Throwing Shade on Arkansas

One of the things that I have always appreciated about human beings and human society is that, although it may take too long and require too much sacrifice, we are capable of moments of enlightenment through the intellectual exercise of reason.

Most human beings are taught a moral code based on religious doctrine. Writings considered by said humans to be sacred scriptures, and their interpretation, are used as the yard-stick for "right" and "wrong." Many of these moral standards are universal from one religion to another: Do not kill without certain, defined justifications. Do not have sex with those to whom you are not married. Do not steal. Do not cheat people out of money. You get what I mean. But every once in a while, we lowly humans decide - on our own - that there are moral principles NOT found in scripture.

For example, how a husband treats his wife. For many centuries, how a husband treated his wife was totally up to him. She was his. And if he decided she was disrespectful or - for whatever reason - he could beat her. (The saying "rule of thumb" comes from the English common law that a husband could only beat his wife with a stick as big around as his thumb.) And although you can probably quote some scripture that would suggest that God does not want a man to treat his wife this way, I bet you cannot find one that prohibits all physical punishment of a wife by her husband.

Or what about ending a marriage? The Bible says the only grounds for divorce is adultery. But very few people in our society would suggest making that our law. What if she refuses to ever have sex with him again? What if he takes all the money and loses it gambling? What if she beats the kids? What if he beats her? What if they just HATE EACH OTHERS' GUTS?

But the biggest and best example, IMO, is slavery. The Bible actually has rules on how a master is to treat his slaves, and rules for how slaves are to behave with respect to their masters.

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear, trembling, and sincerity, as when you obey the Messiah. 6 Do not do this only while you’re being watched in order to please them, but be like slaves of the Messiah, who are determined to obey God’s will. 7 Serve willingly, as if you were serving the Lord and not merely people, 8 because you know that everyone will receive a reward from the Lord for whatever good he has done, whether he is a slave or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way. Do not threaten them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Ephesians 6:5-9 So, on earth, slaves are to treat their masters like gods, but it'll all be OK when they get to Heaven because although the almighty is apparently OK with slavery on earth, we will all be equal in the afterlife.  Be a good slave and you'll get to go to Heaven! YAY!  (I'm being a little snarky, but really, isn't this offensive? It is to me.)

It is at this moment when you might think, "Well, yeah, but the Bible was written 2,000+ years ago when slavery was OK." To which I have 2 responses:

The first is: "EXACTLY! So stop freaking trying to impose its arcane moral code on modern people!! We have science now and we understand human beings down to their DNA molecules. We know that people born with epilepsy are neither "demon possessed" nor a "messenger from God." We know (at least those of us who believe in science know) that gay people are born gay. We know that rain is a result of atmospheric conditions, not dancing, praying, sacrificing goats or chanting. We know that men who beat their wives are douchebags. And we know that slavery is a horrific, evil thing. Stop ignoring the parts you have a problem with and enforcing the parts that make you feel holier than thou (or me). It only makes you look like a hypocrite."

The second is: "No, slavery has always been wrong, and the Bible's failure to say so is not a failure in us but a failure in the text."

Which brings me to the point of the blog (sorry it took so long). A man running for office in Arkansas thinks slavery is an OK thing because Jesus did not say otherwise. I don't mean a man who ran for office in Arkansas in 1857 thought this. I mean a mean running for office NOW thinks this.

I have to concede that this man's ignorance is an argument against evolution, but I suggest that not all members of a specie evolve at the same rate. This may be especially true of old, bearded white men in Arkansas. What's worse: there are actual GOP members and supporters who have endorsed him, including the NRA.

I know of no argument to persuade someone like Loy Mauch (R-AR) how wrong he is. I cannot use the Bible to persuade him, that's the book he's using to defend himself. And I sure as hell cannot rely on his own enlightenment. He is an embarrassment to Arkansas, to the US and to everyone who considers him/herself a Christian. All I can hope for, Arkansas voters, is that you will get Above Your Raisin' and vote against this racist, offensive man.