I’m sorry, it had to be done. I am not addressing the issue of homosexuality here; I am addressing every time you wrap yourselves up in the Bible, proclaim that your way is the only way, and tell everyone else they are wrong and, by extension, going to hell. Stop it. You are hurting the cause you claim to espouse, the Christ whose salvation you say you proclaim.
I grew up in a Christian small town in the USA, going to church on Sunday, etc. I knew kids in church youth groups and kids who went to the local Catholic school. They could be among the meanest kids in town. It’s hard to see the benefit in a religion whose members are beating you up. I’ve been called “too ugly to live”, been made to feel less than human. I’ve smiled at someone and had it treated as an insult. I’ve received the message “Jesus loves you but I don’t want to talk to you.” Twenty years later, the scars are still there.
You think X is wrong? That’s your privilege. By my standards, for one who proclaims herself a Christian, cruelty is the ultimate sin. Here’s my rationale. According to those verses in Matthew which have been being cited a lot recently, Christ said loving God was the greatest commandment, and loving one’s neighbor, a new commandment, was the second. If you’re calling yourself a Christian, I’ll assume you’re keeping the first commandment. If you show cruelty to someone, by condemning them, by calling them an “abomination”, by telling them that they will never be worthy of salvation, by my standards, you’re breaking that second commandment, the one Christ gave us.
Also, when you condemn without listening, when you show cruelty, you’re driving people away from this beautiful, life-giving, soul-sustaining religion we have the grace to call ours. If you tell me I cannot love, if you tell me I have no faith because I disagree with you, what incentive do I have to change to Christianity? I’ve been involved in a few Atheist vs. Deist threads, and one thing I’ve noticed is people have given up on Christianity because of the actions of Christians.
Look, I’ve been where some of our non-believers are. I freely admit one of the main reasons I’m Christian is because my small church, which had all of three kids in my year in it, was the one place in town I could go and not be insulted. It was a very narrow thing which kept my Christian, and I am grateful for it. My best friend, unfortunately, was insulted and made to cry within church itself. How can that be the action of Christians?
I don’t know God’s will, and I’ve probably got more questions than answers. I’ve noticed that if I keep asking though, I get answers. Sister and Brother Christians, I am not your enemy, but I am someone whose tired of seeing you hurt others while proclaiming a God of Love. I realize some of you won’t bother to read this, but I have to try. I am Called to try, if you will. If I fail, well, it certainly won’t be the first time.
Oh, if you’re wondering about my credentials as a Christian, I’m currently a chalicist, lector, and choir member at my church. I’ve also taught Sunday school, rung bells, played music at retreats, written essays and hymns (dreamer has the text of one), and done whatever else needed to be done. I’m also, for what very little it’s worth, straight.
Respectfully, still,
CJ
