If, After Reading These Words of Jesus...Why, On Earth, Would you Discriminate? (Part 3)

How can we work to make this world a better place for everyone if we can't even agree to follow the Golden Rule? To treat others the way we want to be treated? How can we ever find  peace in this world if we can't even agree to follow the simplest precepts of those teachers we choose to worship? Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, God, Goddess--any preaching about the words of any of these great teachers has to start with the word "love". To teach anything else, purporting to be the words of them, is reckless and will lead ultimately to the destruction of this world--not by their "hands", but by ours. Human hands. 

The one thing you can be sure they taught, the one thing they all could agree on? The Golden Rule. It's a universal rule. Look it up.

As I wrote Part 2 of this post, I kept thinking about words that Jesus spoke during his Sermon on the Mount--these were arguably the most important words he spoke; he wanted to give guidance to his listeners, and it was a huge crowd, so you have to know he chose his words carefully.

And again, not one word about homosexuality. You would think, if that was important to him, he

would have mentioned it first, last, and in the middle. But no. 

 Jesus had a different message (I have chosen to embolden some words)...

 The Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Love Your Enemies

43 "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Judging Others

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

The Golden Rule

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
  
 Amen.
Our lives are short, and the list of ways to make this world a better place is long. We have far more important things to do than discriminate. 
Far more important things to do. 
Start by spreading love. 

Discrimination is Easier Than YOU Think...Why, On Earth, Would you Discriminate Part 2

I've had a whirlwind of thoughts for the past couple of weeks. I have taken some time to write, re-write, and clarify, so that you--the reader--can understand. I hope you take some time to read, and then think, about what I'm trying to say here. Please.
"Here's the church, here's the steeple. Open the door, and see all the people."
I love to read stories about lives that are different from mine. Different cultures, different situations, different periods in history. When I read these stories, I often have an "ah ha!" moment; a moment when I have a new perspective on life. I like to learn about different religions and different spiritual practices; I choose to go to my church because we draw on many religious traditions, and I've learned so much. What I've mostly learned is that there is not ONE answer to life's questions, but many answers. To think that you have all the answers, or that your religion has the only answers is misguided indeed.
I've learned that your spiritual beliefs will have a major impact on how you occupy this world, and how you treat others.
As I've gotten older, I've come to realize our time on Earth is very limited, and we can choose to leave this Earth better than when we arrived, or we can make things worse--a whole lot worse, if we choose to.

"Here's the church, here's the steeple. Open the door, and see all the people."

Because I truly want to listen, to learn the perspective of others, I recently went to church--not my church, but another church. A church so vastly different from my own that my heart was pounding (sort of a "fight or flight" mentality automatically kicked in--some of you might not understand this, but going in as a minority of any kind puts one on edge) through most of the first part of the service. I admit I went with some prejudices of my own, but by going, I was able to "call myself" on some of them. No, not every license plate was an "In God We Trust" plate. No, not every woman had to wear a dress to the service; as a matter of fact, I would have fit right in in my usual jeans that I wear to my own church services. What did surprise me--more than I expected--was how HUGE the place was! Enormous!! They have 3 services, and the place was packed at 11. According to the Order of Service, on a Sunday when the weather was snowy and driving treacherous. they still managed to have attendance of 1,000. THAT'S amazing.
I listened to the minister. I know him, have read some things he has written. I've had conversations with him, but had never heard him address his congregation. I was intrigued by the topic of his sermon: "Did Jesus Ever Discriminate?" I wanted to know what he thought, so I sat, listened, and took notes. 
The short answer to the question was:  "Yes. Jesus did discriminate." He went on to speak about Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Bill, and how important it was that this Bill be passed. And, he spoke about being true to your religious convictions.
I left feeling not uplifted, but sad. Sad for the world.
Jesus taught a message of love. "Love one another." That message was not delivered at the church on the Sunday I visited. Instead, the message was, "Yes, Jesus DID discriminate."
And that's why we need to have the Religious Freedom Restoration Bill. So you, as the owner of any business in any town in Indiana, can discriminate against those you think you can't abide.
AND LET ME BE CLEAR:  WE ARE ONLY TALKING ABOUT HOMOSEXUALS AND WOMEN.
Because to discriminate against the darker skinned? That's just not done anymore.
To discriminate against the Jew, the Muslim, the Buddhist? We don't do that as much either.

Here's the thing, You are free to open a business, provide a service, sell a product. You open your doors and welcome customers. According to some, who believe we should have a Religious Freedom Restoration Bill embedded into state law, you are also free to follow your "moral compass" and discriminate against women, if they want to control their own reproductive health; and anyone under the LGBT "umbrella" because they are perverse.
Here's the problem. Although some differences are plain to the naked eye, and therefore easy to detect and discriminate against, the ones that are actually more foul and heinous are buried under the skin--they reside in the soul.
We don't all wear shirts with our "attributes" listed for all to see:
"Hello, my name is ___________________. I have never murdered anyone, I am not a child molester, and I have never beaten anyone. I do use birth control, I am for gun safety, and I have vaccinated my children. I release spiders outside and I recycle."
Can you imagine the length of that shirt that we would have to wear??

