Are You One Of Them?

There was a time when most people believed the earth was flat. There was a time when most people believed all celestial objects revolved around the earth. The few who didn't were branded heretics. Church leaders preached intolerance for those who would contradict what the Bible so clearly stated - we were at the center of God's universe and all revolved naturally around us. Galileo was excommunicated from the church for daring to show the falsehood of this longtime official teaching. His proof was irrelevant, for in the minds of many, the church, its leaders, and its teachings were paramount, regardless that the scientific proof showed otherwise.

Yet truth eventually overcomes prejudice, ignorance, and superstition. We now know the earth is round and revolves around the sun which in turn revolves around the center of our galactic core. Our galaxy, The Milky Way, is part of the Virgo Supercluster - a local grouping of galaxies. The Virgo Supercluster is one of many Superclusters which make of the known Universe. This is where scientific understanding has taken us thus far.

I wonder about the time of transition when Galileo's view was gaining wide acceptance. Certainly the Church resisted. Certainly there were many layman who dismissed this radical new view of the cosmos. Certainly there was tension in society over these opposing world views. Yet we know the vast majority of people now take Galileo's view as common knowledge. Finding someone who sincerely believes otherwise would be a difficult task in this day and age.

But might there be a similar transition taking place today. Just a few decades ago, homosexual were considered mentally ill, degenerates, immoral. Most church leaders promoted these views, some with a passion. Recently, a greater understanding of human sexuality has brought down old repressive views of homosexuals. Science has shown that homosexuality is evident throughout history and throughout the animal kingdom. Just as those left-handed are no longer branded abnormal but simply in the minority, so too have homosexuals begun to be seen in this same light. Though society has far to go before this world view is accepted as common knowledge, it has begun.

Yet the choice remains for many a difficult one today. With much of the world and its leaders still labeling the homosexual as morally repugnant and unwelcome in fit society, a great many others fight passionately to counter these intolerant beliefs with the weight of reason, morality, ethics, and science. As of this writing, it's just as likely as not that you reading this are one of those who are absolutely certain of the moral decay of society and how the rising acceptance of the homosexual gives greater weight to this belief.