A Rant ... And a Free Read (D.W. Marchwell)

First, the rant:Having friends on Facebook can be both a source of tremendous comfort and a source of unbearable frustration.  It was through FB that I came to learn about the whole Chick-fil-A debacle.  Now, in all fairness to me, I live in Canada and I’d never heard of this particular establishment until the whole brouhaha erupted over statements made by the CEO of that company.  As I look back now, I do remember two important thoughts hitting me at more or less the same time:
What kind of name is Chick-fil-A for crying out loud? Big deal, one more person who is wading into the already-overcrowded debate on the definition of “marriage”.  Who cares?
Apparently, quite a large number of people cared.  This CEO, whose name I couldn’t be bothered to look up right now, has supporters and detractors alike.  Shocking, I know!  But, honestly, why does it matter that there is one more “Christian” who thinks that marriage is defined as one man and one woman?
Is this CEO not entitled to his opinion?  Of course he is.
Does this opinion make him homophobic?  I’d bet that yes, it does.
Will this one opinion push back the struggle for my gay American cousins to be allowed to marry?  I doubt it.  Let’s face it, he may not agree with gays having the right to marry, but how many other CEOs have come out in support of this long-awaited equality?  CEOs, Mayors, Directors of major companies...the list of influential people who support gay marriage is endless.  
So, it would seem, then - for me at least - that there are two important issues:  The first issue is the one sentence I keep hearing over and over:  “Marriage is one man and one woman”.  Fair enough.  But let’s look closely at the words used in the Bible:
In Genesis 2:18, 21 to 24, we have the following:  “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make him a helper suitable for him’...etc.”  Eve is referred to, at various times, as a helper, a wife and a companion.  Three different words to describe the role of the woman in a marriage.
So, if the Bible is to be taken literally, why would any good, Christian woman object to the wedding vows being changed to “I now pronounce you husband and helper”.  I can think of quite a few who like to see themselves as being more than “just” a helper...or more than “just” a wife, for that matter.  They like to see themselves as equals.  In fact, I remember the days when women were upset because the vows used to read, “I now pronounce you MAN and wife.”  And while I’m sure there are many men who would like to return to those days, I doubt you’ll find too many women - Christian or otherwise - who will ever see themselves as anything but equal to their husbands.
There are endless debates over certain “issues” with the Bible being taken literally.  Where did Kane and Abel’s wives come from, and wouldn’t those wives have been their sisters, etc?  It would seem that some Christians interpret the story of Adam to refer to “First Adam” and “Last Adam” (no, really, look it up), but the key word here is “interpret”.  
And while we’re on the subject of interpretation...  The list of things that are “forbidden” or “unclean” or “abominations” in the Bible is extensive.  Leviticus 19:27 forbids shaving, Ephesians 5:4 forbids cursing, Leviticus 19:16 forbids gossip, Leviticus 11:10 forbids eating anything from the seas that does not have fins or scales - i.e. shellfish, and Leviticus 15:19 to 20 forbids associating with women who are menstruating (the exact words are “a discharge, and it consists of blood from her body, she will be unclean”...).
So, why do some Christians get to “interpret” where Kane and Abel’s wives came from or what is “really” meant by “shaving” or “cursing” or “shellfish”, but the rest of the general population, it would seem, are incapable of interpreting the Bible correctly?  The answer is simple:  As long as my interpretation is the same as yours, you will welcome me with open arms.
Okay, so rational people will agree that there seems to be this widespread belief on the part of some Christians that certain aspects of the Bible must be taken literally while others are nothing but mere suggestions that are so antiquated as to be ignorable in this day and age.  Therefore, quoting the Bible is only a reliable argument if you plan to follow EVERYTHING that the Bible states; otherwise, you seem like a hypocrite.
The second issue remaining at this point of my rant is:  “What ever happened to the separation of Church and State?”
Those of you who’ve read “Good to Know” and are familiar with the Bennett Brigade will know a little of what I once had to go through ten years into my teaching career - although without the support of a Jerry or a William.  There was one question I asked (we’ll call him) Bennett:  “You say you’re a Christian and I believe you.  But what if I don’t live my life as a Christian?  What if I’ve chosen to follow a different belief system?”  Of course, he called me another lengthy list of names, but he had no answer to my question.
So, let me ask the CEOs and the ministers and the every-person out there who keeps telling me that marriage is between one man and one woman:  Why should millions of gay Americans have to accept social and governmental policy based on this Christian definition that should no longer have any bearing?  Why should millions of self-proclaimed “Christian” Americans who neither practice nor preach ALL of the tenets of Jesus Christ be allowed to tell someone who is a non-Christian what his/her rights ought to be?
If someone can please finally answer that question for me - without resorting to rhetoric and nonsensical filibustering - I would really like to hear the answer.
Until then, take your Bible and your opinions, and use them to guide your own lives.  Please stop using them to tell me how to live mine.
And now ...  A FREE READ!Some of you will have undoubtedly already read this particular story.  But for those of you who’ve read it and emailed me asking about the reasons and the background, etc., I will say only that I wrote this story for a dear friend and fellow author, Andy Eisenberg.
I wrote this story so that I could share an experience with her.  My family had disowned me because they discovered my “abomination”, and the only Pastor I’d known throughout my life (up to that point) had somehow found out about it.  He pulled me aside one day and told me exactly, verbatim, what the Pastor in the story tells his congregation about love and acceptance and his duty to his flock, as he sees it, through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
This Pastor, whom I still respect and consider to be the wisest man I’ve ever met said, “No matter what anyone tells you, or calls you, or what they do to you, or how much they hate you, remember that your God is a God of love.  And he loves all of his children.”
I hope you enjoy the free read.  “With Gladness” by D.W. Marchwell.
http://marchwellbooks.ca/free-reads/