The first pride parade in my town, and here's the response!

[NitzWalsh]

A local group in my little City of Abbotsford in British Columbia organized the first pride parade for the area. I didn't hear about it before the event happened, but the reply from at least one resident of the area has encouraged me to march in the next parade wearing the ally symbol. BC is one of the most secular provinces in Canada, but I'm stuck in the freaking religious whackery zone.

Here's the article.
//http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/life/more+pride+parades+please/8475203/story.html

Editor, the Times:

Re: Times, May 28 In response to Kevin Francis' glowing endorsement of Abbotsford's first Pride parade, I'd like to remind Mr. Francis that it isn't the mandate of any branch of government or civil authorities to legalize or endorse any kind of sinful activity, including homosexuality.

The preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights states "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law . . ."

Such principles are biblical principles, not principles or ideals upheld by atheists and the Humanist Manifestos.

No man has a right to commit a sinful act.

In fact, God ordained government to restrain man's sinful behaviour by having it enact laws that uphold moral correctness, not political correctness.

The extent to which civil law in Canada has deviated from upholding principles of right and wrong as given in God's moral law is the extent to which lawmakers and Supreme Court judges have shaken their fists at God and violated the spirit of the law contained in the preamble of our Constitution.

If you think that's something to celebrate, Mr. Francis, then I don't share your optimism for the future of our country.

Let's come to our senses and have no more gay pride parades please!

Miff Crommelin Mission

[Hydra009]

Man I love these things.

The preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights states "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law . . ."

Heh.  I see you Canucks have the "But God is in the Constitution!1" whackjobs, too.  

No man has a right to commit a sinful act.

Correction:  No man can commit a sinful act.  Because it's physically impossible to sin against a fictitious being.

In fact, God ordained government to restrain man's sinful behaviour by having it enact laws that uphold moral correctness, not political correctness.

Let me get this straight.  God authorized the government to enact godly laws.  The Great Lawgiver had to work his will through the political process like some slimey special interest group.  :-k

The extent to which civil law in Canada has deviated from upholding principles of right and wrong as given in God's moral law is the extent to which lawmakers and Supreme Court judges have shaken their fists at God and violated the spirit of the law contained in the preamble of our Constitution.

And that's...wrong?  

If you think that's something to celebrate, Mr. Francis, then I don't share your optimism for the future of our country.

Oh yeah, Canada really has it bad.  Did you hear that, Turkey and Syria?

If it's really that bad, maybe you religious whackjobs should just move to another country.  Like Can--oh wait.

Let's come to our senses and have no more gay pride parades please!

Translation:  gays are icky and offend my religious sensibilities.  No more pride parade for you!

(note the lack of atheists who storm into church during services demanding that the services be stopped because it offends him/her)

[NitzWalsh]

I wrote a letter to the editor in reply to this nonsense...

Editor, Abbotsford Times:

This letter is in response to the recent letter on June 4th by Miff Commelin Mission.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that Canadian citizens have the freedom of conscious and religion. What that means is we are not a Christian nation, nor are we a religious nation. Canadians are free to be Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Sikh, atheist, pagan, or any number of other systems of belief or disbelief.

 The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice."

The Bible tells us that god endorses slavery and genocide. It tells us that the female victims of rape should be stoned to death or forced to marry their rapist. It also tells us that we should stone unruly children and murder homosexuals.

The Bible is not a good book, it is not a moral book, we don't base our laws or moralities off of its teachings, we base our moralities off of a rational consideration for our own well being, and for the well being of others.

As rational human beings, we can never base our laws on a particular religions holy book, it would go against everything that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms stands for, and against everything this country stands for.

To stop those involved in this pride parade from holding another would be a violation of their Charter Rights, no one in this country should ever stand for that kind of violation. The letter from Miff has done one thing for me, and I hope for others as well, and that is it motivated me to support these causes even more strongly as an LGBT ally.

Thank you,
Jeff Hughes

That's my real name.

[wolf39us]

I've never been to one personally, but I'm not against going to one!

[NitzWalsh]

I've never been to one either, but now that I've read that guys spew, I will be going from now on.

[aitm]

I've never been to one either, but now that I've read that guys spew, I will be going from now on.

 :-s

[NitzWalsh]

I've never been to one either, but now that I've read that guys spew, I will be going from now on.

