Was reading this blog entry last night:
Living Incognito

The two quotes below appeared in the above blog entry:

The two quotes at the beginning of the blog stirred strong emotions in me:
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. –Jonathan Swift

Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated. –Coretta Scott King

Let’s deal with the first quote to begin with. It’s another reason I don’t attend organized religion. For someone who believes in a higher power, there certainly seems to be too much anger, too much negativity directed at groups of people. Isn’t the whole reason for religion to come together as one and accept others regardless of their shortcomings? Isn’t everyone a child of God, and therefore divine? Isn’t everyone forgiven in the end?

There aren’t many issues that I get angry over. I’m pretty even keeled. One of the things that does create some antagonistic feelings for me though is the “Gay” issue. There is REAL hatred out there and some of that hatred is coming from organized religion. NOT ALL is emanating from religion. There is a fair share however.

If God says love thy neighbor and let he who is without sin cast the first stone how do you think he feels when he sees the lengths that some people go to? Is it right to deny someone the privilege of seeing a loved one while they are in the hospital? What does say when he sees this? And what about the whole Gay marriage issue? Do people REALLY think allowing Gay people to marry will undermine marriage? If two people love each other, who are we to deny them the right to express their love?

Jonathan Swift was right:
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

I’ve NEVER expressed my political feelings here before and I PROMISE NOT to do so often, but sometimes I get on a tangent and it is difficult to hold back. God is Love! God loves all his children! He doesn’t say:
Oh look, there’s Joe Smith. I’ll separate him because he is a sinner. Yes we all sin. That goes without saying. But EVERYONE can be redeemed. Life should be joyful. Why waste it with hatred? Why destroy some one’s character. By doing so, you only hurt yourself. We all come back anyway. What if it was you who was different? Who knows? Perhaps the NEXT time you return it WILL be YOU! Before you cast that stone, try walking a mile in the other’s shoes.

It’s not just the Gay issue I have trouble with. Women in organized religion are looked down on as well. This isn’t the middle ages anymore. Let’s try and progress beyond the middle ages. What I find REALLY amusing is the Anglican Church. Several years ago there was a movement to ordain women. Such a hue and cry went up. Talk of a schism made the rounds. This is because a women wanted to be ordained? Some in the organization acted like children:
Okay then I’m going home and taking all my toys with me.

Is this a way to foster acceptance, love, forgiveness? God is probably slapping his forehead, thinking the same thing. Hatred and intolerance only breeds more of the same. Take it from someone who learned. Coretta Scott King is right when she says:
Hate injures the hater more than it injures the hated.

Let go and Let God!

Be Happy! Be Well! Be Positive!

Chris

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