Warrensburg, Missouri is hosting it’s annual downtown fall street festival – “BurgFest” – this weekend. Johnson County Democrats host and staff a street both during the daytime and nighttime hours of the event.

Posted on social media:

I “talked” to a woman yesterday at the Burgfest. She wanted to know why I supported Democrats.

I spoke of social security, Medicare and civil rights all of which she dismissed as ancient and irrelevant.

This woman was my age if not older. She is a recipient of those progressive/ Democratic Party issues.

Progressives/Democrats got this woman the right to vote, got her the ability to have her own bank account and credit in her name in the early 1970’s. Which was during her lifetime. She currently receives social security and Medicare.

But what have Democrats done lately?

I said they have stood up for minority rights. In Missouri the GOP keeps attacking the rights of minorities . She ask which ones? I say it really does not matter as any minority loosing rights as a Citizen negatively effects us all. I went on to talk about how the Missouri GOP has attacked the right of women to make their own medical decisions. They have put the Women’s Reproductive Health Care Iniative back on the ballot in 2026 and have tried to pass laws to deny marriage for all.

She starts in on how gay marriage and abortion violate her religion.

I told her she should honor and follow her religion but she needs to understand separation of church and state. Also Freedom Of Religion allows her to follow her religion it does not allow her to impose her religion on others.

She argued that her religion demanded that no one should be able to have a gay marriage or an abortion because it was against her religion.

The idea that some religions welcome gays and accept abortion as needed medical care she just could not understand.

I tried to politely get her to understand she should have a religion and she should follow it. Not impose it on others.

Then I not so politely told her no one cares what religion she follows. F her and her religion. No one has to follow her religion or believe her way. She does not get to decide who is a “christian” or which religion is “right”.

The arguments in 1967 as to why blacks and whites could not marry was that it was against some people’s religion. They said it was in their Bible.

The Supreme Court tossed out that argument and struck down the state laws against marriage between the skin colors (races). The same legal arguments were made to strike laws against same sex marriage.

Someone else’s marriage has no effect on yours. Their religion has no effect on you following your religion. Their health care decisions has no effect on you.

You do you and allow your fellow citizen to live their life as they see fit.

Some of the responses:

I really appreciate this. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how although I do appreciate religious folks who use their religion to advocate for human rights, in the end religion just should not matter. Religion is so easy to weaponize. I wish we didn’t live in a society where it was constantly the center of politics.

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As a biracial person, I’ve been told I’m not “biblically correct” because I’m caucasian and African American. The racism that still exist in church/religion today is baffling yet not surprising.

I don’t understand it either, but most of those people would change their tune if their son or daughter gave them a biracial grandchild. They’re ridiculous, self-centered people. I’m just sorry that you have to be exposed to their bigotry and hatred!

[….] in Sunday school as a child I was “taught” that Ham accidentally saw his dad naked, god determined that was gay and so he made him black. And that’s why there are black people. When children are being indoctrinated into hate at a young age, it’s no wonder the church is in the shape it’s in.

[….] So, what – you shouldn’t have existed in the first place? Charming.

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Ask her which countries allow religion with her beliefs regarding abortion and gay marriage to rule. Then name them for her and suggest she might be more comfortable there. [….]

It is also important to point out that before Amendment 3 passed, Missouti’s anti-abortion law caused maternal mortality to spike to 3rd world levels because women who had miscarriages could not get a D & C which is technically an abortion. A pregnancy that ends in a miscarriage is always heart breaking. It should not also be a death sentence.

Also ask them why their ancestors came to this land. The greatest majority of our founding fathers came here to escape religious persecution. Who were they? Baptists, Quakers, Lutherans, Catholics. Unfortunately Christians can become very nasty when allowed unfettered control of government, even putting people to death because of their beliefs.
If they believe their religion prohibits abortion they they absolutely should not have one. If they believe their religion prohibits gay marriage then don’t have one.
God never told us to beat others about the head with our religion. In fact, Jesus told us in Matthew 22:21 to separate church and state.
Ask her if she knows she is not a Christian, but a Christian Nationalist.
Does she support allowing an Islamic country building it’s own military installation in the US with war planes stationed here?

