Huckabee compares gay marriage to bestiality

[marshlander]

The insidious aspect of views like Mr Huckabee is that the fanatical, evil stuff is often coated with statements that, in certain situations, might sound half-reasonable. There also seems to be a large constituency out there too willing to swashbuckle (is that actually a verb?) with a cross. Note the pervasive military jargon associated with religious missionary work. For a country where there is no established faith (as in the UK where the monarch is the head of the church) and where the mixing of religion and state is supposed to be illegal there is an extraordinary amount of religious rhetoric at the hustings. The so-called virtue of blind obedience, as demanded by a number of religions, to the whims of a fantastical "higher being" are nothing more than an abusive exercise in power. That he comes from a Baptist tradition, whatever that turns out to be (sadly the only Baptist I think I knew was a friend at college who later committed suicide), seems to confer immunity from prosecution and the authority to continue to spread lies and hatred (presumably in the name of a "loving" god ... Newspeak, anyone?) albeit often under the guise of doing "good works".

People like Mr Huckabee should be allowed to express their point of view, but the points he raises should be examined rigorously (as should those of any political wannabe) and denounced vigorously when they prove to be wrong or discriminatory. The trouble with religious and political rhetoric is that if something is repeated often enough it becomes axiomatic and people stop questioning.

Personally, I don't have a problem with his view that, for instance, we choose how we behave. However, whatever our choices we should be prepared to accept the consequences that follow. It's at that point that I would want to examine very closely some of his ideas about enforcing a particular view of morality. That's an example of a kernal of prejudice sugar-coated with a little wisdom.

I'm not completely impartial on this subject. I've spent much of the last thirty years dealing with having been brought up in a Mormon family. Don't get me started on Mitt Romney!

Regards