Pope Francis Part Deux

So I've been thinking a lot about the Pope since his secret meeting with Kim Davis that showed he supports intolerance over love and acceptance and . . .

. . . I've come to realize that the Pope is just a man in a fancy white robe. He's nothing special. He's human. He's fallible. 

The Pope is a man, nothing more or less. His title means absolutely nothing.

He's no more holy than me or anyone else on the face of the Earth.

Yes, the Catholic Church has - pretty much - crowned him their King . . . but he's not a king.

He's no more elevated in life than the poorest peasant struggling for food. Oh, he has plenty to eat, and all his needs are taken care of, but that makes him lucky, and not special.

The Pope has shown that the Catholic Church, the ultimate leader of the Catholic Church, is no better than the meanest and intolerant bigot. There is no difference between the Pope and that bigot . . . other than that the Pope has a security detail.

Other than that, they're one and the same.

Really, this is not surprising. The Catholic Church has never been an all welcoming Church. They've always, like most churches, but not all, been intolerant. They, like the common, every day individual, have taken the Bible out of context to support their narrow minds. It's life. It's part and parcel of Churches from Baptist to Catholic to Muslim. 

Still, to know the Pope speaketh with a forked tongue is a good thing. To know the Pope lies is a good thing. It takes him off this high pedestal and puts him down in the mud with everybody else. He isn't special. He isn't different. He's human. 

It's sad, really, when the special is stripped away to reveal an intolerant individual who, just like a politician, says one thing but really means another. It's good that his secret meeting was revealed. It's good he was exposed for the hypocrite he is. 

The world can move on knowing this allegedly holy man really isn't special at all.

So, thank you, Pope Francis, for revealing your true, intolerant nature. Thank you for letting the world know that you support and embrace intolerance and, just like so many others, don't have a clue about two passages in the Bible: thou shall not judge and love thy neighbor.

Dear Pope Francis

Dear Pope Francis

There's a saying - actions speak louder than words. You have more than lived up to that saying with your recent action of meeting with Kim Davis. It was bad enough that you openly supported her violation of US Law. She has a job to do. If she can't do her job, she should resign. It's that simple. But, you actively support her disobedience of US Law. You encourage her disobedience.

If that weren't bad enough, you meet with this woman who claims to have deeply held religious beliefs. In that one moment of time, you demeaned millions of gay Christians, and their supporters. Your actions told those gay Christians that they don't matter to you at all. In that moment, you solidified and pronounced the continued intolerance - and non-Christian attitude - of the Catholic Church.

I left the Catholic Church decades ago because of its intolerance. Your actions, and those of the Church have shown, time and again, that love thy neighbor is the one part of the Bible you are unwilling to follow.

If I hadn't left decades ago, I would have left today upon hearing the news of your meeting with Kim Davis.

You've shown her far more concern and compassion than you have shown the gay community. By meeting with her, you shouted - quite loudly, I might add - that all your words about accepting the members of the gay community were nothing more than lies. For to meet with a woman who has nothing but contempt for the gay community, who only has deeply held religious beliefs when it applies to the gay community, shows your contempt and intolerance for the gay community.

I know you're not capable of understanding any of this. I know you're so lost in misinterpretation of religious dogma to fully understand that God made every single one of us. Every person is born the way God meant them to be born. Just as Kim Davis was born heterosexual, I was born homosexual. It's what God meant for my life. I guess he also meant for me, and others like me, to live in a world where we are bullied on a daily basis, where we are told that we matter less because of the way God made us, where we don't deserve equal protection under the law, and where even the Pope can openly show his intolerance for us and support those acting against us because the way we were born.

I know you believe you were doing the right thing in supporting Kim Davis' intolerance. I know you believe she is doing the right thing in breaking the law to support her religious objections that only apply to same-sex couples. I believe otherwise. I believe your actions and stance on this issue are harmful towards the millions of gay Christians in the world. I believe all religious institutions that continue to misinterpret, and take out of context, the Bible to use it as a weapon are harmful to those of us God made gay.

