Hopefully, advocates of the civil and human rights of trans folk can find common ground with those who genuinely believe their childrens’ safety and the parents’ right to their religious beliefs are being violated.———- But this flare up might make some of us wonder why it’s often issues such as abortion or the rights of queer folk that mobilize many Christians. —–Where are the disciples of Christ in terms of taking action regarding (1) poverty in the US and other countries; (2) all the people being imprisoned for nonviolent offenses in the US; (3) the profit-driven wars that kill and mutilate thousands of men, women, and children, and might actually make our nation less safe; (4) the torture of billions of factory farmed animals; (5) the destruction of land, water, and many species of life on the planet, as a result of corporate greed and hyper-consumerism, not human needs; or (6) trade policies that allow multinational corporations to trash the environment of other countries, enslave workers, and push indigenous peoples off their ancestral lands? ——- Too often, Christians seem to mobilize in such a way that seems to show their minds and hearts belong not to the kingdom of God, but to this world of materialistic things where might often makes right. —–Too often, Christians seem to ally themselves not with the oppressed and not with those rightfully defending their dignity from exploitation, but with the politically and economically powerful.—— Too many Christians that oppose abortion don’t seem concerned about the poverty experienced after that baby is born. ———Martin Luther King Jr was the type of Christian I would have liked to work with. ——–He cheated on his wife serially, and was otherwise flawed like the rest of us, theist and atheist alike. But, in my opinion, he at least tried to put into practice the type of love that Christ may have been preaching. ——That is, MLK Jr, as well as the brave priests and nuns of South America fighting against injustice, sought to impose the cross upon himself. By contrast, conservative Christians who are politically mobilized in their opposition to the human and civil rights of queer folk seem intent on imposing the cross not on themselves, but on others.——-Too many Christians regard as heretics the growing number of their fellow Christians that support the human and civil rights of gays, lesbians, and trans people. ——Christ himself was regarded as a heretic as were many of his peers as well as early Christians. ——What Christ said, if we are to believe in the New Testament, regarding poverty and other injustices might be worth a look. ( Mark 10:25, Matthew 10:24, Matthew 25:34-36 ,Mark 10:21-22, Luke 14:12-14, Matthew 5:40) After that, we can take a look at what Christ is quoted to have said about gays, lesbians, and trans folk ( —– —– —– ) Then, those of us who are conservative Christians might ask ourselves why we care so much about opposing the human and civil rights of queer folk, while doing relatively little about poverty, and not taking a stand against the violence in our own country and the world (Luke 6:29) Thanks for this dialogue, brother.
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