Lights in the World are Rare

So, I spent last weekend at a Women's Retreat at the same camp I used to go to as a teenager/younger adult. It was a good experience, and I really did feel renewed. Although still a God-follower, my interactions with "Christians" have generally been less than ideal. It seems that, possibly due to it being an election year and only five (!) weeks before the election, the US seems to be more divisive than it normally is. First of all, the whole bipartisan thing inherently puts people against one another, hoping for 'belonging' to a particular group. The thing that I absolutely DETEST is the Religious Right (conservatives-- not the Religious Correct!) trying to persuade members of that party, or anyone who is God-fearing that they must vote for the Republican Party no matter what. Uh, first of all, the candidate who is running as a Republican candidate is NOT A CHRISTIAN. He is a Mormon, which is not exactly the same thing. Anyone who has read the Book of Mormon and the New Testament should know this difference (but clearly, people do not want to educate themselves since ignorance is bliss). However, the Democratic incumbent IS a Christian. So, based on the fact that one identifies as a Christian and the other does not, HOW is it possible that the Religious Right is trying to convince people to vote for the party whose candidate is the 'other.' Well, for many reasons. When people vote based on 'defending marriage' and 'not supporting abortion,' their mind is completely closed to any other issues. What about violence against women? How about we mitigate that issue before we start pointing fingers at people for 'murdering' their children?? It's senseless. People need to look at the big picture before just blankly stating, 'abortion is murder.' Let's face it, a lot of fetuses don't even make it past 12 weeks! So, if a fetus is removed from the body before 12 weeks, one does not even KNOW if that would have become a self-sufficient being. When a fetus is still growing inside of the mother, it is a breathing being, but it is not an autonomous being. Although I certainly do not condone people going out at having abortions as a means of afterthought birth control, how can mere humans decide whether another woman can make that decision for her body and what is developing INSIDE OF HER?? I wish people would take that finger pointed toward others and take a good look in the mirror before even daring to judge others.

Enough about politics. Or, rather, enough about that one issue that seems to divide countries, families, communities, etc. Isn't it God who is going to judge our actions? If someone lies, swears, cheats on his or her spouse, ALL sins are the same in the eyes of God. Somehow, most modern-day 'Christians' seem to think that it's their job to judge others. But, if anyone has actually OPENED the Bible, we see that Jesus spent time with prostitutes, those afflicted with diseases, etc. This wasn't because he wanted to tell them, "you can't do this! FOLLOW MY GOD AND STOP YOUR ACTIONS!" No. He loved! He loved humans in spite of, and FOR their flaws. If we are commanded to love our brother as ourselves, how can we possibly also stick a finger in their face, saying that they are wrong, and LESS THAN US? THEY ARE NOT!!!

It is human nature to judge. We all do it, for a mere split second, deciding who to sit next to on the train ("this person looks friendly/quiet/small enough that I'm not going to be crushed on this 45-minute ride into the city"), deciding which line to stand in at the grocery store ("this one looks like the fastest/ the person in front of me looks efficient/ this cashier looks like he/she is friendly"), and on and on. It's when that judgment ALIENATES people from Christ that you know that this so-called Christian is actually making the world a darker place. God calls for us to be lights in the world, not darkness. When such judgment is taken to the level of not understanding another human being, not LOVING another human being, and ASSUMING that you are correct that one's own definition of being a "Christian" is simply useless. NO ONE is going to see the light of Christ in someone who is judgmental and unloving. Why would anyone? It's better to drink with non-Christians who are happy and uplift one another than the so-called Christians who suck the life out of you by sticking fingers at you and stating, "You're not good enough." Who on earth is a HUMAN to tell another human that he or she is not good enough. Only God can make that decision.

