Same-sex marriage just became legal in all 50 states, so I have had the opportunity to hear different opinions on the matter. I must say that some of the comments I have heard make me question why there is so much hate circulating. I wanted to pose some questions for you to ponder: Why do so many of us use our time and energy on being hateful and judging others whose actions do not directly affect us? If a gay couple were getting married right now, would you know? Would it hurt you in any way? That could be the happiest moment of their lives, as most weddings are a monumental event in a person’s life. No one is being required to attend the Gay Pride Parade, or forced to watch a channel on the television if they do not want to. Not everyone practices the same religion; some do not practice religion at all. However, so many religious people believe others should be living the way they aspire to live. Why should I think that I am right and I need to correct others? That is their path. Just because your path makes you happy does not mean that someone else would be happy following it.
Why do we care so much about what other people do with their lives? That time and energy could be spent on improving our own lives and becoming our better versions of ourselves. Are you really helping others “save” themselves? We all share the same planet, but we cannot seem to get along because we hate one another for not looking like us, or not having the same beliefs as us. Almost every religion has one thing in common: the belief in a higher power. There is no proof that any one way of thinking is the right way. The world is too big, and there are other ways of life and beliefs many people have been sheltered from. Before you begin to judge someone based on their beliefs, consider taking a step back and asking yourself why you believe what you do. Have you misconstrued it into something else rather than what it was meant to teach? There is a point when you might realize that you cannot change certain things, and you might accept that. You should also consider that you might not be qualified to judge the sins of others just because they sin differently than you do. The Bible has a passage that states, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). That would conclude that all sins are equal. Most importantly, according to most religions, God is the only judge, so we do not have the right to judge one another. God is the only one who is “able to save and to destroy.”
Many Christians still believe divorce is a sin, yet so many of those people have gotten divorces in order to find peace and to be happier. So how is that any different than being with someone because that is what would make you the happiest? A new church was started in order to reform the Catholic Church and break tradition so that King Henry VIII could divorce his wife in the 1500s. Sin is inevitable, which is why Christians believe Jesus died for us and that we have the chance to be forgiven when we do sin. Divorces are going to happen, though, and most of the time, it should for those two people to live happier lives. It has been allowed for so long that now most people prefer to have that right, and society is no longer shocked by it. The Bible also teaches forgiveness and loving others. If religion has been changing for such a long time, who can say how we should actually be living? Why should we keep someone else from being happy? Have you ever considered that the religion you might practice derived from the same idea that other religions did. Different parts of our world simply interpreted it differently? Then the teachings were changed out of greed, and some sins were seen as less significant than others. The idea is to live a certain way of life in order to ultimately reach eternal happiness. Gandhi once said, “Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal.”
If you are Christian, why are you a Christian? Would you be if you had not been exposed to it growing up? The religion you choose to follow, if you even choose to follow one, should bring you inner peace and happiness. What if you had been born on the other side of the globe? You would probably be practicing the religion most common in that area. Everyone should have the freedom to practice the religion of his or her choice, or to not practice anything at all. One path might include religion, and another might just involve meditation, or simply living a selfless life and helping others because that is what brings us happiness. It is human nature to want to find peace and joy. You are lucky if you know what will lead you to it. Why should we stop them if it does not harm others in the process? What if you could not be with the person you loved? We should all be looking out for one another rather than bringing each other down. All I ask of the reader is try to care for and accept someone different than you at least once. I believe in a god but do not judge others who believe in something different. Everyone should be able to choose how he or she wants to live, and in the end, they will be awarded accordingly in some way. It is not up to us to make that final decision for each other. If you are a Christian, do you practice what the teachings were meant to offer, or are you following the reformations because it is easier to judge than to try to live the way life should be lived? Sin will happen, but you are not the judge of that.
