In every religious group, political group, or class, there will always be some people who have radicalized their group's ideals. Ideals that may have a meaning we don't understand are interpreted as something they aren't because members of a group catch media attention and garner panic. When people think of Islam, they immediately think of ISIS and the terror that they enact on innocent people, manipulating traditional Islam teachings to gain followers. Today, when many people think of Christianity, they think of bigotry, hypocrisy, and hate. As a Christian, this is really disappointing to me.
Christians, like myself, hold the bible very sacred to our hearts. We know it as the infallible spoken testimony of God himself, and His laws -- not just guidelines -- are not meant to punish us or limit us. They are meant to show us the best way to live -- to live in a way that glorifies Him. To walk with God in our lives on Earth, we are shown what true joy can really be. The Bible teaches love because God is love.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
His word teaches us to show compassion to everyone, and that is what we try to do, although we fail over and over again, because we are not perfect -- we were not made to be. People show distaste towards others who practice certain lifestyles because they are afraid of the influences they are creating. They want to shield their children, to protect them from living in a way that is antithetical to God's instruction. They are afraid of things that are beyond their control, like so many of us. Fear causes us to falter, makes us waver in our faith and our judgment.
However, we all have a choice to make about the way we choose to live. So many of us try to live in a way that is glorifying to God and make choices based on that. I choose to try and show compassion to anyone and everyone I meet even if I am not met with the same attitude. We do not preach a gospel of hate, but a gospel of love -- of sacrifice, to love others in the same way that Jesus loves us.
So I ask you not to generalize us based on the few of us, but form your opinions based on the many. There are so many organizations that are solely supported by churches -- people of good intentions. I do not claim to be better than anyone else, I only pray that I may become a better version of myself every day. Christians -- true Christians -- will only show you love, compassion, and grace, no matter who you are.
I ask you to understand that just because we do not celebrate you or support what you are doing does not mean that we hate you. Whether you know it or not, you are a child of God, just like myself. In light of the Orlando nightclub massacre, I pray that we can be brought together by such an awful tragedy. I pray that we may stand together to face the enemy of our Father, our ancestors, and our world: evil.
