Jesus Likes Gay People Better Than Assholes
by Cookie
forum.bodybuilding.com
I’m going to start Monday off with a bang. Put your party hats on kids, because we’ve got a real live controversy going on right here in Manitoba. In fact, it’s going on in a town about 30 minutes from here called Steinbach.
To give you some background, this little town is known for its strong Mennonite roots, and strict religious rules. I think that restaurants are finally permitted to serve alcohol. Usually, the biggest offense with the people who live there is when they come into the city to eat and tip like shit on Sundays. Cheap fuckers, let me tell you.
Currently, there is a piece of anti-bullying legislation on the table in Manitoba, which specifically outlines some rights for students wishing to support a gay-straight alliance in schools. Basically, a peer group where everyone is accepted, regardless of sexual orientation. It’s called Bill 18.
Well, a pastor in Steinbach is rallying the troops against Bill 18, trying to create and gather political support, citing infringement of religious freedom, blah blah blah.
The usual ignorant, discriminatory bullshit that people display because they are bigots, who try to justify themselves by hiding behind Jesus.
This whole thing has my tits so hot that they are almost on fire. I am no theological scholar, or expert, or nun or whatever. But I do know this. In my experience, the people who walk around with a giant cardboard cutout of Jesus in front of them in order to justify every piece of hateful and judgmental behaviour they exhibit are often the ones who know the least about him.
Let me tell you about Jesus. He hung out with the thieves and the whores. He loved them and accepted them for what they are. Because no one, not one person ever, has led a clean life without fucking up. All sin is equal. What’s that Bigot Pastor? Had a hateful thought against that child because he’s gay? That sin is equal to one sin of the gay child, no matter what it is.
Oh, and you judged the child for it? Guess that’s actually 2 sins for the child’s one. I guess you’re the bigger asshole after all. And I’m pretty sure Jesus likes gay people better than assholes. Since being an asshole is a choice and all.
“Let he that be without sin cast the first stone”
What’s that motherfucker? Afraid to break the glass around you? Maybe you should just put the stone down and call it a day.
Here’s the thing about organized religion. (Disclaimer: As an Anglican, I do believe that church communities are an important part of faith, but this is the challenge they all face) When a whole bunch of people get together to worship or build a community, we tend to taint it with our human bullshit. It is very easy to lose sight of why you came together in the first place. Christianity is about love, and forgiveness, and acceptance, and peace. It’s very easy to read the rules outlined in the Bible and feel our superiority rising because we can tick off all the things we’ve done “right” according to Scriptures.
The funny thing is that the single most important thing in the whole book is to love one another. Yet it seems to be the hardest thing to do. I think its human nature to want to feel good about yourself, and for some reason, we think the easiest way to do that is by pointing the finger someone elses way.
But let me tell you this. No matter how much shadow you try and cast in another direction, your light won’t get any brighter. No matter how much you tear someone else down, you will not raise any higher.
I don’t understand why a gay-straight alliance threatens anyone’s religious freedom. Mostly because it really doesn’t. No matter how much this pastor tries to hide behind Jesus’s robes, I still see him for what he is.
Our jobs as adults and parents are to protect our children from harm. Whether that comes from physical danger, bullying, or illness. Not to be one of the things threatening them.
You’d think after 2000 years, we’d finally get it. “the greatest of these is love”
Nope. We’re still stuck on “man shall lie with woman” (pardon my paraphrasing). And I’m pretty sure that it says somewhere that we’re not supposed to eat pig or shellfish.
Guess no one in Steinbach eats pork chops or comes out to Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp.
Yeah. Ok.
There’s a church here in the Midwest, USA called Westboro Baptist or something like that. Huge anti-gay church and the the worst sort of humans you’d ever want to deal with. Jesus did indeed hang with sinners, and still does! He and I hung out recently!
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Yes, and I saw that Jesus drinks Bud Light Lime. Who knew? I thought he’d a be a dark beer kind of guy.
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“He hung out with the thieves and the whores. He loved them and accepted them for what they are.” Yes he did, but what he tell those people when he did hang out with them? He told them to stop sinning.
Gays are welcome in my Church and I am freinds with many of them, but the sin of homosexuality is not condoned, just like any other sin.
“Christianity is about love, and forgiveness, and acceptance, and peace.” Sounds about right, but SIN is never acceptible.
Sex outside of marriage is a sin, straight or gay sex does not matter, ALL sex outside marriage is sin. And over and over again God defines marriage as between 1 man and 1 women.
You use a lot of politically correct language, but little biblical basis for your opinion. If you are a follower of Christ Jesus you need to think like Him, and His thoughts are clearly written in His Word.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing more of your opinion on this.
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Thank you for your comments. I think they are fair, and I agree with what you are saying. My biggest point is that we are all sinners. Not that it is ok to sin, but that it is all equal. We are to be judged by God, not one another. He accepted us as sinners, and loves us despite our faults. He instructed us to do the same, but also to do better!
The thing that bothers me about this whole issue is that we are so focused on the fact that someone else is gay, that we are oblivious to the opportunities that focus creates in ourselves to sin over and over again.
We are horrible hypocrites, no?
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I do my best to not be a hypocrit, but at the end of the day I am sure that I mess something up. I admit that I sin everyday and spend much of my prayer time at night asking for forgivness for those sins and the strength to avoid more the next day.
It sounds like you and I are on the same page and I appreciate your passion on the subject because so many get it wrong. We just need to be careful that we don’t forget to tell sinners to stop sining in order to get them to accept us.
Keep fighting the good fight.
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One of the big, glaring problems that I have with what I call “organized religion” is this factor. The intolerance. The people that are standing around, judging others as though they are the only people on the planet that knows what God would want.
The Bible was written by men and men are fallible (as stated in the Bible, by the way).
Hating people, or “allowing them into your church but not condoning who they are” is ridiculous. If you believe we must love all of the things that are “of God” then that includes people that are gay. Instead of sticking your head in the great book, go and talk to them.
Did they choose to be gay? No. So that means that God made them so and therefore it is our Christian duty to love them as they are.
Sinning is a CHOICE. Murder, theft, lying is a CHOICE. Being gay is NOT.
Case closed and rant over. 😉
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life is so simple without religion!
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Love it! 🙂
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Likewise to your work today, my dear!
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🙂
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Thanks for sharing this. I grew up in southern Manitoba raised Mennonite and attended one of their private schools. My experience growing up was terrifying and painful. Physical and emotional abuse, misogyny, incest and homophobia. I left young and now have a child who has been raised a free thinker in a secular society. Disgusted by their response to bill 18 but very proud my son started the gay straight alliance in his school which is in downtown Vancouver. He made a trip to Manitoba once and immediately pegged the environment. Sexist racist woman hating rednecks who hide behind a presumption of pacifism and the facade of church going family. Fundamentalist patriarchism and smiling vacant eyed wives. They criticize and judge everything and everyone and spent most of their time increasing their wealth to gain more power in the church and keep running their sick little world so old rich men can be catered to like sultans. Their gay hate is so strong I know they aren’t above.threatening and killing their own to save family face. Some of the farthest from Christian behaviour I’ve ever seen and I am grateful for the freedom I know have after years of therapy and support from others. If I ever met a Mennonite girl looking like I felt I would tell her to do the same as I did run and never look back. They will tell everyone you were crazy or UN balanced or sinful but you will know in your heart you escaped something evil.
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