Amidst a Facebook newsfeed largely comprised of red equal signs, I saw a phrase that I took some exception to: Str8 Against H8 (Straight Against Hate). On the surface, there's nothing wrong here. I am also straight and am not particularly pro-hate. I understand that equal marriage rights are a huge deal right now. Personally, I don't care if you marry your patio furniture. It doesn't change my marriage in any way.
No, the problem I have is this wholesale appropriation of the word "hate" by the LGBT community to label anyone who doesn't agree with them. It's certainly an effective political tool, and one that I'm certain has rallied more than a few to their cause. I mean, let's be honest - who wants to be viewed as someone who HATES an entire subsection of our society? Anyone? Probably not. From a purely psychological standpoint, I bet there a good number of people who look at this propaganda-esque usage of the word and jumped on board, just to escape the label. Very clever, LGBT community.
However, I'm going to go ahead and cry foul here. I am not a stupid person, and I understand that this "hate" label is largely being leveled at Christians, right-wing-ers, evangelicals, fundamentalists, and whatever other groups are not on board with gay marriage, regardless of reasoning. This lack of concern for the reason of one's opposition is my problem, and I'm going to say this loud and clear:
Religious conviction is not the same thing as hate.
It just isn't - regardless of willy-nilly application of labels. As I've already stated, I'm not a stupid person. I am sadly aware that some (perhaps many) people who oppose gay marriage do hate homosexuals. It's unfortunate that, if these people who do hate - and do so in the name of God - are ignorant and are also, quite frankly, doing it wrong. Scripture tells us to love each other many more times than it condemns homosexuality. Actually, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, amongst the people who are listed as not inheriting the kingdom of God are, yes, homosexuals. Right alongside them are: the sexually immoral (which is a BROAD topic), idolators (anyone who places anything else above God), adulterers, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers. Certainly, most of us (myself included) fall into one or more of these categories - even the Christians. The only hope any of us have is the salvation as noted in v. 11 - sanctification in Jesus Christ.
Now, where am I going with this? Mostly, I just think it's unfair for everyone who disagrees with a particular issue to have this "hate" label applied to them. For a group (the LGBT community) who is trying so hard to be accepted and normalized in society, this approach seems a bit counter-productive to me. As I've said in other posts - if you're asking for tolerance and acceptance, try practicing a little. Casting anyone who doesn't agree with you as an enemy does not foster acceptance. Instead, it makes people defensive. If you really want walls to come down in relationships, you have to bring yours down, too.
We'll all be better off when we can learn to disagree on principles without personal attacks on those who may be against us. We're all human. We all want to be loved and be free to live our lives in the way that we best see fit. Let's all try to be a little cooler and not create hate where it doesn't exist.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Monkeys And Clay
I'm sure that most of us have certain things that we don't talk about in certain groups. For me, one of those things has been rearing its ugly head lately, and I've been finding myself biting my tongue an awful lot over the last few days. This is particularly troubling because the groups that I've been in have been groups that I should feel free to speak my mind with. The major issue is that the topic in question is one of those hot-button topics that can really set individuals off.
In this case, I am speaking of the debate between evolution and creationism.
Let me lay out the scenarios: In the first, a fellow Christian and good friend of mine brought up people who believe in evolution in a tone that I would expect ordinarily reserved for, say, Michael Vick, immediately following that whole dog-fighting fiasco. The implication was that Christians should not believe in evolution. This was Friday night.
The second happened Sunday morning, during our church service. The pastor was delivering a sermon on hearing the voice of God. Towards the end of the sermon, he made some statements that basically said that, if you believed in evolution, you were essentially unable to hear God, because you were too busy listening to the World (which is a bad thing).
It appears to me that this is one of those things that (like so many things nowadays) has become completely politicized and polarizing. Christians feel that believing in evolution negates God's hand in the creation of, well, everything. Evolutionists feel that believing in God means that you have checked your brain at the door and have become a sheep. Therefore, you must be one or the other, with no room for gray area.
It's not so simple for me. See, I believe both. I have spent many clock cycles puzzling out how these two things can fit together and have reached a point where I feel very confident that God, in creating the Universe, also put everything that falls under the term "Science" into place - including *gasp* evolution. Evolution, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc. It all works, and I see His glory in all of it.
Sadly, I've been made to feel like a pariah by my "family", because I don't think that Science and Faith have to be mutually exclusive. I love God, but I refuse to be willfully ignorant of the things that I know to be true, just to fit into a mold.
I thought about outlining my personal belief system here, but I'm not sure it would do any good. It might actually do bad, if people are really that vehement about it. Depending on what feedback I get, I may write up another post about it. For now, I just wanted to vent a bit about how I've been feeling.
Update: I was able to talk to one of my other friends today, and he was able to talk me down from the proverbial ledge. Most helpful: I'm not alone in my beliefs, as well as some wise words about how to proceed from here. I'm extra double grateful to have some really grounded Christians to bounce my ideas off of.
In this case, I am speaking of the debate between evolution and creationism.
Let me lay out the scenarios: In the first, a fellow Christian and good friend of mine brought up people who believe in evolution in a tone that I would expect ordinarily reserved for, say, Michael Vick, immediately following that whole dog-fighting fiasco. The implication was that Christians should not believe in evolution. This was Friday night.
The second happened Sunday morning, during our church service. The pastor was delivering a sermon on hearing the voice of God. Towards the end of the sermon, he made some statements that basically said that, if you believed in evolution, you were essentially unable to hear God, because you were too busy listening to the World (which is a bad thing).
It appears to me that this is one of those things that (like so many things nowadays) has become completely politicized and polarizing. Christians feel that believing in evolution negates God's hand in the creation of, well, everything. Evolutionists feel that believing in God means that you have checked your brain at the door and have become a sheep. Therefore, you must be one or the other, with no room for gray area.
It's not so simple for me. See, I believe both. I have spent many clock cycles puzzling out how these two things can fit together and have reached a point where I feel very confident that God, in creating the Universe, also put everything that falls under the term "Science" into place - including *gasp* evolution. Evolution, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc. It all works, and I see His glory in all of it.
Sadly, I've been made to feel like a pariah by my "family", because I don't think that Science and Faith have to be mutually exclusive. I love God, but I refuse to be willfully ignorant of the things that I know to be true, just to fit into a mold.
I thought about outlining my personal belief system here, but I'm not sure it would do any good. It might actually do bad, if people are really that vehement about it. Depending on what feedback I get, I may write up another post about it. For now, I just wanted to vent a bit about how I've been feeling.
Update: I was able to talk to one of my other friends today, and he was able to talk me down from the proverbial ledge. Most helpful: I'm not alone in my beliefs, as well as some wise words about how to proceed from here. I'm extra double grateful to have some really grounded Christians to bounce my ideas off of.
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