You probably disagree with this. It's your right. But before you support those who are intolerant, before you embrace them and encourage their intolerance, understand that their intolerance and your support of said intolerance is harmful.

Perhaps one day, you'll fully understand the concept of love thy neighbor.

S

Linda Harvey

Linda Harvey of Mission America needs a bit of education. In her latest efforts to undermine equal protection under the law, she has stated the following:

• Homosexuality is not inborn - it's not like race - and the behavior is harmful to individuals and societies. These identities and attractions do not characterize separate types of "persons" (as the Obergefell majority ruling incorrectly assumed). So they are not defensible under the 14th Amendment.
• Christianity is now a target to be obliterated or revised with homosexuality no longer a sin, humans no longer distinctly male and female, abortion a "right" for females and believers painted into a narrow doctrinal corner if we let them do this. She means pass the Equality Act.

Linda Harvey - before you speak, you should really understand what you're talking about. Since you obviously don't have a clue, please let explain things to you.

First - homosexuality is as inborn as your alleged heterosexuality. There is no choosing to be gay. It's Genetics 101 - you're either born straight, gay, or transgendered. It's how God intended, and it's how it is! 

Second - since homosexuality is inborn, i.e., part of the DNA of the individual, your statement that "these identities and attractions do not characterize separate types of 'persons' is totally false and without any merit whatsoever. 

Third - your statement "not defensible under the 14th Amendment" is wrong as well. Perhaps you might want to go back to school and study law and Constitutional Law before making such a statement, since it is quite clear you a) don't understand the law and b) don't understand Constitutional Law. 

Fourth - Christianity is not a target at all. There are Christians and faux-Christians. You can decide which category you fall into on your own, but, I can tell you, the one you pick for yourself is not accurate. The faux Christians - those misinterpreting the Bible to justify their hate and discrimination toward others - are the ones feeling threatened and targeted, when nobody really cares about them. The true Christians understand that we are all God's Children and that there are two main concepts in the Bible: Love thy Neighbor and Thou Shall Not Judge. I guess you, and those like you, missed class the day those two lessons were taught. 

Your religious freedom, your right to misinterpret the Bible, is not being threatened in any way, shape or form. You can do that until the saints come marching in. You can - as you continually do, and your words in your most recent article do - demean and disrespect people all you like. It's your right. You can treat others exactly how you don't want to be treated. Again, it's your right. 

It is also, unfortunately, your right to put false (totally untrue) information out there as you thump your Bible with a staccato beat. Thump away, Ms. Harvey. But, the best thing you could really do is go out and get an education so you can actually understand what you're talking about. Because right now, you don't have a clue.

So, keep up your tirades - nothing will stop you anyhow - and your fiction about attacks and targets and all the other imaginary stuff you write about in your articles. It is after all, your right.

But, my hope for you, Ms. Harvey, is that you are one day able to understand the concept of compassion and are able to treat people with respect, courtesy, and compassion. For that, Ms. Harvey,is what - to me - Christianity is all about.

The Golden Rule, Ms. Harvey, is to treat others how you want to be treated. God knows, if the LGBT Community treated you like you treat them, you'd have us all in court for mistreating you. Mull on that, Ms. Harvey, while you thump your Bible.

S

Religious Freedom

Dear Uninformed Faux Christians -

Religious Freedom is the right to practice your religion. End of Story! Period!

Religious Freedom does not give you the right to discriminate. Your personal beliefs give you that ability, not your religion. 

Nowhere in the Bible does it state "thou shall discriminate" or "thou shall pick and choose to follow only the Biblical passages that you use to justify your discrimination". Those aren't parts of the Bible. 

The fact that you feel comfortable taking the Bible out of context to justify your discrimination is quite sad. 

Freedom of Religion, as defined by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States means a person has the right to "practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all". The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment grants the right to "worship or not as you choose". 

