Scott Cost: Gay marriage doesn’t take away freedoms

When I woke up the morning of June 27, it seemed like any other day. I took the dog outside, poured a glass of orange juice, sat down in a comfy chair and turned on the TV.

That’s when I was smacked in the face with people yelling about their religious freedom being taken away. For a couple moments, I started frothing, too. I even did a double take to make sure it was OJ that I was drinking and not hot chocolate with whipped cream.

This was an absolute travesty! I started trying to list all the freedoms stripped from me.

Could I still attend church? Yes. Is it still legal to be a Presbyterian? Uh, huh. Can I become a Baptist tomorrow if I so desire? Check. Is Elevation Church still allowed to keep their finances secret? You betcha. Did stations start running 24-hour marathons of “The Birdcage?” Nope.

Hmm. Seems like everything stayed the same.

Does it dawn on people who actively seek out microphones to tell us we are being stripped of freedoms that adding people to something doesn’t take anything away from the rest of us? When women were given the right to vote, were men prevented from doing so?

This seems to be some really strange logic being used here.

I’m really not passionate enough on the subject to talk about the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage. But I am passionately against those who continually try to dictate behaviors either based on their own beliefs or by invoking the fear of God.

I’d rather focus on why some people feel that gays marrying takes freedoms away from heterosexuals. If somebody could explain what they could do on June 26 that they couldn’t do on June 27 as a result of the Supreme Court ruling, I’m all ears.

The only impact on me is that the more I listen to people discussing the loss of religious liberties, the further left it pushes me.

At one time, I was in a well-tailored three-piece suit like Alex P. Keaton, and with each spout of rhetoric from people toward the far right, I’m slowly fitting into a floral muumuu , adopting a Jewish mother’s whine and starting to look like Harvey Fierstein.

I also wish that the people who proudly reference being Christian while bemoaning the loss of these freedoms, would tell us which type of Christian they are.

I’m still trying to reconcile how the Christian view I was taught was one of acceptance and love, whereas the messages I seem to hear today focus on hate and discrimination.

I rapidly think the only freedom I’ve lost is being able to avoid idiots.

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 9:25 PM with the headline "Scott Cost: Gay marriage doesn’t take away freedoms."