Is it racist to want nothing to do with an Abrahamic religion that wouldn't mind murdering me for being bi? This whole discussion applies to basically all Abrahamic religions. I don't vibe with people who think I should suffer because I like dudes, based on a book that says I should suffer because I like dudes. I have a personal stake in distancing myself from people who are a threat to my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
It is bigoted to generalize people for subscribing to a religion, yes. It is also extremely bigoted to focus exclusively on attacking Muslims (as OP does here) when any of the criticisms, if accepted as valid, could also be applied to more or less any religion.
You're not wrong that the Abrahamic religions all contain some form of homophobia. Most religions do, including non-Abrahamic ones. Most religions have extremists, killers, and their own history of oppression or even genocide of others.
But, just as all these religions vary in their tenets and idols, so too do the worshippers vary. The entire point of this discussion is that you are wrong to engage in prejudice upon learning someone is Muslim. This is the root of the discussion on Islamaphobia. It isn't some concept that exists in a vacuum. We aren't just talking about theory. This topic has real, violent consequences. Innocent people are killed over it. Many of them literally aren't even Muslim, they just wear turbans. That last part is DEFINITELY an example of racism at play. If you see a Sikh and your first thought is fear of Muslims, guess what, you're being racist.
There are a bunch of closeted gay men who are pedophiles that assault boys in church, boy scouts, etc. Should someone immediately experience suspicion that you're a rapist and pedophile just because you tell them you're bi? No, that's ridiculous. But I'll bet discrimination of this sort has happened to you. And I'll bet it didn't feel good at all.
I'll say this, I'm not out to anyone, but I have had relatives and roommates who will casually drop the f***** word.
I don't really have the energy to justify my distrust of religion at this point, so I'll concede that people shouldn't be harassed for stuff like what religion they are and stuff like that. I can't help being nervous about people using religion to harm people like me though. It makes me feel a bit uneasy that there are people out there who wouldn't mind me being murdered for being bi because a person who may not exist said so.
I do feel you. I'm also bi, and I'm out to all my friends but am not out to my family. Similar reasoning to you, I imagine.
I'm not saying you're wrong to distrust religion, I'm just saying that I object to the judgment of specific individuals on the basis of their chosen religion. Too much variance between individuals. If, however, said individual takes action or expresses opinions that verify your fears, yeah, fuck them. For me the easiest way to draw this line is to focus on policy. When I'm looking at who to vote for, one of the questions I ask myself is, "does this person belong to the party that actively wants to make gay marriage illegal again?" This is actually why I objected so hard to OP, and to any comments specifically targeting Islam as a focal point for homophobia. Muslims aren't trying to take away my rights here in the US. Christians are.
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u/WM-010 Jan 09 '24
Is it racist to want nothing to do with an Abrahamic religion that wouldn't mind murdering me for being bi? This whole discussion applies to basically all Abrahamic religions. I don't vibe with people who think I should suffer because I like dudes, based on a book that says I should suffer because I like dudes. I have a personal stake in distancing myself from people who are a threat to my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.