Nowhere, not nowhere, no way, no how, in any way, shape or form and all that jazz, does the First Amendment state you can openly discriminate against an individual because of your religious beliefs.

As noted above, the Bible does not state THOU SHALL DISCRIMINATE! It does state THOU SHALL NOT JUDGE, LEST YE BE JUDGED and LOVE THY NEIGHBOR.

When you openly discriminate because of a false understanding of the words religious freedom, you are judging and you are not loving thy neighbor. And yes, whether you know it or not, you probably have a gay neighbor.

So, when you, perhaps as a county clerk in say, well, maybe . . . Kentucky, claim that issuing a marriage license to a same-sex couple goes against your religious beliefs, well, that's an outright lie. It goes against your personal beliefs.

Perhaps you should spend some time understanding the difference between personal and religious beliefs before standing up and proclaiming that doing your job is against your religious beliefs.

On that note, divorce is mentioned in the Bible way more often than same-sex relations. Have you, oh say, said county clerk, in say, KY, or perhaps, a judge in say, well, maybe, let's see, OH, ever issued a marriage license to a divorced person and/or performed a marriage ceremony to a divorced person? Shouldn't that be against your religious beliefs? Why, yes, it should! I thought I'd answer the question for you since you're obviously having a hard time with understanding things right now!

So, dear, uninformed, faux Christians . . . please say it like it is, not how you wish it to be. Stand up, be proud, and be courageous and say: I personally don't believe in same-sex marriage and it has absolutely nothing to do with my freedom of religion, only with my own personal bias. Be proud when you state that you feel you're a superior person because you were born heterosexual rather than homosexual - btw, no choice, all genetics, not matter what you think - and feel that the equal protection clause should only apply to heterosexuals. Shout it from the mountaintops when you declare that only certain people deserve equal protection under the law. Do not hide behind religious freedom and use the Bible out of context to justify your contempt for your friends, neighbors, family, people you meet on the street or interact with on a daily basis. 

You have an absolute right to your opinions and personal beliefs. You have an absolute right to declare those opinions and personal beliefs. But the key here is personal and not religious!

So, next time, dear faux Christian, you want to use your religion not to perform your job or deny equal protection under the law to citizens of the United States of America, please do so honestly without claiming religion has anything to do with it . . . because it doesn't!

S

Dear Bryan Fischer

Dear Bryan Fischer,

Isn't it ironic when the words you use to describe others actually apply to yourself and your organization. On your radio program on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, you suggested - with a certain lack of knowledge, I might add - that the rainbow flag "represents the gay lobby, it represents Big Gay, it represents what I'm calling for the first time today, I'm introducing a new term the Gay Reich". The irony here is, that the term Christian Reich could be applied to you and your cohorts who exemplify bigotry while claiming it is "religious freedom". More on this topic in a bit since you obviously need a bit of education in your life.

You state that the rainbow flag is a symbol of "slavery and oppression and bigotry and prejudice and bias". Again, the irony is that you yourself, and those like you, represent oppression and bigotry and bias". The only slavery involved is your slavery to out of context biblical passages to condemn a section of humanity while ignoring the passages that would condemn you and your cohorts.

The LGBT Community does not oppress others, unless you feel that asking for equal protection under the law is oppression.

The LGBT Community, for the most part, are not bigots. They do not have a problem with Christians. The problem is with the people claiming to be Christians who really aren't Christians. These are the people taking the Bible out of context, claiming "religious freedom" to openly discriminate against a section of the population. These are people, Mr. Fischer, just like yourself. 

