my friend Laura

Today I am grateful for my friend, Laura. Laura is a religious girl from Texas. When our friend, Gavin, told us he was seriously dating a religious girl from Texas, Landon and I were a little worried. Not that we stereotype or anything. But anyhow...
Yesterday, I was feeling pretty despondent over the fact that 52% of California voters voted in favor of amending our state constitution to add that the state will only recognize marriages between a man and a woman. I feel very bothered that a majority, small though it was, wants to write discrimination into our CONSTITUTION. I was sad and discouraged and also a little scared. You know, the whole tyranny of the majority thing. It's scary. I was really struggling with the hold that religious zealots have over our country and even have over a state like California that is supposed to be so progressive. And I was starting to really strongly dislike religious folks. Which is hard when you're from a family of pretty religious folks, whom you love. I was having some cognitive dissidence, for sure.
Then this morning, my friend Laura has posted on her Facebook page that she is ashamed of the discrimination and bigotry. So Laura and I started talking about the various and sundry ways people have used and continue to use both the Bible and God as evidence of why it is okay for them to do awful things. We talked about how people use their religion to cover their own ignorance and bigotry. We talked about all the crazy things that are deemed perfectly acceptable in the Bible, and how easy it is for people to pick and choose the ones they personally agree with. In the midst of this conversation, I stopped feeling so despondent and so angry. I started to feel hope because here I was talking to a religious person who is thoughtful and loving and Christ-like. Someone who really does try to live like Jesus taught in the Bible.
Today, I feel so very grateful that there are people who can simultaneously believe in religion AND believe in treating all people like people deserve to be treated. I am grateful for my friend, Laura, for helping me feel hope again that we can overcome the hate and the bigotry that is being legislated all over our country.