Arkansas isn’t so great either
Thanks to a little research and QueerlyKos (via Dispatches from the Culture War), I’ve been reminded how little difference there is between Kansas and Arkansas. (We have more than spelling in common.) This happened last July:
(Fayetteville, Arkansas) Police and fire officials in Fayetteville, Arkansas are hunting for the person who torched the community’s only gay club.
Studio 716 was destroyed by the blaze. The club was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived shortly after 7:00 am a Fayetteville fire official said.
Investigators say it appears the fire was set inside the building. It is the second at the club in the past four weeks. A June 26 fire that damaged an exterior wall of the building and also has been ruled as arson.
I lived by Studio 716 for years. I didn’t even know it was a gay bar until I found that article through Dispatches. I used to drive by it many times on the way home from work when stuff was going on there, but still never knew. That is how little they were in people’s faces about it. (Which, even if they were is obviously no excuse.) From what I can tell they just wanted to be left alone, which was apprently too much to ask. It’s like Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself unless he be different from thou.” At least that’s what they appear to be teaching now. Even if you can’t love and accept those that are different from you, why can’t you let them live in peace.
The Religious Right doesn’t believe in letting others live in peace. Believe me, I know. They teach in their churches that everyone must be made to be like them or else. Anyone who is different is the enemy, literally. It’s some scary shit.
I came across your blog while browsing through Technorati today (for some reason it was with the “business” tags?). Anyway, I read your post and checked out the other site you linked to. I have to say that it’s just terrible that these things continue to happen. Tolerance, leaving others to live in peace and live their own lives… how hard is that??
RisingSunofNihon, sorry your post didn’t show up right away. It got caught as spam for some reason.
It really is baffling why people continue to respond to the smallest differences with violence. Are people really that insecure?
First of all, burning down someone’s property is wrong, no matter how you slice it. If you don’t own it, then you have no right to burn it…period. Its called property rights and such rights are the bedrock of what it means to be an American.
Second, I’d like to know how “Saray Says” can make such a blanket statement about the Religous Right. The Religous Right won’t let others live in peace? What is the Religous Right anyways? All Christians? All Christian religions? I’m a Roman Catholic and every single Sunday I hear from the pulpit that we are NOT allowed to take advantage of others, bring harm to others or take away the rights of others.
Does Sara think the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t believe in letting others live in peace? I certainly hope not because if she does she is horribly wrong. We have gays in our churches every single day. We do not condone the homosexual lifestyle but we will let a homosexual person worship with us any time they wish to and without any harrassment. The only thing they cannot do is accept Holy Communion if they are sexually active because we consider such sexual behavior to be a mortal sin. Why? Because sex was intended by God for procreation. A female couple or a male couple having sex cannot procreate. If you’d like to explore more about the Church’s position on homosexuality, there are numerous Roman Catholic websites that discuss the subject.
The bottom line is that any Christian, Roman Catholic or otherwise, would never burn down a gay night club if they were properly practicing their religion and living their faith. That doesn’t mean a Christian couldn’t have done it– if they did, they would be commiting a mortal sin and have turned away from God.
By Religious Right, I’m refering to Christian Fundamentalists who try to force their views on every one else around them, through law if possible- the people who want creation taught in science classrooms, abortion and homosexual marriage and adoption banned by constitutional amendment, women out of the workforce and back in the kitchen, etc. I’m not talking about Christians who leave others in peace. I have no problem with those Christians.
I think you are referring to dominionists, Sara. Look up dominionism on Wikipedia
Yes, that is exactly what I’m talking about. From now on, I will use dominionist to describe those people, and I will sound educated, and no one will know what I’m talking about. I’ll do it.