Saturday, March 16, 2013

As Things Become More Gray

I know, it has been over a year since I have written anything.  But something, not sure what exactly, has inspired me to begin again.  This has been a year of a lot of changing ideas.  I blame it on reading too much philosophy.  Truth be told, I am not sure what I believe about some things now, although it is easier to put up a front that says I do.  My mind has already changed about some of the things that I have written.  Such is the internet, your views are out there FOREVER.  For those that wonder, I am still a conservative, although my views have moderated.  My religious views are in fluctuation, which is the part I have trouble talking about.

Compared to the people I was brought up with I am a raging liberal.  As I have written previously, I enjoy some things that would put me into potentially "liberal, heretic, backslidden" category.  Doesn't bother me, though because I am seeing that the world does not operate in black and white.  My views would get me kicked out of any religious right gathering.  Here are some samplings:

*I am in favor of comprehensive sex ed.  People don't stop having sex just because you tell them too.  Abstinence pledging has over an 80% failure rate.  Time to be realistic.  If you are serious about reducing abortions then you need to be serious about birth control.
*I am in favor of separation of church and state.  Christians wouldn't like it if Islam were established as the national religion and that is how a lot of people feel about Christianity.  People can feel free to practice their religion in their own place on their own time.  Simple as that.
*I am in favor of allowing gay couples full civil rights.  Marriage, at least to me, is a religious label.  Churches or other places of worship can make their own rules about marriage.
*I am in favor of allowing people to live their lives in their own way, even if I think it is absolutely immoral and something I would never do.  I care that people are not harmed by someone else's actions.

So what does all this make me?  Am I really a liberal in conservative clothing?  Nope, I think I just looked at reality and saw something lacking in absolutist views.  Life isn't one side or the other.  It is constantly reevaluating and realizing that sometimes you are wrong and things are far from black and white.