A Political Rant from a Left Leaning Christian

I know that this blog is usually about our travel, adventures and our general life in Thailand, but I'm going to hijack it for a moment. I have been thinking about this for months at least, but I’m pretty sure this blog has been years in the making. I’ve been hesitant to post it, because I know it’s going to end up being pretty controversial and you know, it might tick people off. But, since I’ve been thinking about it for SO long, I really need to get it off my chest. So...here goes.

I consider myself a Christian. I was raised by a Christian family, I regularly attended Sunday school growing up, I maintain a positive relationship with the pastor of my home town church and address my prayers at night to God.

I am also passionately, vehemently, with every ounce of my very being a feminist, pro-choice and pro-gay rights. You may think the Christian thing is in direct conflict with these political leanings but I think they are not, and here’s why:

First, (get ready for the first controversial point) I don’t think the Bible is meant to be taken literally. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of contradictory information in there and taken literally, it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. To me, it is a book of lessons. I actually think that taking the Bible literally is dangerous, because people can get so caught up in the semantics that they entirely miss the lessons. Isn’t that the reason we rely on pastors, rabbis and other clerics, who spend years studying the Bible and religion, so that we get the message right?

Second, I think the two biggest lessons to be taken away from the Bible are (and I think this may still work for Bible literalists):

·        “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven."
Luke 6:37

·        “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which actually appears several times in the Bible.

These quotes are often completely forgotten by people throwing out Bible verses to condemn people, and quite frankly that really boils my blood. To me, these lessons clearly show that the Bible is supposed to be used as a set of guidelines for you in your OWN life. It is not to be used as the yard stick by which you measure and judge everyone else’s lives and choices. In the end, we’re ALL sinners, right?

So what does this mean for my points above?

Gay Rights

First, let me just say that the “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” sentiment is TIRED! Seriously, God made people in every size, shape and color. He then went on to make a world abundant in a HUGE variety of plants and animals, again in every different size, shape and color. It is clear to me, just but sitting on my deck in lovely Thailand, that God is a big fan of diversity. Look around, your world is BEAUTIFUL because of the all the diversity in it. Your world is exciting because of all the diversity in it. People spend their whole lives traveling the globe just to catch glimpses of the diversity this world has to offer. So, for you to assume that being gay isn’t a part of that beautiful diversity, well that just seems silly to me.

Second, the argument that it is unnatural is ignorant. In fact, Zoologists are finding that homosexual and bisexual behavior is common in the wild. And since animals can’t really choose to be gay, it’s obviously something they were born with. http://www.livescience.com/animals/080516-gay-animals.html

Speaking of something they were born with, the gay people I know have told me that being gay is just who they are. It’s not a choice they made and they aren’t just doing it for fun. It is fundamentally who they are. Now, I know there are a lot of people who don’t buy that, but have you ever noticed that those people are usually straight? And really how in the heck would a straight person know anything about the origins of gayness? That is just as offensive as reading old medical journals where male doctors would purport to understand the female body by studying MEN. It just doesn’t make any sense!

And lastly, do YOU really believe that this world has such an excess of love in it that we can afford to throw some types away? Because when I look at the world, when I turn on the TV, or open a newspaper, I don’t really see a flood of love that we are all in danger of drowning in. No, I do see some pretty threatening stuff, but it’s definitely NOT love. And really, who are you to judge someone’s love? Who are you to say which love is justified and which is not? I sort of believe that love is pretty great, and that this world could use a lot more of it, no matter what form it comes in.

And in the end, hate and bigotry are not very Christian, no matter who they are directed at.

Abortion Rights

Let me start off with a little disclaimer. I don’t actually believe that the heart of the anti-choice debate is about saving babies. I actually think it is about maintaining a control over women. I’m choosing to not go into details about this, because the point I’m trying to make in this blog is about judgment. And well, this could be an entire blog of its own. (read: I feel pretty darn strongly about it)

Let’s face it people, NO ONE skips down the road to their local Planned Parenthood, lollipop in hand singing about sunshine and roses. NO! Most of the women who consider abortion do so because they are in impossibly desperate situations. The kind of desperate situations, you probably couldn't even imagine actually living through.

My guess is most of the people who are so quick to judge have much more privilege than the vast majority of Americans, and they completely take it for granted! It’s pretty easy to sit up on a judgment throne with full bellies, good jobs, college educations, enough money to cover your basic necessities and then some, and a loving support system. However, let’s talk about the people who go without. Try to imagine a woman whose pregnancy puts her life on the line, not to the mention what might happen to the baby. You know, because if he finds out he will NEVER let her leave and if she stays he will eventually kill her. No, I know. That has probably never happened to you, and you may not know of anyone who has gone through that. But trust me, it does happen, and it is not uncommon.

That is just one example of the kind of desperation people endure when they find out they are pregnant. Just ONE. It would be really great if we lived in a world where we could all be over the moon about two pink lines, but we don’t. Sorry, reality is just not that rosy for most people.

But what about women who are just irresponsible? Yes, there probably are people who take their reproductive responsibility too lightly (ahem, men included), but you cannot punish an entire population of mostly extremely responsible women, for a few who aren’t. I mean, there are some people who take the responsibility of owning a gun WAY too lightly, and people do die because of it. However, we can’t very well revoke everyone’s gun rights because of the few irresponsible. That would never fly.

And again, is it really your place to decide who is being responsible and who isn’t? You won’t have to live with those choices, and when you sit in front of God in judgment, you will not have to answer for them.

So, if you are really one of those people who actually wants to save babies, if you really want to live those Christian values you talk about so much, then please stop voting to strip women of their autonomy, climb down off of your high horse, and actually DO something to help the women who get stuck in these extremely desperate situations

What you can do

Volunteer - You, with your education and privilege, could educate yourself about resources and programs available to women who chose to keep their babies. You could then volunteer at a local abortion clinic or crisis center and help to counsel women about their options. If you did this in a non-pushy, non-judgmental manner, you could really make a difference. If you could become a desperate woman’s friend, show her that she is not alone in the world, show her that she has value and worth, if you could be a beacon of light in her dark world of desperation, I mean…wow! You could really do some good. Now, you might not be able to save every baby, but you might be able to save a few, and hey…that’s better than nothing, right? You would probably also be humbled a bit and make some really amazing friends. Win-win!

Vote

•  In support of the kinds of programs that make the decision to keep baby a feasible one. The kinds of programs that show that we, as Americans, care about babies, even after they are born.
• DEMAND common sense sexual education in schools, because let’s face it, some kids just don’t get it at home. Some kids spend their entire childhood just trying to survive and the only time they get any real world knowledge is at school. So let’s help them out.
• To make contraceptive more accessible and to stop allowing medical professionals to push their morals onto the public at large. After all, isn’t that what the whole oath business is about?

Keep in mind, that these are just two BIG ways that the religious make it a point to judge others, but it happens every day in a million little ways. I know I’m not entirely innocent, no one is. However, I always thought God and religion were supposed to be about love and acceptance. I always thought they were about trying to be a better person and leaving the world a better place. I don’t really see how there can really be any room left for hate and judgment.

Ok, I’m done now. You probably won’t see many more posts like this. I don’t really talk about my faith to the general public, because I don’t really like the “My God is better than your God,” attitude that a lot of Christians tout. So, thanks for reading and I hope I gave you something to think about.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming of Thai adventures, our trip home and baby updates.

Hope you are well!