"I'm a Christian, unless you're gay."

http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html/3/

I highly encourage you to read this article. All three pages worth. And really soak in the information. It's absolutely fantastic.

Here are some quotes (and my reflections) that really stood out to me:

I’ve heard the hate. I’ve heard the disgust. I’ve heard the disdain. I’ve heard the gossip. I’ve heard the distrust. I’ve heard the anger. I’ve heard it all, and I’ve heard it tucked and disguised neatly beneath a wrapper of self-righteousness and a blanket of “caring” or “religious” words. I’ve heard it more times than I care to number.

So have I. I think that's what makes this article really impactful, becuase I can relate to everything it talks about. I have those friends who are Christians and yet are still incredibly judgmental. I'M a Christian who is still incredibly judgmental. Not in terms of gay people though...my lack of kindness applies to those people who I see as being 'too different' compared to me. Maybe they're socially awkward, maybe they're disrespectful to others, maybe they're not as talented as I am. Whatever it is, I know there's certain people I look down on and brush aside in day-to-day life, not even thinking about trying to love them. Shame on me.

According to Christians, Jesus taught a couple of interesting things. First, “love one another.” Second, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Whenever I get in a conversation with someone about homosexuals and religion (which happens more often than you may think), the first thing that I usually say is that God tells us to love each other. I also add in the fact that Jesus loved the tax collectors and the prostitutes, people who were on the very outs of society, just like the gays are today. The bit about casting the first stone really struck me though, and it made me realize how incredibly stupid it is for me to pick apart other people...

Complete honesty time: I am constantly tearing down others in my mind throughout the day in order to make myself feel better. Walking through the hallways, I usually figure out if the girl in front of me is skinnier or fatter than me and if she's bigger, I get a little smug smile on my face that I'm "better than her". During Indoor Percussion practice, when one of the bass drums can't get their part but I've had my music down for months, I roll my eyes and think about how much better I am. Sitting in class, I see someone whose shoes don't go perfectly with their outfit or their color combinations/textures aren't exactly right. I judge them and then look at myself approvingly.

I am such an idiot...here's me casting so many stones every day, when I should be the one getting pelted with rocks.

I know there are many here who believe that living a homosexual life is a sin. Okay. But, what does that have to do with love?

Exactly...what does that have to do with love? What do any of my judgments have to do with love?

In truth, having a religion doesn’t make a person love or not love others. It doesn’t make a person accept or not accept others. It doesn’t make a person befriend or not befriend others. No, what makes somebody love, accept, and befriend their fellow man is letting go of a need to be better than others.

I'm not gay.
I don't dress differently.
I don't act differently.
I'm not addicted to drugs.
I don't smoke.
I don't have an eating disorder.
I don't have non-traditional piercings.

But I struggle everyday with the need to be better than others.