Religious Freedom is the freedom to practice your religion, not openly discriminate against people. The Bible does not state "thou shall discriminate". The Bible does state, and obviously you skipped over this passage, "thou shall not judge" and "love thy neighbor". It's sad, by your actions and your words, that you do judge and you do not love thy neighbor. It's sad that you, as an alleged heterosexual, feel you are more deserving of equal protection under the law, than your homosexual - born that way, not a choice - counterparts. It's sad you feel the need to use an offensive term related to mass genocide - Reich - to make yourself feel better, when the actions of oppression, bigotry and bias are clearly on your end, and not that of the LGBT Community, which wants one thing and one thing only: equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the United States Constitution!!!

So, the irony, Mr. Fisher, is that the words and actions you choose to toss at the LGBT Community actually apply to you, and not the LGBT Community.

Perhaps some time out of the spotlight to understand the meaning of compassion and respect would better suit you, rather than spouting your intolerance on the air when you obviously don't have a clue what you are talking about.

But, that would only happen in a perfect world. In this imperfect world we live in, a man like you has his own radio show, and has like-minded followers who don't have a clue that they words they are so easily tossing at others, actually apply to themselves.

So, I'll pray for you Mr. Fischer to one day truly know the meaning of the words compassion and respect. I'll pray that you never have to experience the intolerance and disrespect you push on others through your radio show and other mediums. I'll pray that you never have to experience unequal protection under the law, nor have to fight for equal protection under the law. I'll pray that you never have to experience discrimination or intolerance for how you were born, for how God made you. For you see, I don't wish any of what you wish upon me, or those like me, onto others. I don't disrespect you because you're an alleged Christian. I do feel sorry for you that you have not come to realize the true meaning of Christianity, or understand that you, and those like you, taking the Bible out of context, are failing in the teachings of Christ. You'll have to come to that realization on you on.

In the meantime, blessings upon you Mr. Fischer.

Scott

Dear One Million Moms

Dear One Million Moms:

I am extremely disappointed to learn that One Million Moms has chosen to practice convenient truth in regards to their "campaign" against Angie's List. Shouldn't every American be free to work and live according to their belief system without an organization such as yourself allegedly fear-mongering and misrepresenting the truth?

Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act is NOT exactly the same law that is already in place and working just fine in 19 other states.In fact, a bit of research on your part would have informed you of the differences between Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the other acts that are already in place in 19 other states.

And, its language is NOT identical in all fundamental respects to the 1993 federal RFRA signed into law by President Bill Clinton after it passed the House unanimously and the Senate 97-3.

Because your company opposes operates without revealing the full truth to further your belief system, I will be using Angie's List in the future, and make a concerted effort to have others use this service as well. After all, a company standing up for equal treatment under the law for ALL citizens of the United States is an admirable company, and the more money they earn based on this position is the American Way after all.

Thanks so much!

The Management!!

Dear One Million (well, not really, they can't count) Moms

The first thing that amazes me about you is the name of your organization: One Million Moms! That's a falsehood right from the start. You might want to consider a more accurate title for your organization. 

Second - your main goal seems to be to call out organizations that don't gel with your belief system, as if your belief system is the only correct belief system on this planet.

I hate to break it to you: One Million Moms does not have exclusivity to a singular belief system for the planet.

Third - you outright lied on your site in regards to the recent legislation passed in IN. You stated "The Indiana law is identical in all fundamental respects to the 1993 federal RFRA signed into law by President Bill Clinton after it passed the U.S. House unanimously and the Senate 97-3".

If you had bothered to actually do some research, you would have known that the Indiana law has some marked differences from the 1993 Federal (the word is capitalized, btw) RFRA signed into law. You can do some Googling on your own and discover this for yourself and . . . delete the lie from your site. I mean, you hold everyone else to these high expectations you've established for your organization, so one would think you would adhere to those same standards. It will be quite interesting to see if you do.

If you don't . . . a suggested word of the day might be "hypocrite", but that's only a suggestion. I always find a word of the day helpful in building my vocabulary.

I also take issue with the fact that you think Jesus could not have been black. Have you met him? Were you around back in the day? Or, are you basing your opinion on the representations passed down by a white society that oppressed all other races? If so, you might want to read the Bible where it actually gives a description of a Jesus . . . who is not lily white with straight hair. Just a thought.