Because we don't all wear that attribute shirt, we have to rely on the visual. For most of us, we take one look at someone, and judge them. One look.
If the person looks just like me and acts just like me, I assume they believe the exact same things I do.
If their skin is a different shade, I hesitate. I'm not sure.
If they are with someone of the same sex, I need more information before judging.
If they open their mouths to speak, and they have an accent or if I cannot understand them, I am uncomfortable.
If they appear to be more poorly dressed or smell in a certain way, I judge them.
But if they are like me, I gladly will serve them.
I gladly serve them, because I have judged them, and I've decided they must believe the same things I do.
I do not know, nor do I care, what they are really like, because they look just like me.
They could have murdered their parents, but they look like me. I will sell them a CD.
They could have raped 3 women in the past year, but they have a nice haircut, so I will welcome them into my restaurant.
They could have molested 100 kids, and sold child pornography for years, but because they appear with their fiance and ask me to bake their wedding cake, and they are a heterosexual couple, I will happily do it, just let me get them a sample of the cake......

Discriminate against the very people Jesus DID call out? The adulterers and the fornicators? Well, it's just not that easy to figure those people out...But two people, of the same sex, buying groceries together? Well, now THAT we can see, and THAT we can feel righteous about. THOSE people need to go (even though Jesus said nothing about the lesbians, or the gays). Those are the people I don't want to serve, because I am following the "teachings of my religion." Here's another crazy thing. If I walk into any place of business, I will be served, because I'm just a funny-looking older woman. I would have to walk in with my WIFE in order for you to feel you need to discriminate against me. You will look love in the face and you will throw us out, but will gladly serve the guy over there, even though I know he's been married three times, and has recently impregnated a college cheerleader. But he LOOKS like a fine citizen.
To truly discriminate, to follow your religiously-ordained set of prejudices, you actually have to get to know someone a little bit. You have to form a relationship with them. And then? You have to turn your back on them--you have to condemn them for who they are.
Think about how that feels to that person.
If you're not a sociopath, it hurts.
It hurts a lot.
And why do you do it? Discriminate against....? Do you think the person you're ushering out of your place of business with suddenly fall to their knees and thank you for showing them the error of their ways??? Really? You think they will suddenly agree with everything you believe as you refuse them service in your restaurant? Because that's not going to happen. What IS going to happen is that person will harden their heart against you, and against everything you purport to believe. They are going to feel hatred maybe...certainly will feel anger as you have basically called them a bad person, and have shunned them. Perhaps they will internalize their anger, but far more likely, they will communicate their feelings to friends and family, who will in turn feel anger toward you and your beliefs.
This! This is how wars get started.
Because in the world where we allow discrimination to legally take place, most rapists, murderers, and child molesters will be welcomed with open arms. Because they look like us.
We will gladly serve the fornicators and the adulterers. Because they are us, and are easier to understand.
But the gays? We MUST shun them.
Because the Bible says so.
Even though Jesus said...not...one...word...about homosexuality.
But he said a whole lot of words about love.
"Here's the church. Here's the steeple. Open the doors.....but don't see ALL the people."

 

If I Could Address the Court...

This week, the US Supreme Court hears oral arguments on two cases:  Hollingsworth v Perry, which seeks to overturn Prop 8 in California, by declaring the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits limiting marriage to "one man, one woman", and US v Windsor, which challenges the Defense of Marriage Act (the law of the country) as a violation of the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law.
If I could, I would like to remind the justices of the Supreme Court of a few things:

• Our country is a Republic, not a Theocracy..  The moment an attorney, arguing in favor of marriage inequality, mentions the Bible, or religion of an kind, I fully expect them to be interrupted. The justices could take turns, beginning for the hell of it with Justice Thomas, although I imagine he will be his silent, sullen, impolite self.  I hope a laugh track is involved! Anyone whose argument begins:  "I believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman because "it's what my church teaches me.""  should have their license to practice law revoked.  There should be no religious citations allowed--arguments involving religious doctrine don't belong here.  Not in the Supreme Court of the nation.  
• Marriage is a legal contract.  Traditionally, women were treated as property in these contracts; their new husband had complete control over them and their offspring.  We seem to have forgotten this little tidbit.  The legal contract that same sex couples are seeking would not give one complete control over the other, but would allow them to have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.  They would be allowed to have the over 1100+ federal rights now enjoyed by their heterosexual friends.  These are 1100+ rights that are huge.  HUGE.  Don't believe me?  Then YOU go without them, give them up, and let me know how that works for you.  
• Justice is blind.  The justices should put their personal feelings aside, especially if they feel "ewww" about two men or two women kissing and being in a sexual relationship.  I know there are people out there, especially men, who just can't handle the thought of same sex sex.  The justices need to grow up and remember why they are there--to uphold the Constitution for everyone.  EVERYONE.  This is one of the most important decisions they will render this term, and will probably be one of the most important (certainly the most discussed) of their time on the bench. 
• Politics has no place in this decision either.  Equality is not a Democrat or Republican issue.  It's a very human one.  
• Finally, I would ask them to read a blog I wrote back in 2008.  I try to explain what marriage equality would mean to me, as a person.  It goes beyond the love I have for Karen; I have very real concerns about what the lack of a legally-recognized marriage means for us, beginning with medical decisions.  

