feelings

  Here's the uncomfortable truth that mostly goes unspoken. With all of this LGBTQ+ stuff we hear about daily, it is the physical portion that upsets everyone. Now we hear it all the time, Love is Love. That's the reason given for that community engaging in the activities that they do. We are talking about the physical relationships that are taking place, or we believe are taking place. 

  Love is an emotional state, not a physical one. We can love something, anything, or someone without any physical attachment whatsoever. We say we love lots of things. We don't engage in any sort of physical activity with a great deal of those things. When we engage on a physical level with inanimate objects or become fascinated with a particular object/action we call that having a fetish. The fetish is to satisfy a sexual desire. It doesn't have anything to do with love. The truth is that when we say we are making love we are really satisfying a desire. We have written volumes about that emotional need in poetry and prose. Scholars have studied and pontificated about all of that for centuries. Still the sexual act has little to do with love. It is for that reason the statement, Love is Love, rings so hollow for the majority of the population when used by the gay community. It isn't love they are experiencing, it is gratification. 

 It is in our biological makeup this desire to procreate. All living things in the known universe have the innate desire to procreate. The vast majority will only do that with the opposite gender of the same species. Yes, there are exceptions, aberrations and abnormalities. If love was the impetus for lovemaking, we wouldn't have prostitutes. That's because it is just business! A business that is frowned upon in the Judeo-Christian world, viewed as immoral. It is the perceived immorality that causes all the turmoil. There was a thinking that only humans engaged in sexual activity for pleasure. That isn't true however as there are other species that do indeed pleasure themselves. And yes, there are species that engage in that activity with the same gender. 

 What separates man from the beasts. There are several trains of thought on that, but all agree that man is different from all the other beasts on the earth. Whether it is our higher-level skills in language, reasoning, or abstract thinking or something else can be debated by scholars forever. The one thing that stands out to me is our desire to create a moral code for the societies we form. We call societies different names, but they are defined by government. Man has given names to animal societies. They may be prides, herds or a pack. There are troops, colonies and clowders. There are clans, pods and flocks. The list goes on and on, each one identifying a particular species living in a social group. Not one of those groups contains a moral code.

  Is it religious belief that defines morality. The answer is no, religious belief will influence your morality, but it isn't the sole definition of that morality. Cultural and societal influences also influence your morality. That's why the wide variation in moral beliefs even among those practicing the same religious philosophies. Today we have Gay priests! Certainly, a change in moral thought and one substantiated by Bible verses. Yes, the Bible is being used to justify that moral choice. And morality is a choice, do not be confused about that. In fact, it is the justification for abortion, it's a choice, nothing immoral about that. That's the thinking.

 The thing about morals is that they restrict. That is the purpose of morals, to restrain and restrict our choices. The objective is to create a society of conformity. Birds of a feather and all of that. Man with his advanced intellect understands the need for moderation and restraint. It truly is the best way to ensure your personal survival. Survival of the fittest belongs in the animal kingdom. Ethics are often confused with morality. That's simply because religious beliefs are often the basis for the ethical conduct we are attempting to foster. The two aren't the same thing, however. I'd say ethics are generally the exceptions we allow to morality. Ethics are the practical side of morality. Ethics define the government. One definition proposed by scholars is this: Ethics – "Rules of conduct in a particular culture or group recognized by an external source or social system." 

 America is a particular culture. A culture that has historically allowed those of other cultures to live within. That remains true to this day. There is a caveat, though. It is expected that those of other cultures will respect, if not adopt, our culture. To become an American. The vast majority of Americans base their ethics in the Judeo-Christian traditions. Yes, that is evident if you examine our laws over the last two centuries. That is the primary cultural influence. Our laws have slowly changed, a relaxing of the "moral" code so to speak. I remember when I was young, we had the blue laws. No shopping on a Sunday! Seems silly and insignificant today, but it was a shift. In 1967 the supreme court ruled it was unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages. Prior to that ruling it was illegal in certain states. Prejudice, morality or ethics? They are easily confused. It was a rule of conduct supported by an external source, in that case government. What was the basis for that law? What is the basis for any law?

  But let's go back to my original statement about all this LGBTQ+ stuff. We are talking about culture. This group is attempting to impose a cultural shift on America. I use the term impose because I oppose this shift. I do not believe private choice should be a public policy. This "community" comprises about 14% of the population. That is being generous in my opinion as polls can be quite slanted and misleading by those reporting the results. That and the "community" keeps adding groups and subgroups to the group. We are currently at five letters and a plus sign! It doesn't seem very definitive to me. It isn't a matter of legality or morality. It is a matter of ethics. The issue is using legality and ethics to impose a morality! Morality is a personal choice and should remain that way. Yes, I do believe that stuff should just stay in the closet! It never bothered me until you started parading down main street. It never bothered me until you tried to recruit my children and grandchildren into your culture. It never bothered me until you insisted that my morality was wrong! Yes, that's how it feels. And that is the stuff war and revolution is made of. It has nothing to do with love.