In the past few weeks, as news of gay teenagers committing suicide has taken over the media, one particular group has been feeling singled out: Christians.
I'll admit that I've been vocal that I believe part of the problem with bullying is that there is a bias built into Christianity regarding homosexuality. I will say, however, that as a gay man, I don't blame Christianity for bullying.
The fact is that Christianity, like many religions, have beliefs based in compassion. Unfortunately, many people within their religion commit discriminatory actions that they attribute to their beliefs, when really they're completely unsupported.
The religious groups you see on the news shouting that "fags will burn in Hell" are fringe groups. They're extremists. They don't speak for the larger religion.
I'm not seeking to let anybody off the hook here, but when I saw that some people were saying that "Christians have blood on their hands," I felt I had to say something, because I have many Christian friends who are loving and accepting of me, and feel terrible about what's going on in this country. Most of them don't even subscribe to the belief that homosexuality is wrong, and even though their religion promotes it, they choose to take a more compassionate approach.
The fact is that bullies will be bullies regardless of their religious background. Insecurity is what motivates bullies, not religious doctrine. Yes, there have been cases where prejudice was committed because of someone's warped belief system, but we can't ask a church or religious group to be responsible for those people anymore than we can ask ourselves to be responsible for all of our relatives, friends, or co-workers.
I went to a Catholic school, and I attended church when I was younger. I was never given the impression that bullying people was acceptable. In fact, the opposite is true. I was taught to be accepting and loving towards everyone, and to love myself for who I was.
I still take organized religion to task on a regular basis, but I believe the ideas and ideals behind most religions are well-meant.
The fact is, if Jesus Christ came down to Earth and told everybody that being gay was all right, I still believe that every homophobic person in this country would still be homophobic. They say it's because of religion, but that's just the mask they use to hide their own discomfort.
If we really want to do something about bullying in this country, we need to recognize the real reasons it's occurring instead of finding popular scapegoats like Christianity or video games or pop culture.
The truth is, if people actually started paying attention to what their religion asks of them, we probably would have a lot fewer bullies in this country today.
I'll admit that I've been vocal that I believe part of the problem with bullying is that there is a bias built into Christianity regarding homosexuality. I will say, however, that as a gay man, I don't blame Christianity for bullying.
The fact is that Christianity, like many religions, have beliefs based in compassion. Unfortunately, many people within their religion commit discriminatory actions that they attribute to their beliefs, when really they're completely unsupported.
The religious groups you see on the news shouting that "fags will burn in Hell" are fringe groups. They're extremists. They don't speak for the larger religion.
I'm not seeking to let anybody off the hook here, but when I saw that some people were saying that "Christians have blood on their hands," I felt I had to say something, because I have many Christian friends who are loving and accepting of me, and feel terrible about what's going on in this country. Most of them don't even subscribe to the belief that homosexuality is wrong, and even though their religion promotes it, they choose to take a more compassionate approach.
The fact is that bullies will be bullies regardless of their religious background. Insecurity is what motivates bullies, not religious doctrine. Yes, there have been cases where prejudice was committed because of someone's warped belief system, but we can't ask a church or religious group to be responsible for those people anymore than we can ask ourselves to be responsible for all of our relatives, friends, or co-workers.
I went to a Catholic school, and I attended church when I was younger. I was never given the impression that bullying people was acceptable. In fact, the opposite is true. I was taught to be accepting and loving towards everyone, and to love myself for who I was.
I still take organized religion to task on a regular basis, but I believe the ideas and ideals behind most religions are well-meant.
The fact is, if Jesus Christ came down to Earth and told everybody that being gay was all right, I still believe that every homophobic person in this country would still be homophobic. They say it's because of religion, but that's just the mask they use to hide their own discomfort.
If we really want to do something about bullying in this country, we need to recognize the real reasons it's occurring instead of finding popular scapegoats like Christianity or video games or pop culture.
The truth is, if people actually started paying attention to what their religion asks of them, we probably would have a lot fewer bullies in this country today.
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