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ladynox25
First off, I know that I'm by and large going to be preaching to the choir here, so to speak, because I know that the largest portion of the people I consider friends on LJ agree with me on this. But, in fact, I'm not meaning to preach per se, and those of you who disagree with me, this is not specifically pointed at you. This is something, as noted above, that has been building inside me for many months and even years and I finally am able to get it out, so it's going here, for lack of a better place.
The reason that I haven't spoken out on this subject much before, or many other subjects related to politics, religion, and the intersection thereof, is because by and large, the issues make me so mind-numbingly and mouth-frothingly mad that I can't come up with any coherent arguments. But for this one, I finally have, and so here it is. I so seldom rant on politics in my LJ, that I ask you to bear with me.
An Open Letter to Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, "Conservative" Christians, the Religious Right, and the politicians who support and/or advocate the same or similar policies and ideas as the above-named groups:
To Those Whom It May Concern:
What I'm about to say may irritate you. It may anger you. It may make you think I'm headed straight for hell, and that that's where I belong. Far be it from me to say where I belong, or where I will ultimately end up, but if you will cool the knee-jerk reactions just long enough to read to the end, maybe you'll think twice about this whole "liberals are bad" idea. Just maybe.
You see, this whole idea that liberals are bad and advocating anti-God and anti-Jesus sentiments is, by and large, wrong. Yes, I'm sure there are those who are actively atheistic and/or agnostic, or downright antagonistic to the thought of any sort of Deity, but they are only a small minority. Most of us do, in fact, believe in God, of one form or another, even if not the kind you believe in. The difference is, we believe that rights and equality and all that must come before slavish adherence to the will of God.
What?! you say. God is the ultimate! We must do what God says! And you're right. But let us see what God actually says. Yes, we know, for example, that he says homosexuality is a sin. And murder is a sin, which is how most of you define abortion. But before we get to the details, let us first look at a couple of generalities. And here I think is where us liberals, whether Christian, other religious, deist, agnostic, or athiest, differ from you.
But first, let me ask you a question. What is the most important thing in your religion to you? I'm taking a wild guess here, but I'm thinking 9 out of 10 fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., would automatically say "my faith in Jesus". Or some variant thereof. Well, I've got to tell you, if you answered that way, you are wrong. St. Paul says it most poetically, most beautifully, and most distinctly, in his letter to the Corinthians: Of these three things: faith, hope, and love, these three, the greatest of these is love.
Love, not faith, is the greatest virtue, gift, blessing, what have you. And what did Jesus have to say about love? In the Gospel of Luke he says very clearly that the greatest commandment is to 1) love God with all your heart, mind, and spirit and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. You see, all you fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., you're so caught up in #1 that you forget all about #2.
Love your neighbor, Jesus said. Not love your neighbor only if he or she believes, votes, practices, acts, and looks like you. Not love your neighbor, except for the queers and faggots. Not love your neighbor, unless they practice a different sort of religion from you. Not love your neighbor, but not if they are a different race. No. Love your neighbor, no ifs, ands, or buts. And then, in the very next passage, in the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus hammers home the lesson by saying, in effect, that our neighbor is everybody. That's right, everybody.
And love them *as yourself*. Which means that everything that you enjoy, life, liberty, justice, voting rights, the right to free speech, the right to be free from searches and seizures, the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, the right to marry, all these and more rights, that you enjoy, that you love as a citizen of this country, you should want for them too. Yes. You heard me right. Practicing the greatest commandment, the Golden Rule, exactly as Jesus said it, means that you have to support gay marriage. And gay adoption. And gays raising children. Openly. Why? Because *you* have the right to marry, have children, adopt children, and raise children. And you have to support a woman getting an abortion. Why? Because *you* have the right to accept or deny medical procedures.
You love yourself to the extent that you would not willingly and knowingly part with any of these rights and liberties, and more, and therefore, in the very words of the Jesus you cling to, you must, you *must* love your neighbor as yourself and fight for their rights to all the same liberties. And that is exactly what us "God-hating" liberals do. Not all of us because Jesus said so, of course. For those of us who believe other religious beliefs, or those of us who are atheistic or agnostic, there are other reasons. Most of them have to do with beliefs in equality, the rights of a human being, and the desire to live in an ethical and moral society. None of these things are limited, after all, to the Christian faith.
But for those of us who do follow that faith, one of the reasons we hold fast to the ideals of equality and equal rights for all is because of the Golden Rule. And everyone who claims to be Christian, who claims to believe and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ should believe the exact same thing. Or else you are the most monstrous hypocrites since the world began, and you know what Jesus had to say about them? No? Read every word Jesus uses with regard to the Pharisees. Read what he says will happen to them if they persist in their hypocrisy.
