Guest Blog: Unicorns & Where to Find Them

Nothing bothers me more than when people say they don’t believe in same-sex marriage. It’s not that they’re against it (okay, it’s like 10% because they’re against it), it’s the wording. They don’t believe in it. It makes me want to laugh and wring their necks all at once. 

Same-sex marriage isn’t a unicorn. It’s not a myth. It’s not some urban legend passed down from generation to generation like Big Foot or whatever curse will follow you if you wear white after Labor Day.  It’s an actual thing. People do it every day. It’s real.

You can’t not believe in something that already exists. You can oppose it, disagree with it, throw a tantrum and rant about it, set up protests, shame/blame/bully/abuse the people who agree/partake in it. You can make it your life’s goal to ensure that someone else’s happiness that literally has zero to do with you is denied because your religious views- which you’re granted because of our country’s constitution that gives you freedom to practice whatever religion you want- don’t agree with it. You can do all of these things, but you can’t say you don’t believe in something that already exists.

Speaking of phrases that bother me- when people say they want ‘their America to be run from the bible’ I just want to quit life. You want to live in a place where we all adhere to the bible? Cool. Do it somewhere else. Live on a commune, create a cult, gather in New Mexico and succeed from the U.S.-have at it. 

The ENTIRE POINT of America is freedom. Freedom of speech, to assemble, of the press, to petition the government, and- wait for it- freedom of religion. That means that if good ole ‘Murica made it’s laws and values on a specific religion it would be forcing a religion on it’s people, and therefore would be denying it’s citizens a basic human right. 

I believe in God. I have a relationship with him. I go to church, I’m involved in it, and I invite people to visit my church all the time in an effort to show them how great and important said relationship is. I do not, however, condemn people who don’t agree with my faith. I don’t push my views on people. I would never want to live in a place where people felt cornered and shameful and oppressed because they don’t agree with me, and I think it’s really selfish for people to say they want to live in a country that is run by the bible, because they’d be forcing their friends and family who practice other faiths to feel that way. WRITTEN BY TORI STAMBAUGH. 

I received this post this morning and I am blown away. My friend, the one who wrote this, is right and her words speak the truth. I had to re-read some of her points because they were SO FREAKING GOOD. Re-read the second paragraph for an example. XOXO- JOE.