I know a lot of 'lights' that I speak of, and I am so happy to have known them. Going all the way back to 1998, when I was 14, my friend Diana had asked if I wanted to start a Bible Study group. Mind you, we grew up in a very educated, affluent, Jewish and otherwise agnostic area where people were intellectuals and generally believed that they were self-sufficient and did not need God. And I was 14 and a little worried about what being labeled 'Bible Study Girl' would do for my reputation for the next 4 years. Within the first few months of high school, it seemed that everyone was either into drinking, drugs, or sex, and I just thought it was lame. I didn't want my whole life to be jaded and ruined due to the typical teenage 'experimentation' that all of my peers seemed to be engaging in. I was thin, pretty, and fit in easily, but I did not FEEL like my peers. It was then that I told Diana that I would start the Bible Study Club with her and jump through all the necessary hoops to make it officially a club on our very secular high school campus. Since 1950, there had been a strict separation of church and state, so clubs of religious affiliation were frowned down upon. Feeling like an outsider within a world of teenage momentary pleasures, I knew that the only way to have any sense of belonging would be to do so. Diana and I managed to get the necessary signatures to get OUT of the 'intellectual bubble' and start a club that would shock people. And it did. As someone who was invited to parties, liked by (cute!) boys, the question always arose, "Why are you in a Bible Study?" Admittedly, sometimes I was embarrassed to say that I was, but I knew that it was part of me-- a part of my identity that I could not deny (as I couldn't very well deny my maker).

Years have passed, but I still think about the fact that there was someone who was a true light in the darkness. Someone that truly loved the Lord, and therefore loved people. As years have gone on, I have become a peer mediator, Big Sister, Rape Crisis counselor, and ESL teacher for those away from their families. Much of my motivation to partake in such things has been to serve people and make their lives easier and better. And, most of the people I have worked with have been....non-Christians. So, what really separates a humanist, one who loves human beings and serves them, to a Christian? Is it just the promise of salvation, or is it more than that? Christ himself was the best example of self-sacrificial love, having given himself for the sins of all those who choose to believe in Him. But can humanists also be self-sacrificial? Those who commit their lives to ending war, ending diseases, in the most remote areas? Such people are great examples of humanity, but is there something really missing from them? The lines become vague. Due to so many so-called 'Christians' who simply seem to judge others who don't do what they 'like,' instead of loving them and actually TALKING to them, I have kept my interaction with such people to a minimum. Knowing that such people believe in the same God that I do but are not loving people makes me so sad. How can people come to Christ when they are being judged with anger and ferocity, instead of being listened to with love? It breaks my heart.

The past two years or so, the majority of people that I have surrounded myself with have been somewhat like myself-- raised in Christian homes, avoiding all bigots (regardless of religious affiliation or otherwise), and working on lifting one another up. I am well aware that I was blessed to be born into a Christian family, am in a country where I am free to practice my religion (well, especially since we are the majority), had the ability to not only go to college but also graduate school, had excellent, progressive female friends who were forward-thinkers who actually did things with their lives instead of just getting pregnant and being stuck with the father of their child. I realize that this is very fortunate compared to the vast majority of the world. Americans in particular should really realize how good they have it. American Christians often talk of being persecuted, but when's the last time a Church was bombed in the US? No, that was actually a Sikh temple, in Wisconsin. I wish people would cut the crap and realize that they're privileged and lucky, and get off their high horse and start serving the world instead of whining and saying, "people persecute me because I'm a Christian." Grow up. People are persecuting you because you are either being super insular and not loving humans as Christ did, or you are simply being bigoted.

Also, it is not the world's fault that you are in your circumstances. Instead of whining and saying, 'poor me,' DO something about it! Now, those with serious ailments like cancer-- my heart goes out to you. That is just unfortunate, and a reasonable reaction. But for those of you that have lost a job due to your own lack of ability, it's not the world's fault. Yes, it sucks, but the world does NOT owe you any type of compensation. Same goes for those of you who were irresponsible and brought another life into the world. The world does NOT owe you any money for your own lack of control or responsibility. No, the world does not. But those who love WANT to do that. They want to make your life easier, lift you up, and hope that such irresponsible behavior is ceased. Do NOT confuse the fact that people are willing to help because they love you and believe in your well-being with the fact that you are OWED anything. You are not.

In final words, do not bite the hand that feeds you. If you are receiving governmental aid, research the party that is actually providing the food on your table. Should you vote for the opposing party, DO BE AWARE that such aid will decrease, and you will need to get a job since your welfare benefits are likely to decrease. From the mouth of a man who does not believe that 47% are entitled to any governmental benefits, be AWARE before you vote. Don't say that you weren't warned. I don't want to hear any whining or griping if this person is elected and YOU VOTE FOR HIM and lose your benefits. End of story.