What is love? Is it flowers, chocolates, and wine? Is it cuddling together on the couch? Is it intimacy? Is it phone calls and cute text messages? Is it chemistry (literal or metaphorical)? For such a simply phrased question, there is no easy, clear-cut answer. As long as there have been human beings, there have been different ways of loving each other. No matter the dynamics, it is probably safe to assume individuals involved in loving relationships feel safe, valued, wanted, and free to be their authentic selves. While there may not be an easy answer as to what love is, it is very easy to tell what love is not. Love is not toxic. Love does not cause others to feel shame or guilt. Love does not attempt to deny or erase another person’s existence. Love does not convince others that death is a better alternative than life.
It is Pride month. This month should be used for learning about, celebrating with, and advocating for our LGBTQIA+ siblings. As expected, the homophobes, transphobes, and “good Christian folk” are out in equally loud force.
Now, it is my personal policy to engage in conversation with people who hold a different viewpoint in an effort to find common ground. However, I will not stand for blatant hatred, harmful misinformation and lies, and the further bastardization of my faith by religious extremists masquerading as Christians.
Anyone who has paid an iota of attention should be able to see the encroachment of white, Christian nationalism. Look to American polticians, particularly the members of the Republican Party, and you will see their campaigns centered around flogging a religion they do not sincerely follow. All you have to do is observe their actions. The foundational tenet of separation of Church and State has been shredded. In 2024, there were at least 516 bills in state legislatures targeting the LGBTQIA+ community (American Civil Liberties Union), the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022, and the Senate recently struck down guaranteed federal protections for contraception. If these are not controlling actions by power hungry individuals, please elucidate me. America is not a theocracy, yet, so get your damn religion out of the fucking government.
There is a persistent myth in the Christian world that “just because I don’t agree with you, doesn’t mean I don’t love you” or something to that effect. Disagreements are for ice cream flavors, pizza toppings, and music tastes, not human rights. There is nothing loving about the way most Christians treat the LGBTQIA+ community. You tell them they are wrong. You tell them they are mistakes and abominations. You call them horrible names. You purposely deadname and misgender them. You try to bully them with scare tactics telling them they are going to burn in Hell. You force them to live lies by suppressing who God made them to be. You ostracize them and throw them out of their homes. In extreme cases, you abuse them in any number of horrible ways to “convert” them straight. It seems to me like you worship a pretty fragile god since you feel the need to do a whole lot of fucking judging on their behalf and not nearly enough actual loving.
Do you care that in 2023 41% of young people who identified as LGBTQIA+ seriously contemplated suicide (PBS). Suicide. Somewhere along the line, they became convinced the world did not want them, and it would be better if they were not here. Or do you consider that a victory? I do not know if you have ever experienced despair that deep, but it is a shitty place to be. And you contributed to it. Instead of following the actual teachings of Jesus to love your neighbor, you chose to bully and hide behind cherry-picked clobber passages in the rest of the book that are always used without context.
On the topic of context, I would find the assertion that “the Word never changes” hysterical if the implications were not so serious. The fact is the Bible has changed forms numerous times throughout history. Given the language spoken in the region was Aramaic, it would be reasonable to conclude the stories were originally recorded in this language. Along the way, it was translated into Hebrew and then to Greek, Latin, etc. Each time it was translated, mistakes were made, and things were lost. Anyone who has studied languages knows there is no perfect word-for-word match. The translator has to make the best judgments based on the available rules of diction and grammar. This is particularly true when it comes to translating from Greek. The word “homosexual” did not appear in the Bible before the Revised Standard Version in 1946, and it was included due to a misunderstanding of the words malakoi and arsenokoitai (Baptist News Global). Looking to history, several councils of early Church leadership were convened to hammer out the details of the religion, including which writings made the cut for the Bible we have become familiar with. Here’s another historical nugget for you: King James I, the monarch who undertook yet another translation of the Bible that conservatives seem to adore, was known to have romantic relationships with at least three men (University of Portsmouth). All of this is to say it is absurd, laughable, and utterly ridiculous to claim the Bible never changes.
It seems to me you are wasting your time strong-arming the LGBTQIA+ community by screaming they’re going to Hell because you’ve done your damndest to create hell on earth for them. Quite frankly, I would rather spend eternity with my siblings than with self-righteous, arrogant, hypocritical, hateful “Christians.” I know I lived my life genuinely loving them and fighting for their rights. One thing is for sure, wherever we are, it will be fabulous!
Comments