Who's the Cafeterian now?
The phrase "cafeterian" is usually used by religious (read Christian) types to accuse of those who don't agree with them (especially other Christians) that they are picking and choosing (as is commonly done in a cafeteria) which parts of the Bible they want to agree with, and which parts they want to ignore. I've heard it used most recently in the debate over same sex marriage. But let's step back and take a look at that from a different perspective, shall we?
The logic behind the Christian right's objection to same sex marriage (and I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide if the logic is flawed or not) is that homosexuality is a sin, and since homosexuality is a sin, society shouldn't endorse/condone anything based on that sin, such as gay marriage. (Yes, yes, there are also non-religious arguments against same sex marriage, but that's another topic for another day).
Now, I will admit that I haven't read the Bible in quite a while, but I did read it a lot when I was religious in high school and university, to the point of taking university courses about it, and according to the religious right, the message in the Bible is absolute and unchanging, so what I read then should still be just as valid now. And from what I remember, the first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me".
That sounds pretty simple for a Christian to understand, and I would say that most Christian have no other gods, unless you get into the concept of the worship of materialism, but again, another topic, another day. However, to extend the logic of that statement, it means having other gods is a sin. So, using the same logic used against gay marriage, society shouldn't endorse/condone anything based on that sin (for which the punishment was generally death in some gruesome way like an earthquake or stoning) by allowing , like .. oh .. religious freedom.
In the cafeteria of Christianity, homosexuality as a sin is a mere side dish compared to the worship of other gods as a sin, and yet, Christians including Pope Benedict endorse religious freedom, endorse state-approved violation of the first commandment. They endorse it for selfish reasons, so that they can worship in peace, but applied fairly, it also allows all those other gods to be worshipped in peace.
So, who's the cafeterian now?
The logic behind the Christian right's objection to same sex marriage (and I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide if the logic is flawed or not) is that homosexuality is a sin, and since homosexuality is a sin, society shouldn't endorse/condone anything based on that sin, such as gay marriage. (Yes, yes, there are also non-religious arguments against same sex marriage, but that's another topic for another day).
Now, I will admit that I haven't read the Bible in quite a while, but I did read it a lot when I was religious in high school and university, to the point of taking university courses about it, and according to the religious right, the message in the Bible is absolute and unchanging, so what I read then should still be just as valid now. And from what I remember, the first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me".
That sounds pretty simple for a Christian to understand, and I would say that most Christian have no other gods, unless you get into the concept of the worship of materialism, but again, another topic, another day. However, to extend the logic of that statement, it means having other gods is a sin. So, using the same logic used against gay marriage, society shouldn't endorse/condone anything based on that sin (for which the punishment was generally death in some gruesome way like an earthquake or stoning) by allowing , like .. oh .. religious freedom.
In the cafeteria of Christianity, homosexuality as a sin is a mere side dish compared to the worship of other gods as a sin, and yet, Christians including Pope Benedict endorse religious freedom, endorse state-approved violation of the first commandment. They endorse it for selfish reasons, so that they can worship in peace, but applied fairly, it also allows all those other gods to be worshipped in peace.
So, who's the cafeterian now?
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