Today I was going to have a quote but then I read this, and it's too incredible for me to pass up in favor of a single line or two. So here it is.
Now usually, this is the point where I tell you about my life; where I say that I haven't been running because I've been under the weather or that I've been knitting and that I won NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row (and still working on it!), but I don't want to do that today.
I read that blog out of a whim when I saw a friend post it on facebook. And to be honest, it made me think.
Sadly, that author got some pretty accurate points in his post. And if you haven't read it by this point, go back and read it. All three pages. No I'm not kidding you. Because to be honest, I somehow understood what he was trying to say. And that's something that always puzzled me...how can people who consider themselves religious turn around and attack someone for being different? The majority of religions that I've seen or heard of all promote tolerance of others and loving those different from yourself.
I guess it hit home because I knew someone like that. We have since had a falling out and I haven't spoken with this person since high school, but I still remember. She was extremely religious (which was amusing when we had science classes together), but she seemed so opposed to those who held different beliefs than her or dressed differently.
I guess what bothered me the most was why people like that feel the need to attack others.
One of my best friends I've ever had is Buddhist.
Another one is atheist.
Still another is agnostic.
Still another is Christian.
Still another is Hindu.
But they're people. And that's what I loved about this guy's post; although he mainly deals with it surrounding homosexuals, the message is the same. It shouldn't matter if you're black, white, gay, straight, bisexual, a jock, a nerd, or polka-spotted. We're people, aren't we?
Just because you're different from me doesn't mean I love you less. My friends are like the world's craziest (and best) salad; everyone brings a different flavor and color to the mix and without them, it's just not the same. A good friend and I were chatting last night and he told me about this great date he had with a guy he knew. And you know what?
I was just as happy for him as if it were any one of my other friends.
And that's what bothered me and what I felt was pointed out in the post. The title really says it all..."I'm a Christian Unless You're Gay". Why should it matter?
Now, I was raised Catholic. I will never admit to being a great Catholic, but I believed in the core teachings. It all boils down to this for me: Be nice to others and accept everyone as they are. "Let he without sin cast the first stone" and all. Because honestly, nobody's perfect. We make mistakes and we learn from them.
Since coming to college I've made plenty of friends who are homosexual or bisexual. To me, that don't make a lick of difference; I like them for who they are. And when people have a problem with their lifestyle, I get bothered.
Why should love be regulated? It's unfair to say that just because I'm a woman and he's a man our relationship is accepted and tolerated by the majority of the world but because they're both women it's indecent. As far as I recall, nowhere in religious texts does it say that we are to deny love to anyone, nor are we to deny anyone the right to love who they will.
Sure, maybe that makes some people uncomfortable. But is giving two people permission to live their lives together going to hurt anyone else? Most likely not.
And I suppose this should have gone at the beginning of this little rant, I am not trying to offend anyone or push my views down your throats. I'm just trying to think about something that's been (and most likely will continue to be) a big issue for people today. And with that issue will come the strange sort of prejudices we see today.
"I'll be nice to you as long as you're the same as me."
But you know what the problem with that mentality is?
NOBODY IS THE SAME AS YOU. NOBODY. We are all different and beautiful and spectacular and fantastic and brilliant. So if you choose to follow that philosophy that you love people who are the same as you it's either going to be very lonely or you're friends with a bunch of good actors. Everyone has something weird about them. Some people like bad 90's pop music. Some people are secret lovers of anime. Some people are really good at lacrosse but never tell anyone. But nobody's exactly the same.
I write this from a very interesting position. I'm in college (and thusly know everything, right?), come from a nice, middle-class family in the suburbs. I don't know if I've ever been in a minority group that has been the subject of some of these prejudices. But that doesn't give me any sort of right to ignore what they're going through. It doesn't give me the right to ignore it, since ignoring it would be perpetuating the problem. But at the same time, that same position doesn't give me the authority to speak on behalf of these people.
So this whole long freakin' post you've just read is my thoughts. Only my opinion on what I thought was a very compelling and moving blog post.
And considering my last blog post was about food, I feel like I've balanced out the seriousness between the two. So you can disagree with me or agree with me or not give a damn, but you know what? I don't particularly mind.
I like you for who you are. We can agree to disagree.
Song of the Day: Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson with Sara Bareilles
<3 Erin
