The Scottish Cabinet open discussion forum and the issue of gay marriage...

It's not a matter of hate or a matter of being "anti-Gay" - it is simply an honest question of: Why take from one to elevate the other and then call it "equality"?

I arrived at the King Street Hall in Kirkwall a few minutes before the start of this open discussion forum and found myself in a room packed with people and reporters. I was startled to see two rows of white leather seats up at the front of the room, on a stage that was back-lit by an impressive rendition of the Scottish flag created with blue and white spotlights. I had expected only one person: the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon - and so it was rather intimidating to find an entire group of people sitting there fielding our questions. the Scottish Cabinet.

Right. I took my seat after locating Mr. C and I was rather impressed: the Scottish government big wigs where right here in Orkney! And maybe, just maybe, we could get our message across: a message that so many confuse with hatred of gays, being homophobic, anti-gay this and that... but no, it is none of the above. As Catholics we do not hate or despise or otherwise look down on homosexuals - and we rejoice in the fact that our Judeo-Christian society has granted the gay community the exact same rights and protections enjoyed by the rest of us in the eyes of the Law. As all people are created in the likeness and image of God, and thus have been granted God-given human dignity, there is no such thing as an inferior human being.

That said, you must understand that tere is an enormous difference between disagreeing with lifestyles and actions - and hating the actual person engaged in disputed lifestyles and actions. We Catholics do not accept homosexual sex as part of the natural order - but we do not reject homosexual people as equals. It is absolutely vital that you understand this before you continue to read my post because otherwise you will not even begin to comprehend the true nature of this debate. If you refuse to accept this as the truth then I refuse to take any responsibility for your misguided accusations of "homophobia" and "hate." The time for playing the homosexual victim card is at an end: let us proceed with a mature and adult argument if you please.

Many questions were asked today at this open discussion and three of those questions came from Mr. C and two other people that were equally concerned about the loss of liberty for those of us that defend traditional marriage. There was not one word about how homosexuality is "bad" or how homosexuals must be barred from the sacrament of marriage because they are inferior to heterosexuals. There was no hostility towards the gay community in any of these questions but rather a blatant expression of concern with regards to the fact that legalized gay marriage will create a very real threat to the freedoms of those who oppose this particular legislation.

The Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, answered the homosexual marriage questions with grace and what I felt was genuine interest. She spoke firmly of the Cabinet's dedication to preserving the religious freedoms of the churches in Scotland and promised safeguards and protections that would gurantee that the religious freedoms of the churches would remain intact. But even as I nodded my head in agreement and tried so hard to feel satisfied I couldn't help but think to myself, "I'm sure that Nicola Sturgeon is sincere but all of this still strikes me as nothing more then pie in the sky." All that it would take is a change in government and/or demands from Europe and viola! All safeguards and protections would be very easily cast aside. Besides, we have all seen first hand how swiftly governments capitulate to the demands of the homosexual lobby - even when the majority of their constituents heartily disagree - easily placing the desires of 3% of the population ahead of the desires of the rest of the citizens. We are watching this exact scenario playing out before us here in Scotland: and we are still supposed to trust that we will not face the threat of losing our liberties?

The Deputy Prime Minister also made a very strong argument in favor of creating a Scotland where all people are equal... and although very rousing and deffinately something with which I could not disagree... I was immediately struck by the thought of, "Wait a minute, we already have a Scotland where everyone is equal. We are already there: why change anything? Especially when said changes will actually upset the balance of equality in Scotland in favor of the gay community and at the expense of the Christian community?"

Dear readers, I am sorry. I am so sorry. I went to this open discussion and I listened to the Deputy First Minister and tried my best to find contentment with her words. I wanted nothing more then to feel at ease, to accept that gay marriage is actually not a threat to my liberties and that all would be well. But it just didn't happen. It couldn't happen. Because the truth is still the truth: while the homosexual activists paint themsevles as the poor victims being deprived of their human rights... gays in Scotland are as equal as the rest of us. Even as the homosexual activists claim that they must have gay marriage, they need to have gay marriage... the gay community already has civil union - which grants them the exact same rights and benefits as married couples. Oh and the same politicians and homosexual activists that demanded civil union also promised Scotland that they would not seek to obtain gay marriage. See how well these promises hold up? Yeah.

