A Heritical Christian speaks out.

Hi all,

I'm upset a bit. The Macy's Natalie Johnson thing makes me wonder if the Far Right hasn't decided to shift the onus of it's hate campaign away from the increasingly socially acceptable Gay and Lesbian community onto the more "hate-able" Transgendered community.

Some "versions" of Christianity hold that we humans ought to fear God. That somehow the Highest Creative Force in the universe is a mean and hating bastard. A god whose worshipers are in daily imminent danger of losing thier souls, of being punished for sins, and generally at risk of spending eternity squirming and suffering in Hell. Thing is, that fear is fantastic!
"Fantastic"? you say. How on earth can that be a good thing? It's simple. Fearful people are willing to buy thier way clear of a painful eternity. Pass that plate is a driving mentality of the same far right preaching community that wants to perpetuate itself with fear mongering and hate. These people cloak the evil fear and hate they spew with names like "Focus on the Family", and "Liberty Council". Well who doesn't love and appreciate Family, and Liberty? How can you possibly disagree with people who love liberty and family?
Except these people pretty clearly don't love them. They apparently do love power, they love huge shiny cars, and massive fancy churches, equipped with round the clock sermons (or fleecing s) and little green/yellow/red lights to tell the rent-a-minister when to wrap up his drivel.
They are bent into paroxysms of of hate, fear, and punishment. They write books teaching parents a abusive mode of child rearing both repugnant to Lovingkindness focused Christians and down right immoral. Books such as;

Bringing Up Boys, Paperback Edition

By: Dr. James Dobson

Dr. Dobson's Doctorate isn't a religion doctorate, it's a Child Psychology honorary doctorate quite questionable in it's validity. A position he used to torment young Gay and Lesbian children, and put the "fear of God" into his fragile charges. a figure all the more threatening as he controls a massive powerblock of "Faith Based" organizations that move large amounts of political money around. In addition his son in law, with his financial backing has raised a private army called "Blackwater Security". These people have been guilty of atrocities in Iraq and Afganhistan . This private army frankly scares me. They require a political oath to join, wrap themselves in the American Flag, and have the money and political far right sponsorship that makes them a great candidate for the nucleus of a right wing armed insurrection. But that's a post for another day.

Fact is, I don't believe Christianity is about being afraid. God Loves humankind. He is the ultimate creator god, delighting in our diversities, our uniqueness, and our own expressions of creativity. In my personal theology God made us to love, and that REQUIRES free will (after all, with no choice to not-love, how can it truely be love? Love is all about volition). So, we are made to love, and we are made to create, and in order to create he made us curious. God loves curiosity and creativity when those gifts are used for bringing love and well being to the universe then we are that much closer to God. In Carl Sagan's words "We are the Universe's way of knowing itself" And to my mind, God is the alpha and omega, the sum total of all things knowable and mysterious, and his many people are motes of consciousness within himself. God knows and loves because we learn and love.
And what is love? I don't know all the ins and outs of love. I doubt I ever will. But when find myself filled with hateful feelings, cursing people, or want to hurt them - it's an act of fear and not love. Fear is human too, but I believe that we trancend mere humanity and move into the realm of being "civilized" when we can bridge our fearful hates, come to see where others are coming from, then offer them comfort and help. j
But can we do that before our Union tears itself apart? Before we allow Megacorporations, and Faith based initiatives to rot away the protections of the Constitution, and rewrite the balance of powers that made America the face of a "New World Order" in 1776. The idea that EVERYONE is equal. EVERYONE deserves to live in a way that is most pleasing to them so long as it's not stomping on thier neighbors. No Religion may be paramount in this country, No religion may be favored by the government.
The reason I find DOMA a travesty is that it IS a religious proscription. It is saying that the Judeao-Christian-Muslim view of marriage is the only one this country can have. What other grounds can it be defended upon save religious ones? It is a law respecting religion, and that IS unconstitutional, since the congress Cannot make any law respecting religion.
Doma will fail. To be a free union the people must be free to associate in the way that is most pleasing to them and thier own conscience. It's our highest calling as Christians and Americans to increase the freedom of each other, restricting it only where freedom of action restricts another person,s reaching grasp for fulfillment and happiness. In short we must grant everyone the right to wave thier arms about as they wish, so long as they aren't using that freedom to punch others in the nose.
And Doma is a nose punch.
Right wing Christians like punching Noses.
and Natalie Johnson's action was a Nose Punch below the belt.
Shame on her, Shame on Dobson, but forgiveness and compassion to them also. May they find wellness, happiness, and freedom from harm in My United States of America!
May we all find it.
-Brianne