Skepticism

Skepchick Quickies, 9.14

Jen

Jen is a writer and web designer/developer in Columbus, Ohio. She spends too much time on Twitter at @antiheroine.

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22 Comments

  1. Um…are we assuming that the rescuemarriage.org site is legit? It sure sounds like a parody to me.

    “Interestingly, Jesus never once even mentioned homosexuals or homosexual behavior. I assume this was some sort of clerical oversight that will be rectified during the end of days as described in the Book of Revelation. Perhaps during Satan’s 1,000 year reign. I’ll get back to you on that one.”

    Might it will be that the whole site is a Onion-like statement about those who are rabidly, militantly pro-bible and anti-every-else?

  2. “They’re still, even to this day, engrossed in weird rituals. They burned coriander and black pepper at my sister’s wedding to protect her wedding dress from harm”

    “Some sheikhs cure those afflicted with magic by reciting verses of the Qur’an over Zamzam water, olive oil or honey which they then administer to those affected.”

    Pot/kettle.

  3. @csteffen: It is legit, in the sense the guy behind it is using it to prove his point, which is that the “defense of traditional marriage” argument against same-sex marriage doesn’t really hold up.

  4. “You’re under arrest for sorcery.”
    “I wasn’t expecting the Spanish Inquisition!”
    “Yeah, well, this is Saudi Arabia. We don’t do Monty Python here.”

  5. @Jen:
    Right, but I’m new to Skepchick, and I’m trying to make sure I understand what’s being put up.

    I assume that the CoS is really trying to move against skeptics of it on Austrailia, that Norman Borlaug actually did die recently, and that there are folks in Saudi Arabia who are concerned with others in their immediate family that seem to be practicing sorcery (or at least one reporter thinks that).

    But my point is there ISN’T anyone actually trying to put forth a constitutional ammendment in California that would abolish divorce; the creator of that site is of totally the opposite opinion and believes prop 8 is a lot of idiocy. However that item is listed alongside the others.

    Just trying to understand the ground rules.

  6. @csteffen: There’s really no rules. People send us interesting links. If they’re relevant, we post them. We don’t always put commentary or explanation into them – that’s for the readers to do, if they want to.

    Also, as far as I understand, the man behind this rescuemarriage.org really is going out and collecting signatures and trying to introduce this as legislation. Not because he wants to see it go through, but to illustrate how ridiculous it, and the previous legislation, is.

  7. Yep. The Marriage Protection Act site is definitely satire. Just look at the links to secular progressives at the bottom, if nothing else. And the site makes a great point, because you won’t be seeing conservatives seriously pushing this kind of amendment in California. They know it wouldn’t stand a chance. And hopefully, there will come a day in which amendments like Prop 8 won’t stand a chance of passing in a popular referendum either.

  8. @Imrryr:

    “And the site makes a great point, because you won’t be seeing conservatives seriously pushing this kind of amendment in California. They know it wouldn’t stand a chance.”

    Um, yeah, but two years ago I would have put what I’d have thought was very very safe money that California wouldn’t ever pass anything like proposition 8, either. I’m still astounded that it did.

  9. @csteffen: I figured it would it be very close, but that it wouldn’t pass. But unfortunately, it’s still a simple matter for the right-wing to get traction by demonizing gay people and screaming about protecting the children. They could make similar bogus claims about divorce, of course, but the problem would be that too many of their leaders, and indeed their lower ranks, have had divorces themselves. That makes divorce much harder to get fired up about. It’s been around for far too long. That’s why I have hope that the longer gay people are allowed to live out in the open, the sooner people will realize that there is nothing wrong with same-sex couples being able to marry.

  10. “You said ‘Til death do us part.’ You’re not dead yet.”
    No, actually, we didn’t. We said, “for so long as love shall last” for just this reason.

    But I am SO so so so so glad that this is parody (assuming it IS parody). I spent all weekend being unreasonably angry about this. Come to think of it, though, the line that pissed me off the very most is probably the one that should have tipped me off: “Sometimes other people need to sacrifice in order to protect my ideas about traditional marriage. It’s just a fact of life. It’s not about their soul-sucking sham of a marriage, it’s about what we value as a society.” (from this interview site: http://cockeyed.com/citizen/divorce/divorce.php)

  11. Rescuemarriage.org is brilliant satire. The guy behind it has really gone to a lot of trouble to get it out there. What really gave it away for me though were some of the comments.

  12. @Jen:

    Also, as far as I understand, the man behind this rescuemarriage.org really is going out and collecting signatures and trying to introduce this as legislation. Not because he wants to see it go through, but to illustrate how ridiculous it, and the previous legislation, is.

    This is how I understand it. He doesn’t believe in what he’s doing, but he’s doing it to prove a point. So it’s real … but also satire. And brilliant.

  13. “John Marcotte is a firm believer in traditional family values. He currently opposes gay marriage, Obama talking to children and MSNBC’s entire prime-time line-up. ”

    Heee! It’s like Poe but Better!!!!

  14. [was csteffen in earlier conversations; sorry, just fixed my preferences]

    “This is how I understand it. He doesn’t believe in what he’s doing, but he’s doing it to prove a point. So it’s real … but also satire. And brilliant.”

    Ok, just so long as he doesn’t get annoyed when someone else from, say, South Carolina (where such a law/ammendment _would_ get traction) steals the content and makes a big media splash in trying to truly pass such a law.

  15. @Craig: Well, he’s almost kind of truly passing such a law.

    And I’m still not sure such a law/amendment *would* get traction or have any chance of working even there, because I do not think straight white males want to be unable to divorce, no matter how often they may say otherwise.

  16. About 3 weeks ago, I sent a letter to Noman Borlaug, basically telling him that he’s my hero and I requested an autograph. I’m glad I sent it and I know he got my letter before he passed. What makes me feel a little on edge, he could have written back and the letter is still in the mail. Several days after George Harrison died Mike Myers got a letter from him. For the next week it’s going to feel really weird checking my mail!

  17. My favorite thing on the marriage act site, is the phrase “Jesus still loves you, if you get divorced, just not as much as before” I almost fell out of my chair it’s that funny.

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