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On Faith Alfred Bloom |
Separation of church
and state blurred
in Family Day paradeOnce again the issue of the separation of church and state has become a focus of public debate because of federal Judge Helen Gillmor's decision in favor of the city and the Christian Coalition that the Family Day parade was not sponsored by the city, despite its more-than-normal participation in the organization of it. As a result, gay and lesbian marchers were unable to march in the parade. The ACLU is pursuing the incident further, and the issue will work itself out in court.
The basic underlying issue in this dispute is the continuing insistence by a segment of the religious community that their beliefs about society must be the norm for the community.
It is this assumption that prevents the concept of separation of church and state from being finally accepted and observed by the general public. The opponents of separation always claim that their god is being ignored and that it is a necessity to enforce his alleged will in society, even though there are many views about religion in society.
In the case of the parade and the issue of homosexuality, the opponents of gay rights generally appeal to passages from the Old Testament to enforce their belief that because the ancient text prohibits homosexuality, our whole society, whether one believes the Bible or not, is expected to follow this demand or be an outcast in society.
As a matter of belief, such people are free to legislate within their own faith community.
But what gives them the right to legislate or demand that others, who do not share that belief, must follow? In matters of religious faith, each person follows their own conscience.
We condemn and fight religious totalitarianism in other societies such as Afghanistan with the Taliban but promote it in our own society. It's a contradiction at best.
Family Day is for all people regardless of their lifestyle and sexual orientation. Many gay and lesbian people nurture family values and contribute to the community.
There is more than one form of family.
As a Buddhist, I believe that all beings have Buddha nature, the potential to become Buddhas, fully awakened to the truth of life and reality.
Buddhism teaches that compassion extends to all, and it encourages people to nurture and treasure the deeper dimensions of human relations. Buddhism is not exclusionary. It holds that all beings are centers of value and should develop their lives freely and fully.
To exclude a person from the general society based on supposed divine revelation simply sacrifices the person to an unproven ideology and quest for social power.
Buddhism accepts people as people and works with them to elevate their spiritual insight and life. It accepts diversity in all areas of life, just as there are many flowers, each with its own beauty. Buddhism has an interest in equal justice for all because compassion means seeking the welfare of each person. Buddhism does not impose its beliefs or aggressively propagate, though it always stands ready to share faith with all.
As a Buddhist, I would hope that further litigation may set the balance of justice right and that in the future all persons of good will can come together on Family Day to celebrate this most important of human relationships.
Alfred Bloom is a professor emeritus of the University of Hawaii.
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