Pundits, politicians, preachers and pastors (the 4Ps, for simplification), with a far right evangelical, fundamentalist agenda, have delighted for far too long in public media attention that gives them an opportunity to voice their often damaging and repetitive redundancy.
Thankfully, not all Christians are cut from the same cloth. There are Christians (including some evangelical fundamentalist) choosing to believe that Jesus wants them to love without judging; accepting all of God’s children instead of rejecting those deemed unacceptable.
A majority, yes a majority, of Christian millennials are in favor of gay marriage and gay rights; with groups like Evangelicals for Marriage Equality speaking out. The LGBTQ community just needs for these new, evolved Christian voices to become louder and stronger; drowning out the babel of the overused, detrimental rants of the 4Ps and their ilk.
Some 4Ps have forgotten the concept of separation of church and state; thinking our country should be run by the percepts of their Christian faith; using the scriptures of the Bible as the foundation of our laws.
As much as they refute and resist this fact, we are not a Christian nation. We were not founded on anyone’s religion or anyone’s God. When reciting “one Nation under God” there is no distinction of which or who’s God is being referred to. We are a nation comprised of many religions and differing definitions of God.
We are a nation where one has the freedom to even express a non-belief in God. We are “one Nation under [an undefined] God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Throughout history citizens of these United States have withheld liberty and justice from various members of our country’s population through the evil of discrimination. And, shamefully, the discrimination was often encouraged from pulpits and political platforms; using the God of Christianity and words from the Bible as the basis, and justification, of bigotry. Hardly the actions of a Christian nation; wouldn’t you say?
But the Bible has been desecrated by those, such as the 4Ps, to legitimize intolerance and discrimination; using “God’s Word” as the dogmatic foundation of injustice towards whomever, whenever.
Scripture has been used to justify slavery and the segregation of races; and
Scripture has been used to demand the submissive obedience of women to their husbands; and
Scripture has been used to forbid women from speaking in church or participating in any authoritative role within the church.
Over time, as society changed and evolved, so did the interpretation and understanding of the scriptures that once supported the injustices above. And the 4Ps admitted, perhaps reluctantly, that those scriptures pertained to a period of history in which societal norms were patriarchal and scientific intellect was primeval; thus concluding those scriptures were no longer applicable to modern times.
So, what about now? There is a new injustice based on God, the Bible and the religious views of some 4Ps and others.
Scripture is being used, once again, to support discrimination; by denying the civil rights (which include marriage) to gay men and women.
With the evolution of intellectual and scientific advances concerning sexual orientation and societal acceptance of same sex couples and marriage equality rising, perhaps it is time to reexamine the interpretation and understanding of the scriptures that are used to promote this intolerance and discrimination of gay people; daring to conclude those scriptures are not applicable to modern times.
For most evangelical, fundamentalist 4Ps, there is only one God; theirs. The God they claim America was founded on. Any other god or gods; any other religious beliefs or any other religion is erroneous.
They believe they are speaking on God’s behalf; as if they, alone, know what God’s will is for our country; and for you and me. They believe they are doing God’s work.
But perhaps if they were to take all the time, money and efforts put into preventing two people of the same gender from marrying and put it towards
Feeding our hungry; or
Sheltering the homeless; or
Addressing domestic violence; or
Keeping our children safe from abuse and sexual predators; or
Join the fight against sex trafficking.
Maybe that would truly be God’s work. I believe the heart of anyone’s God breaks over the above atrocities more so than two people of the same gender wanting to marry.
What would the 4P’s God really care about; two men or two women committing their lives to one another or a child going to bed hungry tonight or a girl of 12 or 13 forced into prostitution?
(Thanks to Christine Baxter for her editing skills)
