Dear You,
In all of the most recent cultural events there has been one big issue.
No, it is not Target, Planned Parenthood, same-sex marriage, or the like. The problem is us.
I am no biblical scholar, but I do know the difference between a "judge-thy-neighbor" and "love-thy-neighbor" mindset. The first is an agenda bound by rules that individuals see fit and normal to be considered worthy; the latter is a... well, Scriptural term for how we are called to approach one another.
Sure, you can stop reading here and call me naive, or you can put down your picket signs and anti-this-or-that signs and listen.
Stop condemning from the altar you built for yourself.
The problem is not in the voice and rights transgender people have been given, it is in this assumption that just because someone is different from us, has chosen a different path, has listened to their own heart and actually did something about it, they are someone less than us.
Now let me get this straight. We want to condemn, burn, throw-out, ridicule and silence the voices and hearts of people who are simply fighting to be the best of themselves that they can be? While we're at it, why don't we hold a protest rally against the six-year-old boy who wants to be President when he grows up... get my point?
So, again, the problem is not with Target and their very-legal and very-thought-out choice to allow transgenders the right to choose whatever bathroom makes them comfortable. The problem is with those of you who somehow assume that a human being, shopping at Target just like you, should some how be limited by where they chose to relieve themselves?
And don't give me that rehearsed speech about pedophiles and rapists and the sort. We get it. The world is an awful place. You want to protect yourself and your family from said awful events. But the last time I checked a man was still fully able to walk into a woman's restroom at Target and so as he pleases... The point of this legislation and freedom for transgender people is to give them a peace of mind and heart when they are bringing themselves out in public just like any other human being. This legislation is not for you and it is not about you, it never was. It is about a well-addressed freedom. Whether you agree with that freedom or not is your own issue, not the transgender community's.
You probably still think I'm naive, right? That's OK, because I have a little more faith in myself and my ability to think for and of others in the choices I make. And the last time I checked, I am not a judge of Christian "rights and wrongs," and correct me if I am wrong, but neither are you fellow Christians.
I give you this same pitch to those who condemn other religions, races and backgrounds, LGBTQ youth and adults, mentally and physically disabled individuals and people who choose yellow Starbursts over red.
To Christians everywhere. If you truly hope to show the LGBTQ community (and others who "differ" from you) that God is love, then take this tip: be too busy loving that it seems you have forgotten to judge.
Let me remind you, your judgement and condemnation is not bringing the Kingdom to Earth. In my personal opinion, we are further from Kingdom on Earth than we have ever been before, because somehow we have become privileged and entitled.
I mean really, think about it, are you truly showing God's love by casting aside those you assume He would be displeased by? Need I remind you that we all fall short? I know you know that, yet you are so quick to forget that. You have come to assume that just because someone is not a textbook definition of "Christian," they are someone less than you, or that just because a different choice is made that they suddenly lose all worth and invitation into Grace and the Kingdom.
For crying out loud, we even do this to fellow Christians who attend the same church as us but choose to listen to a different type of music, watch R-rated movies, and wear unique clothing. Jeesh, Christians, where are you going?
OK, my letter is ending here.
So, no you do not need to agree, join the rallies, or even assume that you can relate with them, but: "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."
Sincerely,
A Fellow Christian Who Is Slightly Irritated By You
