If we could read the sacred history of our “enemies”, we should find in each man and woman’s life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm hostility.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Denise, 1995
Those of us who know God as a merciful, compassionate and loving presence, who follow a Christ we know as non-violent, and all-embracing, have an infinitely important calling in these unholy times. We need to take back the name of God, the calling of Christian, from those who would use it to batter and abuse their fellow-creatures.
Those who apparently see God as one who hates homosexuals, who punished and judges his children harshly for infractions of law, who sends his followers out to kill their “enemies”, who deems women to be inferior and in need of control, have come to dominate the public dialogue on religion, and the public perception of Christians. If we do not stand against this perception, and witness to our vision of a loving God, we will be lumped with them as they continue to discredit themselves by their meanness, cruelty, and harshness, especially towards the poor and the weak, whom we know God especially loves. More terribly, they will discredit the name of God in the minds of those who are hurt by their meanness and judgment, and by those who have not been given the gift of faith. Faith, after all, is a gift from God, not something one earns by being energetically dogmatic or judgmental of others.
Those who use their “faith” to disparage the poor, to judge other’s lives, to condemn all who disagree with them bear false witness against the life of Christ, which we understand to be one of tolerance, peace, and unconditional love, even for those who put him to death.
We must stand witness to Jesus, as he has given us the grace to know him. And we must stand against false witnesses, not by attacking the fundamentalists and single-issue fanatics, for that would be unloving; but by constant witness, in words and action, to our vision of a God of mercy; our understanding of God’s call to live in the world in compassion and non-violence.
For this is where the line is most clearly drawn. Christians, according to scripture, will be now by the way “ they love one another”. In love there is no room for enemies, for punishment, for calls to kill the “other”, to abandon the unworthy; to punish the sinner. Among Christ’s followers there should be no violence, no hatred, no human enemies, for all are God’s children.
We must witness to our definition of Christianity, to our definition of “family values” as; not hatred of homosexuals, disparagement of the poor, demeaning of women, and objectifying of children as the possessions of their parent; but as a way of living in family with all of God’s people, caring for each other with dignity and respect, honoring each person’s each person’s individuality and uniqueness, raising our children with self-respect and a sense of self worth.
We need to redeem the reading of scripture as a way to open one’s mind to hear the voice of God speaking to us of grace, and of a holier way to live our own life, not as a tool of dogma to judge and belabor our neighbors about their lives.
We need to speak kindly and firmly when these issues are raised in our presence. We need to renounce our rights to judge others as less worthy. We need to speak of love against hostility, of individual human dignity against blanket condemnation, of compassion in considering the myriad choices facing each person in their life.
We need to proclaim that the world and all its riches belong to God and are to be shared. We need to reverence the “other” in each person we meet. And we need to demonstrate, at every moment and with every interaction with another, that we believe that we all are loved by God and stand all times in the presence of the Spirit.
We need to remind ourselves of the calling of the followers of Christ, “to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.”
Such a wise lady!!! <3