My friend got a little message left on his windshield tonight...I will share that photo with you.
1. My friend is gay.
2. He is an AMAZING guy.
3. God definitely DOES NOT hate him.
I don't understand what the person had going through their mind when they placed this on his window. Did they feel they were "saving his soul"? That he would "turn to God"? I truly believe (and have some good biblical reasoning) that God ...does not "hate" his own creations. I also believe that intentions are clear when words like this are used - you are not saving anyone - converting anyone - etc. You are creating hostility and hatred and spreading it further and further in our world.
It blows my mind. Do they know what they are conveying about Christians? Do they fully comprehend the hate message they are sending? Has there not been enough news stories lately about "bullying" and the effects it has on our world? Luckily, my friend is strong and grown up and not necessarily "immune" to this crap - but at least he can take it. What about our kids? What are you placing in their minds? That if they happen to be different - God hates them? Or on the other side - it is OK to bully and threaten others if you think what they do is wrong? We need to grow up.
That's all I have. I'm not very elegant with words - and this post doesn't nearly show my frustration...but I just wanted to put it out there. I think what I want to say can be found in the doctrine of the Community of Christ church in section 162 which was given in 2004:
"6a. From the earliest days you have been given a sacred principle that declares the inestimable worth of all persons. Do not forget.
b. The One who created all humankind grieves at the shameful divisions within the human family. A prophetic people must work tirelessly to tear down walls of separation and to build bridges of understanding.
c. You hold precious lives in your hands. Be gentle and gracious with one another. A community is no stronger than the weakest within it. Even as the One you follow reached out to those who were rejected and marginalized, so must the community that bears his name."
11 comments:
This is so sad, it breaks my heart
Unfortunately I "met" 3 messenger's of such hate who made the assumption I was gay back when I was 12, and Shelby you know the rest of that story...
I agree, God does not his his creations. God loves each one of us. I am certainly not worthy of his grace yet he there it is...for all of us.
I find it incomprehensible that people can actually think and feel this way about another human being but unfortunately HATE like this exists in the word.
No matter how used to this stuff a person may be, it must still be incredibly hurtful to return to your car and find such a thing. How violated he must feel...
Thank you for sharing this, perhaps by doing so your enlightening someone out there who assumed this kind of thing doesn't happen...it's quite sad but...now they know.
god is a very disappointed parent, with many of his children...
love and tolerance is the answer to all of our hate/fear issues.
it is a shame that as enlightened as we are we still live in darkness and in fear...
I'm not kidding when I say this made me cry. In all honesty, the majority of my friends are gay. I love them all so much. I hate the suffering they have had to endure. I cannot believe we're still so far behind when it comes to gay rights. Bruce is right - love is the answer.
dear god, save me from your followers.
and it's figs, not fags [little bundles of wood? cigarettes?] that i heard he hated...
people who go out of their way to judge and feel self-rieghtous enough to actually condemn others are :
a] out of their minds
b] probably need a hug
c] probably need an ass-whooping
d] cruel
i don't get it.
but have been the brunt of so much hatred and judgement like this shit here, that i still get irate when i see it happen to others.
have we de-volved?
sharks are more compassionate to their own than people, and they will eat each other at will.
we humans just scar and wound without a visual trace.
Unreal. People are so fucked.Your friend is probably an awesome person.
Douche bags out there, let me tell you.
Hey, got an award for you over at my place.
Why is the 'F' upper case as if it were a proper noun like 'Canadians' or 'French'?
He probably thinks that gays come from another planet called Fagonia or something.
Sounds crazy, but anyone that would post this on someone's windshield probably is THAT far removed from reality.
Hopefully, shortly after putting this on your friend's windshield a monster truck ran over his foot.
This is so sad. Sorry your friend had to experience this.
Beware of false prophets?
I hate people who hate people. Especially people who use God's name to hate people.
I’m a huge fan already, man. You’ve done a brilliant job making sure that people understand where you’re coming from. And let me tell you, I get it. Great stuff and I can’t wait to read more of your blogs. What you’ve got to say is important and needs to be read.
WOW! I am so sorry your friend had to receive this hateful message. I went to grad school at K-State and had many a run-in with the Westboro folk. They are a trip.
As horrendous as they and their hateful messages are. I think they also do some good for the cause. It forces people to critically think about LGBT issues and how those in the gay community are treated and in many cases help people come to the conclusion that this level of hate is not productive. Unfortunately, there are still those that lack critical thinking abilities and completely buy into this crap.
The following post was a way of coping with my interactions with the Westboro Baptist Church.
http://zpnotesfromunderground.blogspot.com/2008/04/response-to-westoboro-folks.html
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