Hey, everybody. I’m about to tell you a story which is purely anecdotal. I want that understood, because there will be no links provided, and no proper names, and this isn’t meant to stand in as a blanket pronouncement about anything. But I experienced something last night that I really think provides some insight into Wingnuts, i.e., the people who think they have a right to deny us our constitutional rights, based on their religious views.
Last night, I participated in a national event where restaurants give a portion of their earnings to their local organizations which benefit men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. I’ve done this before, and I have never had anyone be anything less than receptive to the cause. Usually, the reactions from those unaware of the event range from semi-positive apathy to a certain excitement that they happened to show up on that night.
However, the restaurant where I worked last night had a cancellation. A group of Southern Baptist schoolteachers was planning to come in. I don’t know whether they were local, in town for a conference, or whatever else. It does not matter. Their names do not matter, and I don’t know who they are. Don’t care. Here is the point: they cancelled their reservations when they found out that a portion of their money would be going to help these people suffering. Men. Women. Children.
As I remarked to one of the servers, “If they hate gays so much, I can guarantee them that babies born with HIV weren’t birthed by gay couples.”
I can only assume that their version of God does not acknowledge any of those suffering people, even children, as humans.
How amoral. How disgusting.
As I said, it’s anecdotal. But how often these days do we watch Religious Right hate group leaders apologize for the bullying of kids, so as to save face in their complicity in the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical bullying of gay kids? How often?
Daily.
My little story may be anecdotal, but it’s indicative of a certain callousness that has formed among those who pretend to be the most fervent followers of Christ. Maybe the callousness isn’t new, but more like a scab that’s been ripped off. Their little tiny worldview is so threatened at this point that they’ll scream and cry about blastocysts, but they can’t spare a dime for an actual human baby born with AIDS or shed a tear for a gay kid who’s been bullied so hard by his supposed friends, family and community that he sees suicide as the only way out.
The fact that they believe they have the moral high ground is what shakes me to my core. It also reminds me why I do what I do for a living.
That’s all I have to say about that.
Disgusting.
Some of these so-called “Christians” are the least christ-like people that I have ever come across, especially the religious heirarchy.
The church ‘leaders’ only seem to be interested in shoring up and adding to their own power-base, whilst attempting to destroy those who don’t subscribe to their particular interpretation of middle-eastern bronze-age nonsense.
Despicable.
They talk a good game, but when it comes time to put words into action, they fail – miserably.
Religion exists only to divide and oppress. Religion is based on nothing but lies. All religion. Even the “nice” ones.
Good people don’t need the completely man-made, unnatural, artificial construct known as religion. It’s really good for bad people, though. Because that’s who it was made by.
This anecdote shows a religion working exactly the way it is intended to work. It might as well be about going to a restaurant and seeing the regular servers showing up for their shift. It is exactly as surprising as that.
Speak lord, speak to me. The event was ignored by media in my area. Of course I was confused on the day of April 28 or 26? AIDS is a so far incurrable disease. We should not be afraid to eat or have coffee with people cause of something. I think Jesus got the right idea that the human skin is like a barrier and human heart is often hidden.
Being the good Methodists that we are, my daughter and I ate at the Beauty Shop last night for precisely the reason that they were participating in this fundraising event. It is shameful that folks who profess to be Christians don’t understand the basic philosophy taught by Christ to love thy neighbors as thyself.
@Linda :)
One thing you must remember… the Southern Baptist Convention was founded SOLELY on the preservation of slavery in the United States. Their decision to cancel should come as no surprise. It is, to my knowledge, the only major protestant denomination wholly founded on evil.