I was born and raised as a Southern Baptist. My dad never allowed me to believe in Santa Claus and I lead my church in prayer numerous times growing up. I am proud to say that I believe in Christ and try to live up to the standard He set. I still pray before my meals and before I go to sleep. I don't claim to be better than any other person because I fail the Lord on a daily basis. I battle with temptations and try my hardest to overcome, but I still find myself struggling. I also find it hard to be part of the Christian community that I feel like I have very few things in common with. I see posts about how this country is becoming more like Sodom and Gomorrah since the reason Supreme Court decision on gay marriage. I see people say that prayer should be mandated in school. I see "Christians" damning people to Hell instead of welcoming them with love like Jesus did.
I'm believer in Jesus, but a huge fan of the he Constitution of the United States. I have prayed about writing this article and have been led to a verse in Matthews.
"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" Matthew 7: 3-5
I have taken this to believe that you can not point out the sins of others and damn them to hell while we face our own sin. I am able to see sin without crucifying the sinner, and we all have that ability. I also remember the verse in John 2:10 where Jesus says "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." This points out that all sin is equal in the eyes of the Lord. It is this verse that makes me realize the flaw of laws based of strict Christian standards, such as marriage. If we want laws because the Bible says so, then fornication before marriage is a death sentence. We shouldn't be able to pick which bible verses to base laws off of.
That being said, we are lucky enough to live in a country where we have freedom of religion. The exact wording goes: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." This of course gives all people the right to practice religion and believe in what they choose. People often forget the first part of that sentence, and I believe that is the more important part. Congress cannot make or enforce laws because of a religious purpose. See, I think of it this way: religion is like ice cream and government is like bacon. I am a huge fan of both, but it just sounds disgusting to have them mixed together.
What sparked this article comes from the idea that there is a war on Christianity and our rights as Christians. This seems absolutely ridiculous to me. No rights have been taken away from me nor any Christian when homosexuals gained the right to marry, but a whole group of people gained rights. You can in fact pray in school, it just can't be forced on students or lead by a teacher. A Private school can do both those things because they do not function off of public money. The enforcement of equality doesn't mean there is a war on us.
I believe in a separation of church and state and I see this nation growing in a positive direction with civil rights. I believe that a secular government is more positive as a whole. It is your right to practice your religion and damn me to hell for being a drunker and a man of lust, but realize that we are the same in the eyes of the Lord.We can argue all day about morality and equality but there is not enough hours in the day. I do leave you with this, Jesus' commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37- 39.
