Lately, I've been reading articles about Christians supporting gay marriage, prochoice, Obama and I've seen comments so rash from both sides of the coin that I wanted to write about it. Morality seems to be the issue when it comes to these topics.
So an honest question: What does morality mean? The dictionary would say "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior." That definition indicates there is a being who had to have established these 'principles' in order for morality to exist. Everyday we hear about people getting gunned down, robbed, raped, becoming refugees, etc. and we consider those circumstances to be from the evil that exists in our world. Depending on what your beliefs are, this is a widely accepted notion: EVIL is prevalent in the world. Being silly, I decided to look up the word evil:
"Evil, in its most general context, is taken as the absence or complete opposite of that which is ascribed as being good. Often, evil is used to denote profound immorality. In certain religious contexts, evil has been described as a supernatural force. Definitions of evil vary, as does the analysis of its root motives and causes. However, elements that are commonly associated with evil involve unbalanced behavior involving expediency, selfishness, ignorance, or neglect."
Something that sticks out of this particular definition would be how it denotes evil as the 'absence of that which is ascribed as being good'. This indicates that without good, there would be no evil. Good is usually associated with that of righteousness: completely and utterly moral, perfect. I know plenty of people who would consider themselves righteous which rightfully gives them the title of Judge of Morals due to their belief that God has given them the authority to lead the way of what it means to be moral, or better yet, perfect. According to this particular definition, if you've ever been selfish, you're evil. Selfishness is a common trait in all of us so it could be said that in some way we all have been and continue to be evil; most Christians would say "We live in sin and are sinners." So who am I to say your sin is worse than mine?
I want to be perfectly clear with anyone who reads this, I write this not intending to offend anyone but to stimulate a different thought process than what you were taught to think growing up. I'm a born-again Christian, but I did not grow up that way (and for that, I'm grateful because I was able to fully understand what I believe and not told to believe). It helped me learn how to be a servant to all, and to love those who need love. I don't recall ever reading scripture that said I can rightfully condemn someone to Hell because their beliefs aren't like mine. If you were to ask what infuriates me, I would say it's the words that come out of supposed Christians' mouths that are like swords to the throats of those who perceive life/morality differently. Because someone fathoms the possibility that life isn't exactly how they originally thought it to be, they're persecuted. I believe this is why those who don't believe in a supernatural being(s) think Christians are detrimental to "progress". This makes me sick. I hope one day, we as believers will open our eyes to the miracles God so beautifully crafted yet will hardly ever understand in our lifetime.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. -Romans 13:8-10To love, not condemn, is what was commanded of us. Love.
