As soon as I saw this graphic on an atheist website, I felt sorry for Patricia Ruth Barker. Sorry that she ever thought she had to “hate” anyone before becoming an atheist.
Who taught Patricia this kind of warped thinking? Did she consider murderous terrorist groups and decide this is how “religious” people think? (I follow Jesus of Nazareth, but I’m absolutely not “religious” and this blog reveals why: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-cP.)
Did she interact some religious people who, sadly, DO hate gay people and people of other faiths and figure this is standard thinking for spiritual people?
Since encountering this graphic, I’ve racked my brain to think of all the Jesus followers I’ve met who hate gays or people of other faiths. I can’t come up with a single person. And when I do encounter these misguided people, I’ll remind them of these passages from ancient documents and original-source biographies of Jesus (who many people believe is God’s Son):
- Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- God loved the world so much [and that means EVERY PERSON in it] that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost. but have eternal life.
- God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Most Jesus followers take these passages seriously. They tell me that Jesus came for ALL people — gay or straight, Christian or Muslim or Atheist or Buddhist, criminal or Nobel prize winner, male or female, young or old. No exceptions. Ever.
This is one of the reasons I decided in my 40s to follow Jesus and trust in what He’s done for everyone who believes in Him. He died on a Roman cross to make up for ALL the wrong things I’ve done and ALL the right things I’ve failed to do. He made up for all the times when, despite my best efforts, I end up living as if there is no loving creator who wants to be part of my life.
I also follow Jesus because I know that by doing so, I welcome Him into my heart, mind and soul to make me more like Him. That means hating ONLY the wrong things I’ve done and the right things I don’t do.
It also means I believe in what many people call the “Golden Rule”: Do for others what you want them to do for you.
I want atheists and people of other faiths to respect me. So I darn well better respect them. When that exchange takes place, I get to tell them, like I’m telling you now, about my faith in Jesus and how He can change them (and YOU) for the better – for now and for all eternity.
What are your thoughts on this? Post a comment below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
A number of religious people pick and choose what is compatible with their personal values to form their beliefs.
There are Christians who are creationists, others who interpret the Bible metaphorically and believe in evolution for instance.
There is a christian lawyer who recently made a proposition in California to insyate the death penalty for any homosexual act, claiming that it is better to kill homosexuals rather than the whole society being subject to god’s wrath for tolerating homosexuality.
That person claims to be Christian just as you do.
The only thing I see that is common to all Christians is the bizarre belief that an omnipotent god had to sacrifice itself in the person of his “son” to pay for humanity’s sins.
For the rest, I see warmongering hateful Christians as well as loving and charitable Christians.
I do not see however anybody who can define what is “true” Christianity
Thanks for your thoughts, Michel. Lots of people can claim to be Christians. Heck, I can claim to be an atheist; that doesn’t make me one.
One of the things I found in the Bible says this: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians). Jesus never called for the death of anyone.
People are made in the image of God; they are precious to God. He created the whole universe just for them. But there are also evil in the world, so I think, as a Christian, I just love and try to help people the best I can.
But there are the times when you need to defend yourself too (if someone doesn’t believe that, just imagine when you or one or more of your loved ones are the victims of some extreme evil or cruelty).
Well, if faith means hate for you – you’re doing it wrong. 😉
Frank, thanks for this post on the importance of compassion.
Christian attitudes towards gay people cover a wide spectrum. On one end of the spectrum are denominations that embrace diversity and accept gays into the clergy.
On the other end are people who want to discriminate against gays. Take, for example, the case of the state of Indiana that is allowing businesses to deny service to gays, if those businesses feel their religious beliefs are being violated.
To quote the Dalai Lama: Showing respect for others’ rights and views is not only the source of reconciliation it’s also an aspect of compassion.
Thanks for your thoughts, Patrick. You and I see the U.S. state of Indiana’s law in very, very different ways.
What if someone wants to buy a product or service from a Christian business to carry out or celebrate an abortion? Should that company be forced to do business in that instance? Really?
Christians WANT to do business and make a reasonable profit, Patrick. Just like all other businesses. So how often do you think they’d actually try to deny anyone business??
P.S. Does “showing respect for others’ rights and views” include respect for Christians’ rights and views?
This new law is widely viewed as the State of Indiana’s response to its ban on same-sex marriage being overturned by federal courts last year. So, as you know, the issue here is gay rights.
Re. respecting rights: yes, all rights – Christian and non-Christian – should be respected. That’s the only way we’ll ever come to truly understand one another and reconcile differences.
Hello Michel,
Thank you for voicing your opinion!
This is “true” Christianity in a nutshell:
– God created humans in His image.
(We have consciousness, cognition, rationality, intelligence, emotions, creativity, and especially “moral” capacity. The problem with the evolutionists is that they can not explain the origin of the first life. Of course, “non-living” chemicals can not evolve in to a human being, or any living creatures.)
– God put His “moral Laws” on our hearts.
(There are the big evils that any sane person would agree are evil: Murdering innocent people [like 9/11], torture babies for the fun of it, rape…
Another way of proving the existence of moral laws is through “people’s REACTION”: Ex: when someone hurt you unjustifiably and if you think it is bad enough, you would want to defend yourself. Why? Because you think that person was wrong.
OR, when someone accuses you of doing something you were not guilty of, you would give them “EXCUSES” to explain that you are not guilty of those things.)
– We are all sinners.
Some are better than the others, but we all fall short of God’s perfect moral standard. In general, we are self-centered, selfish, don’t love people enough or the way we are supposed to, or have sinful or evil desires.
– But because God loves us so much (because He created us in his image), He sent His own Son to die on a cross to pay for our sins.
(Because God is holy, he has to punish sins, and in order to have forgiveness, there must be a substitutional death. [Just like the animal sacrificial system that God gave to the Jews in the Old Testament time]. With the definition of “eternal death” being: being “separated” from God (because He is holy ) and being punished for our sins for eternity)
– So, God provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the redemptive death of His Son, and all we have to do is to receive it: by repenting of our sins and receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Then, we can become the children of God, enjoy fellowship with God, other Christians, and other people (in a new and more loving way), and when it is time for us to pass on, we can go to Heaven to be with God (and I think will come back to this earth when God will create the “new” earth, but that’s a different topic).
If you’d like to, I would recommend these book:
– “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist” by Norman Geisler & Frank Turek
– “The universe next door” by James Sire
These books are awesome, by all means try to check them out!
God bless you!
Great stuff, Bao. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
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