 :-s

?

[ApostateLois]

Wish we would have a gay pride parade in my town. I would take a day off work to go see it.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Let's come to our senses and have no more gay pride parades please!

Translation: gays are icky and offend my religious sensibilities. No more pride parade for you!

(note the lack of atheists who storm into church during services demanding that the services be stopped because it offends him/her)

I read it as "If I see too many hot, sweaty men I'm liable to get my cock and out and start parading with them thus exposing my gay-ism to the world."

[SGOS]

If you think that's something to celebrate, Mr. Francis, then I don't share your optimism for the future of our country.  Let's come to our senses and have no more gay pride parades please!

In other words:  A country cannot endure if everyone doesn't think like me.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I'm going to one with my pants down and marching backward.*

*Just to clarify my pants will only be down in the event I have to use the portajohn and backward is a little over the top.. :)

[Colanth]

Wish we would have a gay pride parade in my town. I would take a day off work to go see it.

If they hold one here, and I can ride most of the time, I'd march.  My only problem is that walking to the curb and back to get the mail is exhausting.  I have no problem supporting the rights of others to do what I have the right to do, whether it's the right to a fair trial or the right to love whomever I love.  I don't think your right to marry should be based on what happened to you in utero.

[SGOS]

I have no problem supporting the rights of others to do what I have the right to do, whether it's the right to a fair trial or the right to love whomever I love.  I don't think your right to marry should be based on what happened to you in utero.

After many years pondering the "what is love" question, I've grown somewhat cynical.  But I'm quite sure that sex is a major part of it for most people.  Sure, you can find the odd couple here and there that do seem to be in love, but have no sex at all.  My aunt and uncle were such an example, but this type of marriage is neither typical or normal.  I know married couples who do not have sex and are not in love.  They just live together like roommates.

But for me, love is a rare experience when sex isn't part of the package, and if it's kinky, even better.  Of course, not all sex leads to love, but when I'm honest with myself, I really can't separate sex from love.  All of our lives, we are fed a pabulum of propaganda intended by well meaning significant others to train us to believe that sex is not love:

"No, no! Real love is much deeper.  It's not the same as sex.  No, no!  That's not love, it's infatuation.  All love emanates from the heart of Jesus... bla bla bla."   It goes on and on, and I've noticed that few people tell you what love actually is, but most people will happily tell you what love is not.  Unfortunately, that does not explain what love is, and it isn't helpful (you can't describe an elephant to an Eskimo by telling him only that it's not a Musk Ox).

Everyone seems to have a different conception of love based on some ideal they imagine that love is supposed to be.  So until people can get together and offer a universal and meaningful description of the experience, I've decided to throw out all the crap and revert to my own basic experience that I trust.  That is: "I don't need to explain it.  I just fucking know it when I feel it.  It's electrifying and I feel it in my whole body.  So spare me the enlightened lectures about what you fucking think I'm supposed to think it is, and don't make a Federal case out of it.  It's not that fucking complicated."

SO HERE IS MY POINT... Finally!  Maybe, Just maybe, in their own private thoughts, or rumbling around just below the conscious level, people with an over abundance of sanctimonious self righteousness recognize that those 'horrible-horrible' forbidden feelings of sexual desire might be vaguely connected to love, but God forbid we should recognize these lowly denominators that tie us to the rest of the higher mammals.

What?? Allow homosexuals to marry??  The very term says it all.  "Homosexuality' by definition, must have something to do with sex.  Ya think?  It doesn't describe love, at least not the love of old spinsters.  Sex can't be important in true love. Right?  That's just for the rest of the animal kingdom, not for us God fearing humans that get the definition of love from some Victorian Age concept.  You can't let people be in love if they are going to have sex.  And marriage?...  Well we can really out-flummox ourselves if we overzealously try to describe true marriage when few of us seem to agree on what the fuck love is supposed to be.

[Solitary]

Love to me is when someone allows you to be yourself. If you are a sex maniac all the better.  8-)  Bill

[Seabear]

Specific event aside, as this could apply to any number of situations these days... Xtians feel strongly about their beliefs, and that's fine. I think that where things go terribly, terribly wrong is when they feel that their beliefs are unquestionably correct and true, any beliefs that contradict them are wrong, and (most importantly) they feel entitled to use the government and the legal system to force their beliefs on everyone.