Another thing you're obviously not aware of . . . the Bible does not say "thou shall discriminate". Jesus ate with prisoners and prostitutes and lepers. He didn't judge. You might want to try following his example. Your lives - the few number of you in the organization - might be enriched.

If you treat people less than how you are expect to be treated . . . that's wrong.

As much as I personally dislike your views and your, in my opinion, narrow minded belief system, if I met you on the street I would treat you with respect and courtesy. I would hope that you never have to face the hate and discrimination and bigotry that people within the LGBT community face on a daily basis. I would hope that you are not fired for the way you were born, the way God made you. I would hope you are not abandoned by your family because of the way you were born.

You have obviously led a privileged life where you cannot understand discrimination in its rawest form. You can't understand how hateful and hurtful your words and disrespect are to a group of people that have had to fear for their lives in some instances . . .because of the way they were born.

Angie's List, no more so than anybody else, is anti-Christian, nor are they bigots, nor are any of the other people speaking out against the intolerance of the law IN just passed. They are compassionate human beings who believe that all people deserve equal treatment under the law. Can you say the same thing about yourselves? 

Well, no, you can't . . . because your words indicate a decided lack of compassion on your part. 

It's sad that an organization like yours exists in the first place. It's sad that your goal in life is to claim superiority over other people.

BTW - I used the link on your site to email Angie's list and applaud them for their efforts. I also encouraged all my friends and family to do the same. So, your site actually served a better purpose than you probably intended.

And, again, I hope you have a better life than the one you've wished upon and are supporting for the members of the LGBT community.

S

Religious Freedom

With the recent passage of Indiana's "Religious Freedom" bill . . . it seems as if the world has gone INSANE!

My thoughts on this are simple: religious freedom does not give anybody the right to discriminate.

The Bible does not state "thou shall discriminate"!

When people argue their religious convictions in order to discriminate, in my personal opinion, they are using the terms "religious convictions" and "religious freedoms" to excuse their bigotry.

It's that simple. No length explanations or excuses are needed.

These are the same people who won't answer the question "what would Jesus do?" because they know . . . he wouldn't be doing what they're doing: discriminating based on their own personal biases.

So, when someone complains that their religious freedoms are being infringed upon by having to serve members of the LGBT community . . .

That's a lie they are using to condone their own bigotry.

The lovely (and I use that term in the most sarcastic way possible) Governor of IN could not answer a simple yes/no question on This Week with George Stephanopolus: click here http://goo.gl/v5opHu for a good article about that interview.

After repeatedly trying to get an answer, George posed this question:

“So when you say tolerance is a two way street, does that mean that Christians who want to refuse service … to gays and lesbians, that it’s now legal in the state of Indiana? That’s the simple yes-or-no question.”

And, again, Governor Pence refused to answer!

Governor Pence continues to try to justify the bill he signed into law, continually saying it has nothing to do with discrimination . . . and yet now feels the need to clarify that law. If discrimination wasn't involved in the crafting of the law, then why should clarification be needed.

The fact is, neither the Governor or the IN government members voting this law into existence, counted on the backlash IN has received, and continues to receive.

The fact is, if the law wasn't about discrimination, why were these three people included to witness the private signing: Micah Clark, Curt Smith and Eric Miller.

In order of appearance . . . 

Micah Clark . . . believes "homosexuality is a treatable disorder".

Curt Smith . . . equates "homosexuality with bestiality and adultery".

Eric Miller . . . "distributed a fear flier falsely claiming that pastors could be jailed for preaching against homosexuality".

Click on this link http://goo.gl/BhVzpi for more on these three.

The people you surround yourself with, Governor Pence, show a lot about you as a person! Just sayin' . . .

So, while people will use the terms "religious convictions" and "religious freedoms" as a way of justifying their discrimination, please remember that the Bible does not justify discrimination.

S