The last week has been
more than interesting for someone that lives just across the river from
Indiana. It is also been very upsetting
for me as a Gay person knowing that people do not care if they discriminate
against me. Yet, that isn’t the thing
that has made this very hard to talk about.
The most disturbing thing is the Christian stance on this law. Especially since I am not only Gay, I am Christian
that happens to be gay.
It is very disappointing
to hear that Christians think it is okay to discriminate against anyone. Christ was about love not hate. As Christians we do not have the authority to
judge our fellow human. Yet, it seems
that certain Christians have forgotten this.
The thing that has upset
me is that people are now thinking that this is how Christians act. I have had a hard time dealing personally
with the feelings that people have on individuals who are talking about this
who are Christians. There are many that
believe God Loves All People. There are many
Christians that believe that God does not judge people for the way they look or
the way they love. This is not only true
of Gay Christians but many throughout the world.
God sees our souls. God doesn’t look at the person that was
created in God’s perfect image and say this is not what I created. All people throughout the world no matter
what they look like, no matter what sex they are, no matter what abilities they
have, no matter their sexual orientation, no matter their gender identity God
created us. Imagine how things would be
if we all looked, acted and lived the same way.
Wouldn’t this be a very boring and difficult place to live? We would not know who we loved; who we called
friends in fact we wouldn’t do anything different so we would be like
robots. God did not create a world of
robots. God created a world of
diversity.
The thing that bothers
me the most is that people are now standing up and speaking for all Christians. The hateful words coming out of their mouths
are supposed to be the truth that all Christians believe. Yet, just look at how diverse Christianity
is. How could a religion with so many
divisions be able to stand united in one voice?
I know that I do not stand alone when I say that the people who wanted
this law were not living in a spirit of Christ’s love.
The Savior I serve did
not hang out with the top citizens. God
was in those places that people would consider unclean. He ate with an entire range of people. He healed people who were excluded from
society. Even his disciples were a rough
and tumble group of men and women. They
were not scholars instead they were regular men and women who felt the calling
of God on their heart.
I believe that God calls
us all to treat others with total love and respect. We have to live our life following the
example Jesus made. Anyone that believes
that they can discriminate is not living the life that Jesus modeled. Jesus wants us to be open to people that are
different from ourselves. In fact, there
is no one that is exactly like us. So who
then are we to discriminate against?
The problem with this
law doesn’t just stop with the ramifications for gay and lesbians it goes much
further. It makes it that anyone who is
different from you can be discriminated against based on your religious
beliefs. This goes against the very
thing that happened with the civil rights movement of the sixties. We said then you cannot discriminate against people
because of their differences. Yet, this
law opened the door for you to discriminate against anyone and then claim it
was your religious right. It has torn a
wound in the civil rights that so many fought and died for.
I found it interesting today
that the Governor held a press conference demanding the legislators to present
a new law to him to correct the loopholes in this one. So basically write a law that says a person can’t
be discriminated against. Yet, at the
same time says business owners have a right not to do services that are against
their religious beliefs.
Therefor I can’t openly
discriminate but if you want me to do something that I think is against my
beliefs I can tell you I won’t do it and I will not face any legal
charges. Therefor I can’t say I will not
serve you because you look or believe differently from me. But I can say that what you want me to do is
against my religious beliefs.
Confusing right. Here is a good example that might help
explain what Gov. Pence is wanting from the legislation.
Two men come into a
bakery to order a cake. The shop owner can’t
tell them to get out because they are a gay couple. The men then say that they need the cake for
their wedding. At this point the owner
says I can’t make a cake for you because your marriage is against my religious beliefs. I
believe that I cannot do anything that shows my support because my religion
says that two men can’t be married.
Now being upset the two
men take the shop owner to court because they didn’t get the cake that they
wanted to order. The defense attorney
asks them both did the shop owner tell you to leave the shop because of your
sexual orientation. Both men say no,
nothing was said that we had to leave because we were gay. Yet, this isn’t why we are taking the owner
to court, we are suing because the owner wouldn’t make the cake we wanted for
our marriage. Did the owner tell you why
they wouldn’t make the cake? Yes the owner said that it would be against their
religious beliefs to make a cake for our wedding.
So during the closing
arguments the defense attorney says. These
men were not discriminated because they were gay. They both admitted that they were not told to
leave the bakery because they were gay. The owner just refused to make a cake
that would have shown support for gay marriage which is against their religious
beliefs.
Judge decision, hold
onto your hat, then there is nothing done illegally. Now does it make sense? The decision is based on the law that says
the baker can’t discriminate, ask you to leave because you are gay. Yet, they can refuse to provide a service
that is against their religious views. Even
if that means that they are discriminating against you by not providing the
service that you came into the shop to have performed.
