Thought Theater

In his appearance on Meet The Press, Mike Huckabee, like so many other evangelicals, stated his belief that all humans are sinners. While that remark makes sense in broad terms...especially if one accepts the validity of most religious constructs...Tim Russert, in the following video, points out that Huckabee has a history of shifting his focus to the "sins" of homosexuals.

This hyper-focus on the behavior (sins) of gays is puzzling to me. Time and again, men like Pat Robertson and James Dobson point out that gays are a very small percentage of the population. If that is true, and evidence suggests as much, then why pay so much attention to this small segment of society?

Look, if evangelicals want to be viewed as god's policemen, why don't they direct their attention to the behaviors of their own? I find it amusing that they rail against any recognition of gay relationships while they seemingly ignore the failed construct of heterosexual marriage.

I think it's safe to assume that a good evangelical christian should be focused upon efforts which eradicate the most "sin". If that is true, then why haven't they taken the same aggressive approach (that they apparently reserve for opposing homosexuality) to banning divorce or directing their attention towards the rampant infidelity that plagues heterosexual marriage?

In answering my own question, my suspicion (ever mindful of human nature) is that it is far easier for evangelicals to tell gays which behaviors they need to suppress than it is to correct their own flawed behaviors. Truth be told, the real threat to conventional marriage comes from conventional heterosexuals...men and women who treat marriage like the acquiring of a new car; it's great for a few months but before long all the other models look far more inviting. One might be concerned if these heterosexuals were having affairs with homosexuals...but the last time I checked...the lion's share of adultery takes place between a man and a woman in a heterosexual marriage.

Each time a married heterosexual ends up in the wrong bed, they diminish the institution of marriage. Each time a homosexual ends up in bed with his or her partner has absolutely no impact on anybody's heterosexual marriage. If were going to attach blame, how about we pin it on the proper culprits?

If Mr. Huckabee and his fellow evangelicals truly believe sin is about the behaviors we choose, then I suggest they forego their fixation on gay behavior and clean up their own dismal track record. Besides, there is little doubt that the vast majority of gays have been birthed in heterosexual marriages. Wouldn't you think that would lead evangelicals to wonder why this sacred heterosexual environment is so conducive to the emergence of homosexuals?

If I were to apply the logic evangelicals utilize in opposing gay marriage, I might have to be in favor of banning heterosexual sex. After all, how can family values be saved if these very families are churning out all of these homosexuals? Sounds like bad behavior to me.