Tolerance doesn't equate to acceptance

I've found more intolerance in the beliefs of the Christian "radical right" than I care to stomach, and I feel I must speak out. The Christian right almost always makes homosexuality a rallying point, a way to raise "true believers" in thoughtless, easy condemnation.
Some Christians may mean well by believing in the concept of "love the sinner, hate the sin." However, in most cases, I have seen it used as a very cleverly disguised way to preach intolerance, homophobia, and a way to deliberately create internalized shame within gay people in an attempt to make them feel distant to God. It is a phrase that essentially, to me, implies that a gay person is unacceptable to God.

The effort at tolerance in the statement "love the sinner but hate the sin," is not acceptance. When I hear the word "tolerance" the impression it conveys is "I don't like you, but I feel obligated to be nice to you and make you feel welcome because it's the right thing to do. I cannot stand certain things about you and feel those things elevate me to a level superior to yours. But, to keep the peace I will put up with you."

"Acceptance" elicits a very different and far more positive response. It says to me, "You are different from me, and though there are things I may not understand, I see you as a child of this world and equal to me. And, though I may not be like you, I support your rights, feelings, and identity as much as I would my own."

Hating your neighbor, even if their way of life is contrary to your religion, is thus in direct contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. The bottom line is that every human, regardless of race, creed, gender, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status every human, period is our neighbor. The vast majority of religious teaching supports this view, especially once you strip away a few centuries' worth of hypocritical rationalization and go back to what the Great Teachers (Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed) actually said themselves.

We may believe that someone is living in a way which is not best for them and in which we would not want to live ourselves, yet that does not stop them from being our neighbor nor does it take away our obligation to respect our fellow humans or their right to follow their own path.

Hating your neighbor, or teaching your neighbor to hate himself is WRONG, Mr. Rich, no matter whose name you do it in. I don't want to belong to a religion where I am "tolerated."

I don't feel comfortable attending a church that calls something natural for me a sin. I want to be accepted and affirmed as a unique creation of this Universe, and not judged by so-called "Christians" and called a sinner for living my life true to who I am.

May the Universe bless you by cradling you in its arms of love and acceptance ... Peace, love and happiness always,

Joplin Sell

http://www.alamogordonews.com


Merry CHRISTmas from the Radical Reich Christians