Geese, gander, and the good thereof

[libertango]

According to the New York Times (note: requires registration, and will probably be archived soon-ish), there's an Episcopalian parish in New Haven, Connecticut, that's responding to the ban against same-sex marriages by...

Well, by not performing marriages for anyone.

Bravo.

I've said it before: What the proponents of bans such as the one on same-sex marriages -- what the violators of civil rights generally -- fail to see is, if you put something on the table, it's on the table for everyone. Violate civil rights, and your own civil rights will be violated.

(UPDATE: Just to clarify this a little: I don't mean, "Violate my civil rights and I'll come on down and violate yours." What I mean is, the consequences of being the kind of person who violates others' civil rights are such that your own will be violated in the course of events. All majorities are temporary. The minority rights you save may be your own. Dennis Miller's great phrase "karmic payback" comes to mind.)

It's almost like you could come up with a general principle for this, doesn't it? Something like... Oh, I don't know...

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?

Nahhhhhh...

Comments

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Interesting approach.

Let alone...

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

...Matthew 6:5-6 on "school prayer".

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I think it's more like "judge not, lest ye be also judged; and the standard of judging you use shall be used on you." I'm not getting it exactly right, I'm sure, but I do know that the second clause is almost always omitted. To me, the second clause changes it from a feel good newageism to a very rigorous and firm demand for respect.