On Bigotry & Religion

Yesterday, a friend of mine got me to do a survey on religion for his school project. I ended up going overboard and wrote three paragraphs for Question 3, which basically asked whether religion made the world better or worse since so many things are allegedly caused by religion (i.e. religious wars, inequality, etc).

"I'm not a very good Christian." - Sookie Stackhouse

Now first off, I don't think of myself as a particularly religious person, kind of like how Sookie Stackhouse might see herself. I'm not what some people would consider 'a good Christian'. But what I do know is that I try to be a good person. I know I don't always get it right, and I can be really really mean under certain circumstances. But most of the time I try to be kind and compassionate. I try to be as pleasant a person as I can. I do try.

How I basically react to a lot of people.

From what I can tell, there are good Christians who are good people, and then there are Christians who are bad people. Though for the latter group, I'm not sure what kind of Christians they are but I don't really hold them in high regard. These are the people who would spout hate based on what they have interpreted from the Bible. These are people who go about saying horrible things in the name of religion. I personally believe these people should be stopped cause they're giving the religion a bad name, but that's another topic for another day.

A couple days ago, some people close to me said some really prejudiced, bigoted things regarding an LGBT topic. It was so frustrating because you can't really debate nor discuss anything with them in a decent civilized manner. They are ridiculously stubborn, and there's just no point of really having that conversation regardless of how you approach the matter because they will frustrate you until all you want to do is sigh.

What I really want to know, is why is there all this hate and condemnation? Where did you people find in the Bible where it was okay to go around calling people sinners just because of what their religion is or who they love? If I'm not mistaken, that actually makes you a sinner and a dick.

When dealing with people, I personally try to follow 2 very basic rules, so simple that kids will have no problem understanding them at all, but somehow adults face such mind-numbing difficulty grasping them.

• The Great Commandment - Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
• Matthew 7:1 - Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Tell 'em, Jesus.

Think about it. How would you feel if your family, friends, and loved ones were the targets of hate and bullying? It's actually a very simple question with a very straightforward answer: You wouldn't like it. You would feel angry and offended, and that a great injustice has been committed. It's not a nice feeling when people hate on you for whatever reason. Even more so when you have no say in the matter.

I'm not saying I hate bigots. I don't like them, and they fill me with such frustration. But I don't hate them. They're human, and they make mistakes, so I forgive them for that. Hopefully one day they'll figure out why it's not okay to be a dick.

So why not stop being mean and nasty for a change, and just look to each other and say, "I'm okay with you, and I love you as a person." Let's all just try to be good people who are good to each other. Cause I know at the end of the day that's one of the most important things you could ever do.