Homosexuals in Scotland do not require any more equality - and they do not need gay marriage in order to enjoy equality in this country. Therefore there can only be one explanation for this entire song and dance about being victims of hate, being denied their human rights, being discriminated against by religious homophobes due to opposition to legalizing gay marriage: an ulterior motive. And I went into this in great detail in my previous post but will sum it up here: The goal of "gay marriage" is to pave the way to bringing down the final institution that stands in opposition of normalizing homosexual sex, that is, the Christian church. First, obtain gay marrige legislation. Next, demand that priests and ministers perform gay marriages. Finally, when denied said marriages within the Christian churches, as expected, then cry "hate" and "discrimination" and use the government and the courts of law to shut the churches down. Badda bing, badda boom, now there will be absolutely no one that can disagree...

Perhaps I sound crazy. I certainly felt odd sitting there in a room full of people, some of whom I actually knew in person, and knowing full well that I was probably at odds with the majority of people there simply because of my Catholic faith. But I was swiftly reminded of the reason behind my concern (fear?) about losing my civil liberties when, after a school teacher asked if the Scottish Government could guarantee her right to not be forced to publically "redifine the family" to her class (gay marriage will create this issue), a man took his turn at asking his question.

What proceeded from this individual's mouth can only be described as anger. His words were hard and clipped and his manner was very confrontational. What he had to say could easily be described as the typical victimhood vitriol employed against those of us that disagree with redefining marriage: would the Scottish Government be able to protect homosexuals, and especially homosexual children, from "religious homophobia" as well as "hate teaching disgused as 'free speech'" along with "discrimination" against gays and all of the usual accusations of hateful treatment that is outright expected from my side of the divide, regardless if it actually happens or not. Somehow the poor gay community, for whom bitter and oftentimes nasty public criticism of the Catholic Faith is perfectly legal, but criticism of homosexual sex is deemed a "hate crime", is so under threat from bigotry and abuse at the hands of those of us that oppose same-sex marriage that... well, he deemed this angry tirade to be the appropriate response to people asking if, once gay marriage is legislated, would they be as free to publically exercise their beliefs then as they are now??

I wanted so much to stand up and applaud and thank this kind gentleman for displaying to everyone present exactly why Nicola Sturgeon, and her fellow Cabinet Ministers, must indeed protect and safeguard the liberties of me and mine if gay marriage becomes a legal reality. As this man spat out his angry "question" he made it blatantly obvious that disagreement with the homosexual agenda will not be tolerated. He showed everyone present that once the floodgates are opened (legalized gay marriage) then indeed, our equal society here in Scotland will become very much an unequal society where those of us that do not require any kind of safeguards and protections at the present time will deffinately require protection after the fact.

And this is exactly what I asked when I spoke afterwards, during the tea-and-coffee hour, with Cabinet Secretary for Cultural and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop, fully aware that I was breathing coffee-breath fumes as I huddled close in order to hear and be heard: Why would the Scottish government want to upset the balance of equality that we now enjoy - and create an unbalaned and inequal society instead? Because by offering to protect us with safeguards the exact same Scottish Government is openly admitting that yes, there really is a threat to the liberties and freedoms of those of us that defend traditional marriage, threats that, at the present time, we do not face but will be forced to face if this legislation goes through... and that Nicola Sturgeon's desire to create an "equal Scotland" seems rather strange considering that we already have an equal society here in Scotland... Why fix what we have if it is not broken?? Especially when doing so will put an entire segment of the population in the position of being threatened with loss of their liberties? For example: the charming man that spat such anger at the discussion that, within seconds (here I snapped my fingers) he had those of us that disagree cast as homophobic hate-mongers... Once gay marriage becomes enshrined in law... how long before our "homophobic" beliefs became illegal?

As my husband said to me in the car on the drive home to our farm while I devoured a late dinner and the kids whined for my dessert: "If I had been able to attend I would have asked Nicola Sturgeon, 'With gay marriage xactly what extra legal rights will the gay community gain over and above what they already have with civil unions?'"

Good question, husband. Because the answer is: none. Which brings us straight back to the elephant in the room: "gay marriage" is not about equality, it is about gaining another step towards silencing those that do not agree that homosexual sex is part of the natural order of creation.

If one side can silence the other side then Deputy First Minister I am afraid that we will never have an equal Scotland.