Lately I have dreaded reading anything in the news. I recall the phrase that religion is opium for the masses in my head. I have lost many "friends" to the principle that I can't wrap my head around condemning a group of people openly because of who they love is "God sanctioned" The entire affair smacks of the Old South and the years of ridiculous evil that was perpetrated on the black population in the name of "God" and "God's Word"
Truth is we as people sometimes claim that God speaks to us but in reality we have no way of "hearing" what is in anothers head. We do our level best to be good people, friends and neighbors. Most people are basically decent and good at heart. So what is occurring around the country with sanctioned legal discrimination against an entire population of people is frightening to me. As a student of history, I have always been fascinated that good seemingly normal people can be swayed by obviously evil intended religious and political leaders. We have a wonderful religious leader in the Dali Lama and the Pope but it seems as though certain factions of our "leaders" are addicted to an evil sort of negative drama, ignoring the loving advice of positive religious leaders in favor of those that oppress and do harm.
The evil dogma that is being pushed upon we the people is wholly the product of a group of "Christians" gone wild. Fundamental Evangelical Christians who tout that they are for the family but every action they take proves otherwise. Uneducated American citizens being fed a steady diet of such negativity are now becoming desensitized to this brand of "love" and are behaving as if denying an entire group of people basic human rights and liberty were demanding "special rights". In fact it is the polar opposite as non-taxable churches are attempting to make law for the masses who pay taxes, despite only being 24 percent of the population. That is a small fraction! They are demanding the right to not serve a population of people while there are already true anti-discrimination laws on the books protecting religious freedom.
Freedom to discriminate at will is NOT a religious freedom. This was proven when the South clung to their segregation based on Biblical principles and was abolished by the Civil Rights Act, 50 years later obviously the "religious" portion has learned nothing. If these people insist on wanting to inject their vile negativity into public policy then we should insist that they are taxed like any other organization. Their policies do not focus on family but rather tear down many families.
According to the Bible, Divorce is an abomination, just like the eating of shellfish, a woman cutting her hair and poly cotton blends. We do not see attempts to modify laws concerning most of these "sins" and abominable laws on a regular basis. The reason is simple many of these "good Christians" participate in these sins so it is acceptable to continue these practices without a hint of protest. The vilification of the poor and the single parent happen often within the confines of these churches so it is easier to continue to vilify others who are less capable of defending themselves such as gay people because they too are a minority. These "fire and brimstone" Christians always need a boogeyman to scare their adherents into behaving or they will "burn in Hell"
To continue to oppress and discriminate simply because of who someone chooses to love is wholly wrong. To ostracize friends and family who are gay is wholly and morally wrong and goes against what Jesus would have done and said. Jesus was an outsider and an outcast forging a new way to think about God. Clinging to these old "burn in Hell" concepts and rhetoric is like slapping the Prince of Peace in the face and saying that his sacrifice means nothing. These are not true Christians who embrace concepts like charity, hope and faith. They condemn and scratch and claw at anything that does not resemble them. The Jesus of antiquity would not resemble them because he would be busy helping his fellow man or visiting prisoners in jail offering comfort to the "dredges" of society. It is interesting to note that King James thought that Jesus was a gay man and in the time of Jesus it would have been unheard of for a man his age never to marry.
If you are someone who maintains distance from others simply due to their sexual orientation, stop for the love of God and humanity. Understand that you have been taught a lie, an oppressive lie that harms other people. It is a twisting of the original translation of scripture and is hateful and not God's word. God charges you to love others period and God. It is God's job to do the judging and pointing out of sin. Do you not think that an omnipotent being isn't capable to "sorting it all out" without your 2 cents of meanuss toward your neighbor? My God is certainly powerful enough to compel others to change their heart without my intervention. Everytime you support one of these "family organizations" you give real evil a little more power and cause harm to someones family somewhere. This is 2014 and it is time to stop living in 1950 (contrary to popular belief it wasn't all that great of a decade. Being Gay isn't a disease, it isn't a choice and it isn't catching. Put peace in your heart and put aside the negative dogma.