The sad thing is that
they would not even look at refining the law if people hadn’t responded the way
they did. The elected officials still
believe they did the right thing. When
money talk’s people change their minds on what they should and should not do. You can see the dollar signs in their eyes as
you hear people saying we need to fix this.
They weren’t considering the fact that because of other people’s
religious or political views they would discriminate against the entire state
of Indiana.
I can only imagine the
emotional scars that have been inflicted on people that were trying to come out
of the closet. Imagine being a kid
knowing you are gay but afraid to tell anyone because they could choose to
stand against you legally. Imagine being
a child that isn’t a Christian and hearing people saying that we can legally
choose not to serve you because you are not worshiping my way. Imagine being a
kid that was different in any way from their peers and the angst that they have
that they can be treated differently and it be okay? What have we done to our
children in only a weeks’ time?
It is even more
complicated when you think about those kids that have had their bullying affirmed. They do not have an adult role model to look
at and see that it is wrong to hurt others.
They have heard on TV, Radio and seen it on the internet and so many
other avenues that discriminating is an okay thing. They have heard adults talk about the ways
they have discriminated against people that were different from them. They have heard people talk hate using Christianity
as the basis. If you were a kid that
picked on other kids would you not feel that it was okay?
Are we not hurting the
next generation of adults by a move like this?
We as adults have to accept the abuse that we have done to these our
children by bringing something like this to the forefront of the national and
international front. We have to accept
that we are all affecting how kids will be when they grow up. It is hard enough being a kid and facing
those years where your body starts to change.
Yet, what have we done? We have
established the principal that it is okay to be mean to people that aren’t like
us. Whoever the we is now has been given
the right to say the others are less important than we are.
Christians and other
religious leaders have to make a stand against this kind of hate and
discrimination. We have to stand up and
say that we do not agree with the way that religion has been used to justify
hate in this world. We have to fight
against acts like this. If we do not I question
us thinking we are better than those that are using the name of Religion to
discriminate against others?
We have to tear down the
walls that have been built around the world that lead to discrimination and
hateful deeds. People all around the
world are being affected by people thinking that they are less human than they
are. This isn’t a new issue. Yet, it has given us a chance to talk about
the action that we must take. It has
given us a chance to see that many people of all different religions and
beliefs do not want others to be hurt emotionally, physically and spiritually.
It is time to take
action before anyone else can come up with laws that hurt others. We have shown government that we want all
people treated equally. Who would ever think
that a law passed in the little state of Indiana would bring the attention that
it has? I hope that other leaders in the
government think about the ramifications that have happened in the last
week. I hope that as we face decisions
based on marriage rights, adoption rights and all other types of equality rights
that people in government think on this week and make the right decision.
I believe that people
have the right to practice their religious beliefs. Yet, I also believe that in most religions
around the world the practice of discrimination is not a core belief. The God I serve has given the most precious
gift to ensure that all would be able to receive eternal life. I was angry most of the last week thinking
about the statements that people were saying in the name of Christianity. Yet, now I have come to the conclusion that
instead of keeping quiet I had to say something. We who believe in the Living God have to say
enough is enough.
The decision to stand up
against the current issue has nothing to do with me being Gay. In fact, I fear that the law could affect so
many different people that being gay isn’t even the issue at hand. I have made the decision to stand up because
my God has taught me to love everyone. I
am not saying that I am perfect by any means.
We have all done things that we are ashamed of.
Yet, I am not ashamed to
say that I am a Christian that happens to be gay. I am not ashamed to say that I am a Christian
that is against this or any law that can discriminate against others based on religious
beliefs. I am not ashamed to stand up
and say that we need to give freedom to people all around the world to be
different from what we consider the “norm.”
I might not believe just
like you when it comes to your religious beliefs. I might not like the way you do things. I might not like the people you choose to
love. In reality, none of this
matters. I cannot, we cannot,
discriminate because we don’t like what others are doing. Instead we need to build bridges that unite
people instead of building walls that keep us separate. We have to do something today as people of
faith to tell the world we don’t want laws that hurt others. As people of faith we have to put aside our
differences to see our similarities.
I guess what I am saying
is that the government has made a mistake in this decision. They have made mistakes with other laws that
has allowed for discrimination. Yet, we
as people of faith cannot allow government leaders to use our religion to hurt
others. It is actually the worst thing
that our government can do to people. It
infers that people of faith agree with discrimination.
Pray for not only a
change of the laws that discriminate.
Pray for a society in which we do not discriminate against others. Pray for people to change their ways. Pray for those that have been hurt this week.
Pray for those that have fought for
civil rights throughout the world.
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