What a strange story and legal initiative......How did it all turn out btw? Since the thread is from Dec. 2014.
Things like these are not just an embarrassment, but they paint a completely deplorable picture of Christianity and its interaction with today's world. The sad thing about is that I am a Christian myself (of the Roman Catholic persuasion) and I actually share some values with people in this ideological corner, but I cannot possibly approve of such discriminatory practices, which I find inherently unChristian - denying medical care to any human being. Race, gender, social and economic status,
as well as sexual orientation should have NO place whatsoever in a civilized society, not when providing health care, employment or any other services, be it by public bodies or private entities.
Same as others, I too think abortion is a very serious sin and I believe marriage to be the union between a man and a woman, while by family I understand the raising of children by a man and a woman desperately and irrevocably in love with one another. However, I do not seek to impose these beliefs on anyone else and I consider them strictly personal choices that I make/made.
Furthermore, I consider not just abortion, contraception and euthanasia attacks on the sacred nature of life, but also the barbaric practice which is the death penalty.
I do believe people in certain professions should have the right to object to certain practices, "obiezioni di coscienza", as Italians call them, but I don't think they apply in this case.
I firmly believe in the separation of Church and state, but I also believe people ought to have the freedom to worship and to express their moral convictions not just in their homes and within the strict confines of their religious communities. People should live out their values
in the world, but without imposing them on others. Although it may not be apparent from the actions of people of faith along the centuries, one of the major purposes of religion is to provide people moral guidance in order to elevate their humanity and make the world a better place for everyone, not just a "chosen" few.
If someone is an EMT and they refuse to help someone because of that person's sexuality due to ''religious beliefs'' then they should have never become an EMT to begin with
Spot on.
Anyhoo, old thread, but in any case, what's weird about this thing is how would an EMT know a person is gay?
If they are unconscious and, would they have to LOOK a certain way? Not every gay person is an effeminate, fabulous dresser as a dead giveaway.
What if they look as "straight" as can be, but later the EMT finds out the person is gay?
This is such a weird ass bill...
Embarrassing.
Great question. How would one know that? Also, the whole gay "marriage" matter is blown out of proportion.
I believed (and still try to) in exclusive, life-long, heterosexual, sacred unions, but I think people in Christian circles ought to be far more concerned with the problems of "Christian" couples and individuals rather than gay folks. Their own issues may be a far bigger threat to the traditional family than the boogie man of gay marriage. Incest, sexual abuse of kids by family friends, domestic violence against women and children, rampant adultery, teen pregnancies, sky high divorce rates......all of these are issues for which Christians cannot possibly blame gay people, however much they would like. After all, the gay community, albeit vocal, is only a small minority of the population. The real and huge problems are within the majority.
Not only that, but the degree to which gay marriage has become a political issue is disgraceful. A lot of the controversy could have been avoided if the separation of Church and state would have been clear, but when it comes to living and life arrangements of individuals it seems that both political and religious fora want to have authority.
Perhaps a clear distinction should be made between civil unions consented by civil authorities (between whatever genders and in whatever ways) while the sacrament of matrimony, as defined by the Church ought to be a separate issue altogether, a matter in which no state has the power to intervene or define. Unfortunately, the two concepts are intertwined and the systems vary from one country to another - in certain places one cannot go to church without a prior civil ceremony, while in others it's the exact opposite.
The state and fed governments are just ignoring economic things and concentrating on social issues because they're useless at the important stuff.
I partially agree with this. In a way I think this is one of the major flaws of the right wing, especially in America. They tend to focus on issues which are mainly about the private life, while ignoring truly public and general issues such as income inequality, injustice, environmental concerns. Many may forget, but Christ spoke not only against divorce, but also against injustice, hypocrisy and the exploitation of the weak and poor by those in positions of power.
To be fair to politicians though, one must admit that the federal government has been the single, greatest investor in the American economy in the last six years. And although many people may still have it rough, there are also those who have found new opportunities because of public investments. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Europe.
Leaving such "scholarly" rambling aside and returning to the origin of the thread. It reminded me of a picture I found a few months ago. I don't think I've posted it before, at least I hope not. It just fits very well with this story.
From what I read, it's actually part of a social awareness campaign, not a real photo, but one can easily imagine such a situation in real life. According to Michigan legislators those folks in the picture could have refused to care for the KKK man, right?