If asked, what would I say to the justices of the Supreme Court?
"I am a legal citizen of the United States.  I work, I pay taxes, I try to do what's right.  And I love another person, very deeply and without reservation.  My family and my friends are supportive of us, and our relationship.  It's time for my government to step up and give Karen and I the same equal protection other couples enjoy.  Actually, it's well past time, and many, many couples have died without this equal protection.  I grieve for them, and have hope for us."

The Road to Theocracy...

The road to Theocracy is paved with good intentions.

According to a dictionary:  Theocracy:  "a system of government in which God or a deity is held to be the civil ruler."


When I read that Rick Santorum had won the primaries of 3 states, all I could think was "Theocracy".  For that's what he and his supporters are asking for in this country.  And for those in this country who fear Sharia Law; that is, those who think the "Muslims are going to take over this country", I have a warning for you.  Once you open the door to electing only those who share YOUR "Christian values", there's no shutting it.  If people get used to being governed by only fundamentalist Christians, why wouldn't they agree to being governed by fundamentalist any religion?  Why, if you're charismatic enough, and have enough money, you can convince anybody that your God is better than their God.

I've said this before, and I'm sure I will say it again:  Our country, the United States of America, is a Republic.  We, all of us, are responsible for electing other people to represent us.  All of us.  All colors, all genders, all lovers of others, all believers of all religions, AND all non-believers.  If you are elected to public office in this country (any office), you swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not the edicts of your clergy.  And that's good, because the Constitution protects all of us--and, if you care to read it, you will note--establishes no state religion.  Which is great.  Because you are allowed to personally believe what you do, and I am allowed to believe what I do, and we have to be aware that our beliefs may not be the same.  Which is good--my church does not tell you what you have to believe, and vice versa.  What we DO have to believe is that our elected officials will represent all of us.  

It's a hard thing to do; represent everyone.  The majority of your constituents, and the minority.  Some elected officials might pray to a deity for guidance.  Some may meditate.  Some others just go with a "gut feeling".  No matter what, I hope the official takes time to consider all sides of an issue, intelligently. I sincerely hope they are guided by the principles of justice and equality, not the latest edict from their religious leader.  [I'm going to digress a moment, and ask--how in the hell does the Catholic Church maintain its' tax exempt status?  Really?] 

Let's take the issue of contraception as an example.  Really, this should not be an issue discussed in government--the job of the government in this case would be to make sure any form of contraception is safe to use, and available to everyone.  Like drinking water.  And air.  And food.  I daresay we don't expect the government to tell us what kind of water to drink, but we do want them to regulate the quality, and ensure an adequate supply.  That's exactly the way our government should handle our health care--make sure it's available to all, it's safe, and then let the people decide what doctor to see, what course of treatment to pursue.  A man "needs" Viagra?  Fine, let him talk to his doctor, and they decide what's best.  He doesn't have to ask his congressional representative if it's OK.  A woman decides she needs birth control.  She talks to her doctor, and based on the medical information, decides what's best.  SHE DECIDES.  If she discovers she's pregnant, SHE decides whether her body can deliver a baby--taking various factors into account.  If she's healthy, feels capable of raising a child, will do all she can to ensure the pregnancy will lead to a healthy child, and so on, she might even consider her own beliefs about adoption, abortion, circumcision...she might decide to consult a religious guide of some kind to help her make her decision.  It's a big one, for sure.  But it's the woman's own choice to make.  She doesn't have to ask her congressional representative if it's OK.  She shouldn't have to ask you, me, or anyone else in this country to take a vote on it.  

It's a basic human right, to have control over your own body.  We tell kids this all the time--it's your body.  Nobody else has a right to touch you.  At what age does that change?  Because for some Americans, if you're a woman, all bets are off.  EVERYONE has a say about your body.  Fuck your fundamental right.

But let's get back to Rick Santorum, shall we?  Oh, he's a slick one. all right.  To save you the trouble of Googling "Rick Santorum", and getting lost, I've done it for you.  The following is from his official campaign website (I skipped past the money beg on the first page):  

http://www.ricksantorum.com/oped/no-more-leading-behind-america

He talks the talk, all about religious liberty and equality for women, respect for all beings, blah blah blah.  But he never walks the walk--he believes life begins at conception, and if elected, you will too.  Especially if you're a woman--no choice for you.  No right of control of your own body.  Liberty for all?  Except if you're gay.  Then the 14th Amendment does NOT apply to you.  Are you a Muslim?  Try not to be too "extreme" in your beliefs, because Rick Santorum will take you out.  And not for dinner.  Is your child in a PUBLIC school?  Not for long, not if Rick Santorum has his way.  Prayer will be back--the right, Christian prayer, that is.  Theocracy all the way...

God help us.