Arizona has me preaching this Sunday

Let’s talk today about using religion to foster hate and theocracy. How on earth can we as thinking, intelligent people allow ourselves to be convinced that “religious beliefs by any one group” lead to legislation that discriminates against any other group’s rights? The hot topic in the news is the absurdity of the new law in Arizona that is being driven by the supposed Christians that want to be allowed to deny services to gays. Are we that ignorant that we as Americans are willing to sit back and allow ourselves to once again be hijacked by these very powerful, supposedly religious bigots?

Did we learn nothing from slavery, from Hitler’s hate for Jews? From the religious extremists in the Middle East that kill people because they do not hold the same religious fervor that they espouse? Let’s face it; the religious right and zealots hate almost everybody except themselves. We allowed these same attitudes to drive the Salem Witch Hunts by the self-acclaimed pious believers in the early days of this country. The religious stoned them and hung them. Yet another example of how wrong people can be in the name of their religion.

We marched thousands of Native Americans from their homes, many who died on the Trail of tears, survivors driven onto reservations because their lack of Christianity posed such a great threat to the Governments' want & way of life. They snatched the children from them and forced them into Catholic/missionary boarding schools where “good Catholics” beat them into denying their language, their heritage, and their beliefs. "Kill the Indian/save the man" was the goal. Essentially kidnapping them, and holding them hostage to the Catholic/Christian doctrine. We allowed this.

“Good Christian land owners purchased human beings and beat them into submission as slaves.  Americans allowed that, in fact, we legislated it. Even today, Black Americans are not fully endowed with all the advantages other Americans allow. Do we learn nothing from the wrongs perpetrated in our past? Remember when these same Christians made laws that interracial marriage was going to ruin our county and morally corrupt our children? Change only comes when people just won’t take being bullied and lied to any more. WE elect officials into positions of power and then fall victim to their abuses/lies and mismanagement while having to accept more hatred, and recognition that some folks use religion as a hatchet or sword.

The Religious Right are BULLIES. Make no mistake, they are the most powerful, richest, most narrow minded, hate filled group in this country today. They are the ones who make the laws we must abide by. They see themselves as the moral police, yet they turn their back on their own religious beliefs when it suits them. They too commit adultery, have children out of wed-lock, lie, steal, kill, and then judge everyone else. Can I get an Amen when I remind them to clean up their own act if they want to have power and authority over everyone that does not live by the very beliefs they say are directed by their own God, and then selectively ignored when they so choose? Oh yeah they have built in salvation if they say a little prayer, they can get forgiveness from the big “G”. That was one of the most clever ideas they came up with.

Go for it people. Have your own religious beliefs. Teach your children whatever you want to. Leave the rest of us alone.

“First they came for the Communists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist, then they came for Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak up, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.” Martin Niemoller

The thing about “Rights” is they are rights, not privileges, not guaranteed for some, and denied others. The “Religious Right has attacked the rights of adults to marry as they so choose, they say God forbids it, they say homosexuality is an abomination, but they forget that their own religion says each person is created in the very image of God. Can’t have it both ways now can they. So what happened, did God make some big mistakes and create gays? 

Oh yeah. They declare it a sin. Surly their God is not stupid enough to make the same mistake over and over again. That’s right, they are stupid and think people choose to be gay. They fear it’s contagious. I have to wonder on what day in their own life they decided to choose heterosexuality. Personal agendas, hatred, discrimination, minding the business of others all in the name of Jesus... seriously?

 

Hell, their own priests have been molesting and raping children for years and the church has allowed it and tried to cover it up. Yes, these are the same Christians that we are supposed to follow, maybe straight into their own belief in hell. Don’t even get me started on that one.

I don’t want the Religious Right to force their own beliefs down my throat, nor to force the entire American public to live by their biblical interpretations. They have been wrong in the past. What makes them continue to think they are right about denying gays the right to use services available to everyone else in the community?

If your religion tells you that you MUST have a bay because of its views on abortion, then labels the child as illegitimate because i’s views on marriage, maybe it’s time to reconsider your religion. You can’t have access to birth control according to the Religious right, but you have no choice according to them about the consequences of not having birth control. Either they want to increase the population to create a new generation of little Christians, or they are just way to interested in sex. Everybody’s sex. Who’s gay, who is straight, who fornicates with whom, etc. ect. ect.

So now, the new focus is on a person’s deeply held religious beliefs being allowed to deny services, which are purchased, to be denied based solely on one’s sexual identity. Are we really going to sit back and say “well, this doesn’t affect me because I’m not gay? Come on people, you’re an American. What is happening to “EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERY AMERICAN?” Has it really come to this? Sadly, yes. 

My religion is kindness. 

Other states are attempting the same bills of segregation and hate, people need to pay attention, close attention, as the winter games close, as many we astonished by Putin in Russia and feared for our athletes safety and his intolerance of gays.... now we are needing to wonder what is happening to the rich fabric on our own soils and the children of those who are standing in such hate. Heterosexuals are the parents of those they now are attempting to deny.  People stand UP as you pray today as you walk through this world and face the reality that let no one talk you into believing that another is not walking their own path the best way they know how and in the image of the Creator equally.

This concludes todays service...

May the CReator open the hearts of all in understanding that some things and people should just not visit AZ any longer or show up and show out. How Governor Brewer votes will probably affect how a lot of others vote...

 God sure dont' like ugly and is surely seeing a lot of it these days.

Amen.