedding (1) Oct 13, 2008
I went to my first gay wedding this weekend.  Actually, it was a lesbian wedding.  What an experience.  Setting aside the moral issue for a moment (because I haven't completely made up my mind [not if I'm gay or not, but whether I think it's ok or not or whatever]), I learned several things and had several questions answered. 
  1. Who wears the dress?  The answer is they both do.  Well, sort of.  One girl had on more of a dress, the other had on more of a pant suit (but not a Hillary Clinton pant suit), but it was flowy and dress-like.  Both outfits were the same color, off-white.
  2. Is it legal?  In New Jersey, as of right now, yes.
  3. Which one is the wife?  They both are.  The ceremony said, "I, [girl1], take you, [girl2], to be my wife," and then, "I, [girl2], take you, [girl1], to be my wife."
  4. How did the bridal party work?  This part was weird.  Each bride had a matron of honor.  But then one bride had a best man, but this best man was a girl, and a lesbian at that.  I'm not sure why she couldn't have just been another maid/matron of honor.
  5. Was it in a church?  Yes, an Episcopal Church, which has loose beliefs about homosexuality.
  6. What about the reception?  The reception was probably the most normal, or at least familiar, part.  Each bride danced with her father.  There was food and drink in abundance.  However, there was no bouquet toss or garter ceremony, which was fine by me.
  7. Were there any other lesbians?  Good God yes.  I've never seen so many lesbians in all my life.  The happy couple met via a female rugby team, all of which is at the very least bisexual (ok, not all of them).
#lifestyle
On the influence of politics over religion (1) Oct 13, 2008
Before I start, let me assert my belief in and adherence to (or at least attempted adherence to) the Christian faith.  I believe in the God who created the heavens and the earth, the Biblical account of God's work on earth, and the man Jesus Christ who was sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sins of anyone who believes in him, for the purpose of being granted access to the presence of God.  This is my faith.  It's what I believe.  Now to the topic at hand. 

First, I don't believe the government should have any say in any situation concerning religion or morality.  I don't believe that's the function of the government, and I was under the impression that that's actually one of the reasons the country was founded.  Freedom of religion is a major benefit to living in the U.S., and as such, it doesn't make sense to favor one religion over another or attempt to ingrain the tenets of one into the practices of the nation's people. 

Second, I don't feel that politicians are in any position to be moral authorities over anyone in any situation for any reason.  A casual observation of the national news will proclaim the fact that politicians are professional liars, disgusting slime who cheat, steal, murder, and then lie about all of the above.  If there's one thing you can learn from the news, it's that politicians are the absolute opposite of morality.  So to have politicians campaigning for laws regarding abortion, gay marriage, and any other hot button issue is just ridiculous. 

Lastly, the United States is no longer a Christian nation.  It's about time we face that fact.  The polls say the majority of Americans believe in the God of Christianity.  I'm sorry, but that's just not true.  Or at least if it is true, these people have a very superficial belief in this God, largely ignoring most of what His Bible says.  Regardless of this, it's just not accurate to say we are a Christian nation.  So to have fights and disagreements over the marking of currency and the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in the court system is just stupid.  Let the people decide. #religion