Equality

Ninety-five years ago today the US government declared that ALL women had the right to vote in elections.

Hooray!!  Equality!! 

Oh wait, no.  The federal government said ok, we'll let the women vote.  The states said, fine but they have to follow the same rules all the men do.  When the states don't like what the government has to say they find ways around it.  When the government does something progressive and liberating (as per our constitution) for all people the individual state governments chime in and say, sure but only if...

All women were given the right to vote in 1920.  All women didn't have the means or ability to vote in 1920.  From 1889 to 1910 some, not all and mostly southern states enacted a poll tax.  This said that in order to register to vote you had to pay a fee to the government.  If you didn't have the money for the fee, your voice would not be heard.  Poll taxes were enacted largely to keep African Americans and poor people from casting a vote.  Um, discrimination?  Hell yes.

The amendment to abolish poll taxes wasn't even introduced until 1962 and finally ratified in 1964, finally allowing any able bodied citizen to cast their vote for their representation.  So it took 44 years for ALL African American and minority women to be able to vote.  Wow, that sucks.

And we still only make anywhere from 56 (Hispanic) to 78 (Caucasian) cents on the dollar in comparison to a man's wage...

Great history lesson!  But why do I bring that up, you ask?

The US Supreme Court ruled on June 26, 2015 that homosexuals had the right to be married.

Hooray!!  Equality!!

And yet all across America clerks are standing up and saying NO claiming that signing off on a legal document required by their job so that two consenting adults can be united under the law (not even under God--just the law) is violating their religious freedom.

Um, no.  If you don't want to issue marriage licenses, you need to find a new job.  I mean, your participation in the marriage is pretty non-existent anyways.  No one is asking you if you think it's ok.  They're asking you to do your job as a government worker.  Not that you need a clerk to sign off on it, but do you deny divorces as well?  Who gives a religious person the right to deny someone equal protection under the law?  Gods law and the law of the US are not congruent.  They weren't in biblical times, they aren't now and because ALL the citizens aren't Christians it never should be.  Render unto Caesar that which is Caesars....sounds familiar.

It seems to me we're trusting in a nation to bring it's people to Christ when in fact it should be the other way around.  If making America a Christian nation is your idol, chances are you're discriminating against a whole HUGE group of people.  The same was true in the early 1900s.  The same is true now.

It took women 188 years for voting equality.  How long will it take until all states recognize LGBT people as equal under the law in all things and not just marriage?  How long will it take for the Christian community to finally stop the attacks, verbal and otherwise?  How long will it take for us to sit down in front of the mirror and say, "I care about what's going on in the world.  I want to make this world a better place.  What do I need to fix about myself first?"  Gay marriage isn't your issue and since God said love and give generously to your enemy it isn't God's either.  What IS your issue?  What is YOUR issue?

For the record, currently my issue is ironically bitterness.  Can you tell?