Finally, read what the Gospel of Matthew says about judging others and think about it before you judge the queers and the faggots and the women who get abortions and the liberals who are fighting for the basic rights of humanity and the judges who support the law of the land and enlightened ideals over blind adherance to an Old Testament code and the dark-age mentality of those who want to undo the progress of the human race over the last millenium.
Judge not lest ye be not judged, and I'm trying very hard not to be judgemental here. I truly believe that the vast majority of fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., are at heart good people who are doing what they do because they truly believe that it is best. Unfortunately, the road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. It ought to be a 12 lane wide freeway at this rate. If you've read to this point, thank you for your patience. Think about what I've said. Please. Or else you and your kind will make this splendid nation that I love so much into just another and worse kind of Iran, where no one is allowed to do, say, or think anything except what the religious people say is acceptable. And we all know how well *that's* turning out.
The reason that I haven't spoken out on this subject much before, or many other subjects related to politics, religion, and the intersection thereof, is because by and large, the issues make me so mind-numbingly and mouth-frothingly mad that I can't come up with any coherent arguments. But for this one, I finally have, and so here it is. I so seldom rant on politics in my LJ, that I ask you to bear with me.
An Open Letter to Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, "Conservative" Christians, the Religious Right, and the politicians who support and/or advocate the same or similar policies and ideas as the above-named groups:
To Those Whom It May Concern:
What I'm about to say may irritate you. It may anger you. It may make you think I'm headed straight for hell, and that that's where I belong. Far be it from me to say where I belong, or where I will ultimately end up, but if you will cool the knee-jerk reactions just long enough to read to the end, maybe you'll think twice about this whole "liberals are bad" idea. Just maybe.
You see, this whole idea that liberals are bad and advocating anti-God and anti-Jesus sentiments is, by and large, wrong. Yes, I'm sure there are those who are actively atheistic and/or agnostic, or downright antagonistic to the thought of any sort of Deity, but they are only a small minority. Most of us do, in fact, believe in God, of one form or another, even if not the kind you believe in. The difference is, we believe that rights and equality and all that must come before slavish adherence to the will of God.
What?! you say. God is the ultimate! We must do what God says! And you're right. But let us see what God actually says. Yes, we know, for example, that he says homosexuality is a sin. And murder is a sin, which is how most of you define abortion. But before we get to the details, let us first look at a couple of generalities. And here I think is where us liberals, whether Christian, other religious, deist, agnostic, or athiest, differ from you.
But first, let me ask you a question. What is the most important thing in your religion to you? I'm taking a wild guess here, but I'm thinking 9 out of 10 fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., would automatically say "my faith in Jesus". Or some variant thereof. Well, I've got to tell you, if you answered that way, you are wrong. St. Paul says it most poetically, most beautifully, and most distinctly, in his letter to the Corinthians: Of these three things: faith, hope, and love, these three, the greatest of these is love.
Love, not faith, is the greatest virtue, gift, blessing, what have you. And what did Jesus have to say about love? In the Gospel of Luke he says very clearly that the greatest commandment is to 1) love God with all your heart, mind, and spirit and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. You see, all you fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., you're so caught up in #1 that you forget all about #2.
Love your neighbor, Jesus said. Not love your neighbor only if he or she believes, votes, practices, acts, and looks like you. Not love your neighbor, except for the queers and faggots. Not love your neighbor, unless they practice a different sort of religion from you. Not love your neighbor, but not if they are a different race. No. Love your neighbor, no ifs, ands, or buts. And then, in the very next passage, in the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus hammers home the lesson by saying, in effect, that our neighbor is everybody. That's right, everybody.
And love them *as yourself*. Which means that everything that you enjoy, life, liberty, justice, voting rights, the right to free speech, the right to be free from searches and seizures, the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, the right to marry, all these and more rights, that you enjoy, that you love as a citizen of this country, you should want for them too. Yes. You heard me right. Practicing the greatest commandment, the Golden Rule, exactly as Jesus said it, means that you have to support gay marriage. And gay adoption. And gays raising children. Openly. Why? Because *you* have the right to marry, have children, adopt children, and raise children. And you have to support a woman getting an abortion. Why? Because *you* have the right to accept or deny medical procedures.
You love yourself to the extent that you would not willingly and knowingly part with any of these rights and liberties, and more, and therefore, in the very words of the Jesus you cling to, you must, you *must* love your neighbor as yourself and fight for their rights to all the same liberties. And that is exactly what us "God-hating" liberals do. Not all of us because Jesus said so, of course. For those of us who believe other religious beliefs, or those of us who are atheistic or agnostic, there are other reasons. Most of them have to do with beliefs in equality, the rights of a human being, and the desire to live in an ethical and moral society. None of these things are limited, after all, to the Christian faith.
