My main concern is these town hall meetings. I think it's a great idea, and I think it shows that Democrats are very willing to listen to people's concerns and straighten out misconceptions. (Of course, I acknowledge that this view is biased since I'm a Democrat myself.) But it really scares me that people are showing up to these events with weapons, filled with hate. WEAPONS. That's kind of a big deal. And it doesn't seem like people think it's a problem!
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It scares me that people like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly are getting people all worked up. I think it's only a matter of time before something really bad happens. And the scary thing is, my "friends" on Facebook think these out-of-control town meetings are a good thing.
Then yesterday, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America officially stated that they are cool with gays and lesbians. Kind of. Basically, they agree to disagree within the church, but it is an inclusive thing and worded positively. Tomorrow, they will vote to decide if gays should be allowed to join the clergy. To me, this is exciting. I do not believe homosexuality is a sin. I'm not going to write an essay about it on here (at least, not today). It would take a while to defend myself, and I'm tired. But I can do it, and I can do it using the Bible.
Anyway, the point is, I'm really happy with what my church is doing. However, the other types of Lutherans are very upset. And since I went to an LCMS college, I've been hearing obnoxious comments on Facebook all day, such as this:
"It would be so crazy cool if people actually stood up for what the Bible says instead of just what they think. Then maybe we'd have the guts to show ALL our friends the Great Physician instead of just telling them they aren't sick. Then maybe they-like us- could be healed instead of dead. Crazy cool."
(Wow, I really hope none of the people I'm annoyed with read this blog... But oh well, this is my place to vent.)
People are even saying that this is why GOD SENT A TORNADO TO MINNEAPOLIS. (That's where they're voting on this.) I'm not even joking. Not only is it in the article I posted a link to, but people are saying this on Facebook.
I don't understand why people are so outraged over this. First of all, it's not even their church. If they don't like it, what difference does it make? (This is my argument in favor of gay marriage. If you oppose it based on your religious views, what right do you have to force those views on someone else? If you don't think gay people should be allowed to get married, then your church shouldn't have to do it. But you shouldn't make everyone live according to your morals when it's not hurting anyone.) Secondly, I really hate the condescending tone everyone takes on Facebook. Like they know the True Gospel, and feel sorry for the rest of us who are unknowingly sinning. I believe the Bible is the word of God, but there's a lot of room for interpretation. We all have different ideas (based on scripture), and there's no way of knowing what's right or wrong. I seriously doubt God would send someone to hell over their views on communion or infant baptism. Ok, anyway (sorry, I'm getting all upset), it just really bothers me to hear such an exclusionary attitude. When you read the Gospels, Jesus is all about love and forgiveness and including everybody.
So in conclusion, I'm scared about all the anger and hate that I'm noticing lately. I'm scared that Christians, the people who are supposed to be setting a good example, are often found in the middle of all this mess. It's just really upsetting, and I'm kind of afraid to see what's going to happen next.
4 comments:
My whole thing is this - God made everybody, including homosexuals. God doesn't make mistakes, so how can being gay be against God? It just doesn't make sense.
I agree with several of your comments. I think that teh town halls should be the place where fact and crap is exposed, you do have the right to arms, however there is a better way to exercise that right. As for our friends post, that was a little outspoken. I do agree however the wording was too aggressive. I read something that Jacob had posted on his post that was worded much more accurately. The bottom line is that we are sinners, regardless of what our opnion is and God is a forgiving God who loves us and cares for us even when our free will leads us astray from where he wants us. I am the first to admit that I have committed SEVERAL sins daily and some are conscously made while others are not, but a sin is a sin regardliess of how "bad". I am sorry to turn your soapbox into mine:)
Paula, you are so polite... You can say it was bitchy of me to re-post that from Facebook. I know it was. :) I'm with you on all the stuff about sin, but I agree with Anne- I don't think homosexuality is a sin in the first place.
And I agree- we do have the right to bear arms. I have no problem with that. But bringing a giant gun to a town hall meeting? Seriously?
I know there's always been bad stuff in the world, but maybe I've just never been this cognizant about it.
Misunderstanding...I think SHE is alittle too much. Reposting helps your point. Rich and I got into a HUGE discussion about your post. He actually doesn't think that the crazy people are real republicans, but actually people hired to serve two purposes 1)distract the public away from realizing that this medical bill has several holes and unanswered questions that they don't want to address such as funding, who is covered, what about abuse to the system etc. 2) to make the public be afraid that the public is allowed to carry guns and have them in possession and that they don't like that which will lead to the govn't taking away guns. I don't know what I think about his thought, but I thought it was worhty to add to the discussion:)
The other debate, God is the only person to judge. I don't agree with homosexuality, however, people don't agree that I spank my kid when she is out of line. I think that the true important aspect (and you will agree with this) is that GOD is the only God, and Jesus is our Savior and the more people who are serving the Lord, the better! I try not to judge people, however I know that I do, but my discussion with Rich helped me think a little more open minded about the subject.
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