Michelle plays connect the dots between Misogyny and Homophobia; Part Four: Namaste

PART FOUR:

Namaste

You can read the previous posts by clicking here:
Part One: Male Space
Part Two: Gaydar
Part Three: Tables Turned

Unfortunately, our social problems are much greater than just misogyny and homophobia.

It’s a mindset in all of humanity.  In men and women.  It’s a refusal to choose empathy.  It’s a stubborn, deep-within-myself narcissistic need to be RIGHT—and therefore YOU ARE WRONG.  It’s an insistence that MY WAY is the correct way, and YOU NEED TO SEE IT MY WAY.  And I DON’T NEED TO LOOK AT IT FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE I’VE ALREADY GOT IT FIGURED OUT.

All the shouting, the finger-pointing, the hatred.  It’s tearing us apart. 

Whatever happened to “They know we are Christians by our love”?  Who would say that about us now? 

In my pastor’s sermon a few Sundays ago, he mentioned that a recent poll of young adults, when asked what “Christians” are, they responded with the word “self-righteous”.  And I’d say that is spot-on, when discussing what the vast majority of the church looks like today.  I grow weary of the whiny facebook posts of people complaining they are being persecuted and how we need to stand up for our rights as American Christians, before we lose them all.  (P.S.  “American Christian” is an oxymoron.  Ever heard this?  “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  We are to put our patriotism aside for a greater cause.  Yes, I am exceedingly glad to have been born in America.  But it comes secondary to my Christianity.  By far.  I don’t say I am a Female Christian or a White Christian, or identify my Christianity in any other way.  My spiritual identity is in CHRIST, and Christ alone.)

It’s funny, because I don’t recall a single sermon being preached by Jesus or any of the apostles where getting persecuted was a worry.  I recall lots of joy about persecution.  And lots of stuff about loving pagans.  But I don’t recall ANYTHING about where we are supposed to preach “YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!”  You know, “Turn or Burn” or "You Murdered Your Baby!"

As a matter of fact, I’m fairly certain that the fear of hell is NOT how Jesus wants us to invite people to heaven.

He wants us to love people so profoundly that they desire to be WITH us.  That they feel the love dripping off of us like sweet honey—and they want even just a lick of it, it tastes so good.
 

But we are leaving bitter fecal droppings for the world. 

I recall sermons at my former church against the abomination that is the homosexual community.  The groups that were gathered to picket or to “walk” against certain “homosexual agendas”.  Or, for that matter, the picketing against the abortion clinics.  Or the leaflets left on our windshields during church, letting us know all the respectable Republican candidates we should vote for in the upcoming election, because it was the “moral” thing to do to save us from the pagan Democrats.  It almost seemed like we piled so many things we were AGAINST, that we didn’t have the time or the energy to be FOR a single thing.  We were against gay marriage, abortion, divorce, the liberal agenda, taking prayer out of schools, democrats (I was a closet democrat—I got tired of people saying, “How can you possibly be a DEMOCRAT and a CHRISTIAN?”  The answer is simply, “Go read the actual definitions of the parties.  The definition of Democrat is not actually “Gay baby killer who watches porn while on public assistance.”)

I'm scared to ask if this is satire or not...

It is tiring, quite frankly, to muster up enough righteous indignation all the time.

When I began to think about it, really think about it, I realized all this righteous indignation IS an attitude found in the bible.  It’s what the Pharisees looked like.  And that’s THE ONLY TIME WHEN JESUS GOT ANGRY AND SPOKE HARSHLY TO OTHER PEOPLE.  That’s right, Jesus never spoke hateful words to anyone except those conservative religious people who were so certain that they were right. 

That should give us all pause.

I know it makes me think, and it makes me question myself every time I go to judge another person.  It makes me very, very glad that it’s not my job to judge them.  Not my job at all.  I am called to do two things, and two things only:              

I must love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, AND
I must love my neighbor as myself.

Our job is to see them as carriers of God's spirit, first and foremost.  Would we yell spiteful words at Jesus if He was standing right before us?  But every human is a unique creation of God, designed to carry a specific quality of Him into the world, something NO OTHER HUMAN could do.  We ALL carry within us a certain "je ne sais quoi".

So before I give some twisted, rationalized version of what “loving” a person truly is, I must back up and place myself in their shoes (it’s called empathy), and make sure that if I was in such a situation, I would actually be loved by that action.  It’s taking down the barriers, and not self righteously saying, “Well, I would NEVER  be in that situation—I would NEVER do THAT!”  Perhaps.  But, as Jesus said, “If you have even harbored  hate in your heart, you have committed murder.  And if you have lusted, you have committed adultery.”  Those are not empty words.  How many people have you killed?  I’m guilty.

I have learned every human has a back story.  Even those who abuse others; those people harbor unresolved pain in their lives.  And if I had experienced their life up to that point, I may have committed that sin too.  The truth is, no one knows.  I can be thankful for the past I have had which prohibits me from desiring certain behaviors, but I can't limit my thinking to believe that ANYTHING SINFUL is beyond my capabilities, given the "right" (or wrong) past and present circumstances and stressors.

And God created EVERY. HUMAN.  For the same reason.  Because He was inspired, and loved the idea which turned into that unique soul.

Forgive the profanity, but many times I believe this is true for Christians.  We WANT TO BELIEVE that God loves us more because of our piety.  But it's not true.  The "prodigal son" parable blows that misconception totally out of the water.

I admit it, I've been the jerk.

Jesus and the early church members willingly gave up everything, even their lives, for their faith.  They never yelled words of hate against other people while they were suffering, either.  It’s quite a contrast. They lost their jobs, and they rejoiced.  They didn’t shout about their rights being revoked.  Oh, for the joy of being able to suffer for the cause of Christ!  I would much rather lose my “rights”, and do it in a way that causes people to wonder what wonderful peace is within my heart than to keep my “rights” or even fight for them and lose the true battle of showing people how to find Jesus.

Have we forgotten what the true battle is? 

                For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Nothing in this world matters but the souls of God’s precious children.  And He is not exclusionary.  He created each human for a reason; each human is loved and precious and holds a piece of eternity within themselves. 

Namaste, to each and every one of you.