It may just be you and me, Queenie, duking it out here, but here I come again. You say:

Whew. I’m glad I came back to check how this discussion was going! Ok, first of all I was up late…but am also out here on the West Coast…so it wasn’t as late as it may seem. No late night partying going on over here in Los Angeles (hard to believe, I know) just a teething baby and colds all around. Nothing like sitting at the computer, nursing and blogging until midnight.

You make great points. And I think we actually agree on a lot of these issues despite our religious differences. Man should be accountable. Man should honor a commitment. Man should set good examples. I guess my issue with the entire post is the assumption that I’m making here. And that just might be me…but the idea that the world is going to h-e-double hockey sticks because of what we *think* is going on with some random hollywood couples. Or because someone chooses to not have a traditional family. I say, and here is where I think we’ll disagree, that we’re actually a stronger society for this. Huh? You say to yourself. The decline of so called christian morals in america making us stronger? How so?

Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say these nontraditional families are every bit as loving, caring and stable as the chrisian traditional family. I think they challange what you see as acceptable. I think they force you to think outside what you know to be true. I think they are every bit as valid and upstanding as a traditional marriage and family. Just because it isn’t what you are used too. Or what you think is good and right…doesn’t mean its bad. Think about that. And I know there is no offense meant and none is taken. But when you just *assume* mom and dad are “ideal” you assume anything but is “bad.”
I have no problem with people rather seeing a traditional family…but I do have a problem when those people assume the alternative is somehow no good. You assume that your traditional family is better. Superior. And there in lies the problem. We can all agree that not everyone raises their kids the same…we can all agree that not every family is the same. Its the assumption that somehow because your idea is “divine” or “faith” based, that its “better” than those who are not.

Now, I have no idea what these people are really like…but let’s just take Brad and Angelia for example. Have you taken any african babies into your home lately? Gone and done any real charity work in thrid world countries? Seems like Angelina is being rather “jesus” like to me. But those things seem to get discounted when we hear she isn’t married. I guess her good work and love for those kids is invalid because she did it (to start anyway) without a man. How silly! And now that she has a man…its the wrong one. Because he was married. But we don’t know what went on there. For all we know, Jennifer wouldn’t have babies and was a raging alcoholic who beat Brad. We have no clue. Just the same as we don’t know if Brad is just a dog. And while I hope that man can overcome his primal urges, and will always expect him too. I can’t say I’m shocked when he doesn’t.

This is fun. I love discussions like this.

And I’m back:

We have 7 african babies, and just got back from a 6 month stay in a third world country. I just don’t talk about the black skinned babies, because, as you know, we conservatives are really huge biggots. And the stay in the 3rd world country was at their poshest republican funded resort. I was there with the Bush’s. We were talking about how great the world would be if we could send all the liberals to Iraq. I really am kidding here. We were just talking about my cheese grits recipe. Seems Laura’s a fan. I’m going to take your above comment, and do like last time…

So…where to start. Oh, first, of course I make great points. I’m brilliant and always right. That has everything to do with my being Christian. Didn’t you see that in the handbook of any church you may have ever visited? We’re always right? We know everything because God tells us directly? He has our Cingular plan. Anyway. I don’t think I’ll go over to your extrememely dark side (grinning here) and say it makes us stronger. But certainly diversity does. Whhhaaaa? Did I just contradict myself. Maybe, but what I mean is the kind of diversity that I feel could be harmful, not helpful. But that, again, is just me coming from my religious cult background (grinning again). Next month, the mother ship is landing. If you want to go with us, you have to be in Cowpens, SC at 1:37 am on the 28 of February. Leap year, duh.

However, there is no way around the fact that I feel, as do some other freaks out there, that certain aspects of diversity aren’t all good. I get it that these are things you think are. Point taken. (hey, I just got a “great post” comment on my first of this illustrious series…nanny nanny boo boo…another conservative geek) We can agree to disagree. But I will never say that this means they somehow cannot be as loving and caring as I, in all my perfection of superior family James Dobson values, am. (more grinning) That would be just arrogant on my part, and we know I’d never be that way. On the point of seeing others doing it another way, I won’t say I see it as bad. But I’d be lying if I said I saw it as just as good. And yep. This can get me in trouble here. But I promise I’m saying it with as much humility as possible. I’m not on my soap box, just sharing my ever enlightened heart (still grinning).

As far as the faith issues go. Here it can get even more tricky. I’m sure you understand that if you really believe in something. Really truly have it at your core of being, then you can’t just divorce yourself from it to see something “another way”. But you can treat any situation you may feel you wouldn’t choose with love and respect. We may teach our children what we feel to be true, but we never ever equate that with we’re better than. It’s a subtle difference, but one we try to achieve, and one we feel is sorely lacking in many people of all sorts of faiths and beliefs. You mentioned Jesus. He was never, is never, about condemning people. He loved/loves people. He may have, and did, state what he knew (now I’m speaking from my understanding of his teachings, and knowing you may not buy this) to be good and right for us, and ask for change of a life style (like the prostitute at the well), but he was the first to sup with the outcasts of that society. Befriend all. Help all. Now I’m calling you an outcast. No. I’m not. I’m just talking about that biblical situation. And one more point, to try to clarify/understand each other. When anyone holds anything to be true, to their inner most being, in this case, our faith, it is very difficult, if not impossible to think everything else is equally true. If it were, we wouldn’t care so strongly about what we live. I’m sure like the points of life you want to instill in your children, like run fast whenever they encounter someone like me. ; )

And yep, absolutely. Angelina is being pretty darned “Jesus”. No doubt about it. And I, personally, do not throw the baby out with bath water, even if she poops in it. That is good. And good is good. If I had any help I wanted with my current children, the cash to travel freely, and someone to cook and clean my toilets (not cook the toilets, cook meals) while I built a hospital in Zimbabwee, I’d better darn well use it wisely and get to stacking bricks. I give her props for that. And especially for taking poor Bradly in if he’s been beaten by a raging alcoholic hubby beater. Poor Brad. And despite all my ranting, I sincerely hope for a wonderful family life for all of them, and any children they may have in the future. A good family life, of any kind, always benefits a child. Even if it’s not the one I’d pick (the family life, not the child, I’d pick those babies in a minute). Real love and affection, and security from a family that may not fit my ideal traditional preference, wins over a lousy, kid beating, impoverished, 2 parents of opposite sex and married but screaming at eachother all the time family any day.

Top that, Miz Queen Thing.