We humans have a long history of wrongly torturing people simply because their beliefs do not correspond with ours. Religious wars are nothing new. They have been responsible for death and destruction in the name of some god or moral belief since before Jesus walked on the earth. For some reason we humans often think that forcing our beliefs on others is our gateway to heaven. Instead of accepting that there are many ways of being spiritual we insist that only one way should be allowed and so we push our ideas into the political world and create havoc.
It does not take too much research to find the many ways that humans have used religion to punish or hurt each other. The back and forth battles between Catholics and proponents of the Church of England led to bloodbaths for those on the losing side. Galileo, a devout Catholic, was held prisoner by clerics who believed that he was a heretic for claiming the earth revolves around the sun. Early religious settlers in the American colonies did horrific things to the Native Americans in efforts to convert them to what they believed was the one true religion.
The list of crimes against humanity committed by religious zealots goes on and on but sometimes the crimes appear to be more benign, a way of saving a lost soul. Much of the trouble in the world today comes from seemingly well meaning people who want to create their version of a truly moral world.
For years gays and lesbians were treated like criminals and punished when they were caught being themselves. The prejudices against them are still present today in many corners of the world. It is not just Christians who believe their behavior to be sinful but many other sects as well. While I would never want to prevent anyone from maintaining their strongly held beliefs, I would ask them to allow others to keep theirs without retribution. It hurts nobody when we live and let live. In fact our religious goals should focus on love and understanding rather than disdain and judgement. Love truly is love.
We began our government of the United States with an agreement to separate church and state matters because our founders were acutely aware of the problems that occur when people mix the two. Our ways of doing so have been imperfect but over time we moved closer and closer to peaceful coexistence. Suddenly we find ourselves once again debating issues that should have been settled on personal levels, not in the public square.
Our LGBTQ community has been living quietly among us with very few exceptions. They have contributed to our betterment but some only see them as a evil that must be eliminated. Most of us now have friends and family members from the LBGTQ community who are not only allowed to live and express themselves in their own ways, but who are some of the best people that we know. Why would anyone deny them the same comfort and happiness that the rest of us enjoy? What have they taken away from us by marrying and finding the joy that comes from being able to live the way that feels best to them. Why have some been determined to make them afraid again? Why is religion being used as a cudgel rather than a peaceful way of living?
There are certain ideas that seem to be common sense like not hurting each other, not stealing from each other, not lying to each other. Ten of those ideas have been codified in a set of commandments but it was Jesus himself who reminded us that the main rule that we must follow is to love one another. He put no restrictions on who or how we should love. People are the ones who have made the kind of decisions that set us against good people in our midst who do not think exactly like we do.
Retribution is not a stairway to heaven but kindness is. We do not fully understand the complexities of human minds and feelings. Why should we assume that only certain ways are good and that those that do not conform to our wishes are not just bad, but must be eliminated? Surely we have learned that self-righteousness is not healthy for anyone.
We are a highly advanced civilization and yet we too often find ourselves engaged in battles over our opinions. Instead we would do well to work on issues that truly matter like feeding and housing the world’s people, working for true peace on earth, learning how to work together. It is absurd that the courts in our nation are being asked to determine how individuals should express their sexuality and their love when allowing them to be themselves hurts nobody.
Busybodies have always been around. They are the same as the women spreading gossip in the time of Jesus. He made a point of calling them out. They are hypocritical like the Pharisees who put a gentle man to death because his message of love was making waves in their autocratic world. Isn’t it time that we just love like we were asked to do?
All It Takes Is A Little Love 