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For the “Christians” out there who feel that their marriage is “tainted” by someone else practicing gay marriage, you should probably be working on your marriage first before involving yourself in anyone else’s.

if they read Jesus’ words, they will find zero advice specific to homosexuality. However there is much said about love and tolerance.

ask them which one of them in their marriage is gay, and which one will be rushing to get a divorce so they can marry someone of their own gender….because if the answer is neither, gay marriage does not effect them. That’s usually a conversation stopper.

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Freedom of religion includes the right to NO religion.
Your religion is only for governing yourself- not others.
NO RELIGION gives anyone the right to control others.
Americans all have the right to be free from government imposed religious practices.

Ask her if your or her granddaughter should die because of her abortion beliefs. Then invite her to pull out her cell phone and google maternal death rate in Texas following abortion ban.

unfortunately, she would probably say that it would be just fine & dandy. A lot of these type of “Christians” believe it’s a woman’s lot in life to martyr herself for her family. They believe women should suffer.

another fallacy brought to us by men controlling their version of Christianity.

exactly!

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Your patience and level-headedness is evident (as always).
She didn’t realize you weren’t there for her, but you were there for all the folks that think they’re alone in their opposition to the Un-American crap she professes.
I don’t know what I would have done.
Maybe shouting out to the crowd, “Hey folks, there’s a right wingnut crazy right here trying to convince us we’re all going to her personal hell!”
Maybe asking her, “What gives you the mistaken impression that I give a @%$# what you think?”
Maybe laughing hysterically and between gasping breaths, “No, really, your impression of an idiot is spot on!”
Maybe just ignoring her, because sometimes insulting a fool in public can be cruel and it’s just wasted on them anyway.

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you are always the one who diplomatically tries to educate people who obviously don’t want to know the truth. Or even care that other people’s lives deserve the same rights in this country. Everything you mentioned is important to me but the one that really hits home is marriage equality. I wish I had hope that these religious zealots would change, but I don’t. Thank you for always being the voice of reason.

not yesterday. I most definitely was not diplomatic towards her or her husband after she talked about imposing her religion on others.

You tried in the beginning and you lasted longer then I would have.

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Thank you for trying [….]. Most people of her mindset just cannot have that conversation without getting angry and combative, in my experience. I just had an uninvited conversation (in a professional setting!) the other day with a man who told me healthcare is a “farce”, the government is trying to kill us all (started with covid), and that Obama was the anti-Christ. Then he invited me to his a revival at his church. 🙄 Seriously had just met this guy two minutes earlier. Lucky me.

I’ve been married for 38 years to a fantastic lady and we have done so much and been through much, and I think EVERYONE deserves to have a beautiful lifelong marriage with any consenting adult who would have them.
“Heterosexuality isn’t normal, it’s only common.”. – Dorothy Parker

You were more patient than I -they’re minds are closed because of something that does not AFFECT them but Pedophiles and Adulterers are acceptable and they’ll vote for them WHILE THEY accept THEIR WIC OR SNAP OR MEDICAID , Section 8 which THEIR guys don’t support or vote for -crickets then…

It’s a losing battle because she is listening to the man on the pulpit every Sunday and how can you compete with that ? Once republicans figured out they could have religious figures push their agenda working class people started voting against their own interests and it has hurt all of us.

Bless you [….] for your patience and tenacity!

Yes, we too have many un-educated folks in our county. It is our responsibility to try to educate them. Will they listen ?

No. This has been another edition of Short Answers to Simple Questions.

Amen.

We see what you did there.

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Thank you for trying to have a conversation with someone that can’t see past their Bible.

their Bible doesn’t say what they say. They need to read it with an open mind & soul.

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The older I get, the more I feel (personality….. before anyone thinks they need to defend their religion) that religion is a mental illness. We talk about what has divided us as a nation but religion gets left out a lot. The majority of children in our area are strictly indoctrinated into a belief system that challenges facts and calls for a form of cognitive inertia or what some would call “motivated reasoning. If you objectively look at the angry MAGA republican crowd its easy to label them a cult. I feel that some folks feel that it works for their religion it will work for their politics as well. Just a thought.

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Thank you so much for trying

Bless you for trying to set people straight!! Everyone has the right to their own lives without putting others down!