Thinking...

There have been a lot of people talking about the comments made by Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty.  I know I have had several people ask my opinion about his comments against the homosexuals based on his Christian beliefs.  I have to admit, It is something I have thought about quite a bit and feel the urge to vent/share my opinion.  I just want to remind anyone reading, as with Phil, this is my opinion, which I am allowed because I live in the great United States of America.

I want to start off by saying this post is not focusing on Phil Robertson.  The questions from people about him just got me onto the topic.

I was raised in a Christian home my entire life.  I was baptized when I was young, taught Sunday School as a teenager, helped run the VBS at our church, and sang in the church choir.  I loved the feeling of togetherness and family that I felt in the church.  I was raised in a small town, and my grandparents were pillars of the church, so everyone knew who I was and I felt loved.  

As I grew older, I grew away from the church and God.  I began to have doubt in His existence.  Part of this was the way I saw many "good Christians" act toward one another.  I have to say, some of the most mean-spirited, judgmental people I have ever met have called themselves Christians.  For the last six years, I was treated cruelly almost every day by "good Christians," so I had to ask myself how could these people be connected to God?  Then it hit me...it isn't God, it is religion and people's own beliefs that make them act the way they do.  They just use Christianity as a crutch to act the way they do toward others.  If they were acting the way God wanted, I truly believe they would act with love and kindness.  Think of the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?," he would be kind and loving.

You see, my belief (again, this blog is all about my opinion) is that religion has taken us away from the true meaning and focus of God.  Religion has society attack and hate one another because of the way it (each individual religion) reads the Bible.  Why else, would you see "good Christians" screaming hateful words to a thirteen year old rape victim walking into an abortion clinic?  Or see "good Christians" at a funeral of a young, gay man that was murdered yelling at the family that he deserved to be killed because of his sexuality?  Or "good Christians" condemning other religions during their Sunday church services because they are different or don't interpret the Bible the same way.

Because really, isn't that what has happened?  Hasn't each religion interpreted the Bible and chosen the parts that they want to hold as sacred and ignored the rest?  Or, they have placed a rating scale on each sin and determined that one sin is worse than another based on what we as a society/religion/man believe?  And why would this happen...because religion is not God.  Religion is created by man. 

When you really get down to it, isn't a sin a sin (Okay, maybe other than the 10 commandments...we know those are biggies.)?  Where do we get the right to choose which ones are worse than others? 

So, I understand that Leviticus 18:22 says "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."  However, has anyone read the rest of Leviticus 18?  Maybe Leviticus 19, 20 and so on?  If not you should.  Why you ask?  In these books of Leviticus, God is giving Moses all the abominations and laws He expects His people to follow.  If that is the case, then any of these things mentioned are sins...right?  Also, I don't see anywhere in there where God said, "Oh, and by the way, this one is waaayyy worse than all the others."

Here are just a few of the things that are mentioned.  I have to admit I picked several that I know I am guilt of...how about you?

• Cursing  -  Lev. 19:14, 20:9  (Oh &%$^*#, I break that one daily.)
• Using the Lords name in Vain - Lev. 18:21 (Yep...done that one a time or two.)
• Mutilation of Your Body (aka tattoos, piercings) - Lev. 19:28  (Yep, ears pierced and two tattoos...another strike for me.)
• Keeping the Sabbath - Lev. 19:3, 19:30  (I don't know about you, but I don't go to church every week.)
• Gossiping - Lev. 19:13  (Oops...)
• Judging Others - Lev. 19:15, 19:35  (Oh, we aren't supposed to judge others???)
• Staying a Virgin Until Married - Lev. 21:13-15  (I know we all followed this one.)

There are many, many more like this and some that I can't even fathom to understand such as you can't eat certain types of food or fruit from a tree unless it is so many years old.  I am sure I have broken a lot of those as well. 

I guess my point is this...let's leave the judging to God.  As Jesus said in John 8:7 ...“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Instead of spending all our effort on judging others, let's turn our attention to ourselves.  I don't know about you, but I have enough to worry about and clean up with myself to judge others for what they are doing in their lives.

So...here are my new quotes for you to throw around when you feel the urge to quote Lev. 18:22 or another judgmental quote at someone:

• A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  ~John 13:34-35
• Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  ~I Peter 4:8
• Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ~Romans 12:10
• Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   ~I John 4:11
• Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.   ~Romans 13:8
• But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.   ~Luke 6:35

 So here is my request from everyone...whether you are Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, Gay, Straight, White, Black, Brown, Democrat, Republican, etc., how about we all agree to disagree about many things, but agree about one thing? 

Let's agree that we can try and show kindness, love, understanding and acceptance to all.