To Be At Odds

I was recently at a Pro-Family event at the Florida Capital put on by The Florida Family Policy Counsel (FFPC). The last two days I have been asking myself… Is there way of going about certain political issues helping or hurting? Even better, is it bringing people closer to God or pushing them further away?

At this event, there were pastors from a variety of denominations, but most of them, Baptist. There were members of the senate, the house, and many other people in legislation. There were also those of us that were part of a non-profit that needed funding for our programs and wanted to learn how it was done. The political views of the majority of these people were conservative republicans; with a good portion of them being far-right. LGBT and pro-life were two of the main issues that were presented. Freedom of religion and the constitutional rights that have been infringed upon was also brought up.

Where is the disconnect? When did we begin looking at things so differently? Am I the one that’s right and everyone else wrong? Or is it the other way around? When did our convictions become concrete for everyone who is different than us? When did we start putting conditions on our love and acceptance? Where is the balance between love and truth?

Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it is because I am a millennial, but during the last two days, I found myself at odds with some of the views of the “Christian” community within Florida legislation. I found myself a part an event, that I believe, had the potential to do more harm than good. A lot of the attendees truly believe in their hearts that they are one-hundred percent right, and in some ways, on some issues, I agree with them. It just seems like some of these people got stuck so far to right that they forgot the concept of acceptance and grace.

I agree with some of these people on a few issues. Issues such as pro-life and freedom of religion. From my perspective, I believe that every unborn child should be given a chance and it isn’t our right to take that opportunity away. On the second day of this event, I met a woman that was a mother because of rape who said to me, “You take a look into my son’s eyes and tell me why he shouldn’t have been given life… tell me why he should have been aborted.” Now, I know that each person has a different story, but this hit hard for me. Most of the pro-choice conversations I have had always end with, “Well, what about the women that gets raped?” so it was insightful to see a perspective from a woman that actually was.

The other issue was freedom of religion. This one, I feel, is being taken away from Christians slowly but surely. I believe that everyone, no matter what their religion, should have the right to practice it freely. There was another woman that we met, who owned a local flower shop for twenty years. One of her regular customers, who was gay, asked her to do the flower arrangements for he and his partners wedding and because of her faith and convictions, she politely refused to do the wedding. Now, she is currently being sued by the state of Washington, both corporately and personally. Despite her religious views of homosexuality, this gay man was her friend and he completely understood why she declined and asked for recommendations of other shops that would do a good job. She suggested three other shops, exchanged a hug, and went about their day. She was a local business owner and should have had the right to turn down a customer for any reason. Hear me, I am not saying I agree with her reasoning, nor do I think she should have turned him down, I’m just simply saying that it was her right to do so and she shouldn’t be punished for living out her convictions.

These two issues I can understand, but most of the other stuff, I can’t. I couldn’t help but think about how a homosexual would feel if they walked into that banquet hall. All of these people who claim to be Christian seem to have made their love so conditional. If a homosexual knew that I was at the event, would I ever be able to have an open and honest conversation or would they think I am judging them the whole time? Would they even be open to a conversation knowing the hidden agendas most of these people have? As Christians, how much are we supposed to correct and how much are we supposed to connect with the people who are different than us?

The speakers threw out the term, “God’s will,” a lot and I think that is dangerous territory. Not because I think it’s God’s will is for babies to be aborted and homosexuals to get married, but because we aren’t God and we shouldn’t be putting God “in a box” or making our convictions concrete for others. Now, I believe that God intended marriage to be between a man and a woman, and I believe He has a purpose for every unborn child’s life, but I also believe we are called to love, not judge. I think that some Christians are so quick to judge that we miss the whole, “God’s will,” part. This is a crazy idea, but what if the only thing God calls us to do is love the homosexual or the woman that got an abortion? I believe that is Gods will. We are only called to love, and the moment we start to judge, we start to play God.

Do I think that the men and women at the event had their best intentions in mind? Yes. Do I think that older generations can reach younger ones in the ways they think they can? Sure, sometimes. There has to be a compromise on both sides, though. You can’t pass judgment and say you are part of the solution and you can’t assume every Christian has the same views and write them off because of those alleged views. When far-right are pushing everything as “matter of fact,” they are demonizing the homosexuals and the people we are called to love and vice versa. We are supposed to love everyone, no matter where they’re at in their journey through life. If we aren’t able to love someone first, and then earn the right to have an open, honest conversation about our issues, then I don’t believe that we are actually showing the love of Christ.

In the bible, God showed love first. His disciples weren’t perfect, nor anyone he did miracles on. I don’t think any of the people Jesus helped left that encounter and felt judged. Maybe convicted, but definitely not condemned. The whole story of Genesis is about Gods love and people turning away from it every chance they got, but God still continued to love them. I do a lot of things that I know God doesn’t love. I am a firm believer that sin is sin, and some sins affect us differently than others, but God looks at the heart. The heart of a person isn’t something we can see, so we shouldn’t be judging it. If we just took a second to have a vulnerable, non-judgmental conversation, to listen to people’s stories, or tell them ours, I think we would show the love of God in a sincere and beneficial way.