But for those of us who do follow that faith, one of the reasons we hold fast to the ideals of equality and equal rights for all is because of the Golden Rule. And everyone who claims to be Christian, who claims to believe and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ should believe the exact same thing. Or else you are the most monstrous hypocrites since the world began, and you know what Jesus had to say about them? No? Read every word Jesus uses with regard to the Pharisees. Read what he says will happen to them if they persist in their hypocrisy.
Finally, read what the Gospel of Matthew says about judging others and think about it before you judge the queers and the faggots and the women who get abortions and the liberals who are fighting for the basic rights of humanity and the judges who support the law of the land and enlightened ideals over blind adherance to an Old Testament code and the dark-age mentality of those who want to undo the progress of the human race over the last millenium.
Judge not lest ye be not judged, and I'm trying very hard not to be judgemental here. I truly believe that the vast majority of fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., are at heart good people who are doing what they do because they truly believe that it is best. Unfortunately, the road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. It ought to be a 12 lane wide freeway at this rate. If you've read to this point, thank you for your patience. Think about what I've said. Please. Or else you and your kind will make this splendid nation that I love so much into just another and worse kind of Iran, where no one is allowed to do, say, or think anything except what the religious people say is acceptable. And we all know how well *that's* turning out.
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 02:19 pm (UTC)It's a place to post action items as well as rants.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 04:51 pm (UTC)Love, not faith, is the greatest virtue, gift, blessing, what have you. And what did Jesus have to say about love? In the Gospel of Luke he says very clearly that the greatest commandment is to 1) love God with all your heart, mind, and spirit and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. You see, all you fundamentalists, evangelicals, etc., you're so caught up in #1 that you forget all about #2.
They do forget about #2, but I don't think they manage #1 either. They revere God. They are afraid of God. They follow God. They pray to God. (For the preceding sentences, "God" is a shorthand for "their own conception of God.") I am not at all sure that they love God.
It's a complicated question, starting with "What does it mean to love an omniscient omnipresent being anyway?" Love, to me, implies having feelings for $ENTITY that doesn't involve anything along the lines of "will go to hell if I don't do what $ENTITY says" or "$ENTITY will reward me if I do what it says" or even---this is a delicate line, I'm not quite sure where it lies---maybe even not "I like $ENTITY because $ENTITY made me/gave me shinies." Or maybe it includes that last; as I said, I can't quite make up my mind where the line falls; maybe it doesn't include that but instead includes "I like $ENTITY because $ENTITY made shinies [that weren't necessarily for me, but shiny nonetheless]."
At any rate, to my mind, loving God requires a level of spirituality that absolutely means going beyond whining about whether a gay couple could adopt a child or not. So such a whiner automatically fails #2, but I think s/he is disqualified from #1 as well.
You sparked lots of thoughts here, Lady Nox.
Thank you.
Date: 2005-05-05 08:08 pm (UTC)I think the object lesson we all can take from this is the following:
Shinies are definitely a plus.
No? *grin*
no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 11:46 pm (UTC)I'm a pretty learned/studied Christian and, you're right, love is the only real commandment. Yeah, we had the ten but it turns out that we (humanity) needed it boiled down a little further. So... Love one another. Not a confusing concept... kinda tricky in practice.
I would recommend that the individual who said that Christians aren't pulling down this commandment very well recognize that generalizing probably doesn't help, and getting all grouchy about other people's shortcomings kinda misses the point.
More importantly... The thing that the world needs to remember (In my opinion) is that God said that all sin is equal. This means that one sin is no better or worse than another.... it means that my occaisional bout of swearing like a sailor is just as bad as a murder spree. Kind of hard to sit in judgement after one realizes that.
Anyway... I respect your opinion and where you're coming from. I really am very sorry that you've had what must be some pretty bad experiences with what you referred to as my "kind." That sucks.
For the record... I do love God. Not because he's going to damn me to hell if I don't do what he wants... He and I both know that ship sailed a LONG time ago. I love God because He loves me. He isn't a persnickety grouch, and He sent his only son to live and die so that He could better understand us and be sacrificed for us. That's profound for me. God is mellow. He has to be, look at Jesus (also a part of God triuneness is not well described in words) he hung out with everybody from the dregs of society to the really powerful people. He didn't get all judgemental and people liked to hang out with him. That's what God is really like and That is why I love Him.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 11:55 pm (UTC)You, and the number of people like you are the reason I haven't given up on Christianity in general. One of my very good friends is also a very devout Christian, of the best sort, and he is a daily reminder to me that having an intense faith doesn't mean that a person has to be a raving bigot.
I respect your opinion, your faith, and your right to have both. Even if I might disagree. What really gets me going are the people who try to use their faith as a rational for hurting other people.
Thank you for posting this.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-16 07:58 pm (UTC)