Recently, I had a conversation with someone about politics. In this season of our time as a country, we are culturally divided on so many issues that it is surprising that we can function at all. In fact, perhaps that is the reason we aren't functioning. During our conversation, the person stated that one person's argument, "is dead to [them] if it does not have at it's core a principle which will enable us to instead love that person or those persons more thoroughly and thoughtfully." This week, as we reconcile our very, very different viewpoints, I find this to be the best advice I have ever received.
Although I have attended church all my life, I often find myself disagreeing with Christians on most viewpoints now. I constantly mess up and make the wrong choices, the same as anyone, and I know that I would be judged pretty harshly if everyone knew how I'd screwed up. But that, to me, is the beauty of being human. We mess up really, really bad and then we bond over that. We let other people see our flaws and our shame, laughing over mistakes, and crying over others. I know that in this day in age, at least for me, it has been hard to admit that I simply just don't like religion sometimes because it carries with it a belief that we need to be perfect. However, if this is the case, I'd rather be viewed first as a loving, flawed human being than anything else.
As human beings, we love rules and anything which can clearly define the boundaries between right and wrong, or good and bad. We prefer for there to be no gray areas, but instead to have everything mapped out before us so that we can follow closely, make the right decisions, and reap all the profits of our great decisions. To Christians, the Bible is seen as this gigantic rule book, made specifically so that they could lead perfect lives and go to Heaven. However, there proves to be a problem with this logic. Every person within the Church and outside it has a different interpretation of what the Bible means. Generally, their interpretation best fits their life and makes it easy for them to make all the "right decisions."
The more I study and interact with others, the more I realize how broken the Church really is. Around the world, the Bible is used to condemn millions of people instead of to love people as they are. The Bible has been used to forbid alcohol consumption, same-sex marriage, smoking, women working, jeans, and believing that all dogs go to Heaven. Personally, I don't know anyone who could ever believe a Corgi doesn't go to Heaven.
As a philosophy, I believe that my decision is built mainly on that idea of doing everything in love. That's it. Choosing to live a life that is based around loving other people no matter what is what Christianity should be about, but more importantly, that is what being a human should be about. We should be serving the poor and the homeless, those that cannot care for themselves. We should be caring for the widows, women suffering from domestic abuse, and those who are victims of human trafficking and prostitution. We should be caring for children, pre and post-birth, but we should also be caring for the women who choose to have abortions and those women whose children are taken from them. We love those of every race, religion, and background. We love those who are in straight marriages, gay marriages, polygamous marriages, and those who are living together. It doesn't matter what they are addicted to, or who they are addicted to, or whether or not they've been locked up. Helping others was never about picking and choosing who to help and love, and then leaving everyone else behind because they simply didn't make the cut. Instead, living a lifestyle that is built around loving one another and providing support in every shape and size is what being a good person is all about.
Mother Theresa once said, "If you judge people you have no time to love them." I find her words stick with me throughout the day, often providing a reminder to listen first, then answer. Religion was never meant to be a way to divide the people by good and bad, but instead a way to unite people, but looking at history, I'd say we've done a pretty job with that. Instead, I choose to view loving people as my way through life now. It doesn't mean I've lost faith but instead realized that faith can best be realized when you are out in the world loving people who have been hurt by the religious and non-religious alike.
There's a big cultural divide in our country, and it is only getting bigger. We choose to spew hatred and intolerance, instead of respecting that there are different beliefs and choosing to put the good of the whole before ourselves. We will never agree completely, but the brokenness of the world, and that within our country right now, will not be fixed through fighting.
Perhaps my beliefs seem controversial. In fact, I hope they do. Christianity has been controversial since the beginning, and if we are living like everyone else, we aren't doing it right. As of now, I have a lot of beliefs that are pretty different than most Christians and I'm okay with that. All my decisions I want to be based around the core of loving everyone thoroughly and thoughtfully. As a country, we are facing a divide, a rather large one at that. Every day we are bombarded with new crimes, new hateful speech, and new problems, but I plan to start at the bottom and work my way up. Providing love at the lowest levels has the effect to change a person's life, I know that. We are imperfect, struggling people, and sometimes all we need is a little love and acceptance to make a difference in this chaotic, human world.
