I can’t say I blame them for feeling betrayed but Islam like the majority of the Christianity leans to the conservative side socially when it comes to sexuality and gender identity. They shouldn’t be surprised when an all Muslim majority city council starts to act on their belief system and enact ordinances that run against the more socially liberal citizens.
That seems extreme…
It isn’t.
If you weigh the good that organized religion provides compared to the bad it outputs then it’s not even a question. Note that I say organized religion. Individual religion is not a problem but the second that you’re actively trying to influence various people, or governments, around the world? Then you’re just a cult with a franchise. Not to mention the fact that if you’re using your religion as a guide as to how you should feel about people different than you? Well you’re probably a bad person.
As a gay dude I’ve only seen people use religion as a justification for their hate of me. I’ve seen church people change their minds when they found out I was gay and in need of help.
Genuinely curious, how do you feel about the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Church, and a couple more, actively providing LGBTQ services, advocating for inclusivity, and sometimes even lobbying for legislation for equal rights? When organized religion is on the right side of history and using the strength of a collective organization, do you feel it’s acceptable?
No. This is very much just a religious version of a ‘good guy with a gun’ situation.
If the people who make up those organizations are good people, they’ll do the right thing anyway and without the pretense of shoving ancient mythology down your throat. That doesn’t change all of the negatives that come from those organizations, and that society could do without. The money that goes to the church for their charity and the money they DON’T pay in taxes would e better allotted to public programs which could operate for the benefit of everyone rather than those historically bigoted organizations such as churches that pick and choose who gets the benefit of their charity.
too many times I’ve seen people receive the help they’re desperate for only to suddenly lose it when they failed to jump through some arbitrary religious hoops such as forced prayer or forced belief.
If religions want to helo the less fortunate, they should pay their taxes.