have you heard that song by ziggy marley? you should...goes something like this...
"All my days I been searching
To find out what this life is worth
Through the books and bibles of time
I've made up my mind
I don't condemn I don't convert
This is the calling have ya heard
From all the lovers to the folk
no one is gonna lose their soul
So don't let nobody stop us
Free spirits have to soar
With you I share the gift
The gift that we now know
Love is my religion
I said you can take it or leave it
You don't have to believe it"
i was listening to it, and it got me thinking. about the hypocrisy of many christians. they call themselves christians, yet they can't accept other religions or they can't accept gay or lesbian people or they really can't accept anything outside the "norms" of the church. so many of us simply can't even understand when people are different. it goes beyond that to mocking, scorning, a feeling of superiority. i don't understand it, because i think this goes against every trait that truly should be the cornerstone of being a christian. i believe it's about tolerance, understanding, and forgiveness. I don't think the bible ever says "JUDGE ALL THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE THEY ARE WRONG!" in fact: Matthew 7:1 says "Judge not, that you not be judged."
as michael franti puts it, "God is too big for just one religion." everyone needs something to believe in, and just because their beliefs aren't the same as yours doesn't mean they are wrong. the same goes with politics, how people are SO vile towards the other end of the spectrum. if this was skin color we were talking about, it would be untolerable prejudice. yet why is it okay to have the same mindset when it comes to other things?
i guess because of all this ziggy marley and i have decided "love is my religion." because religion should not be about thinking you are above everyone who doesn't believe the same. religion is about "love, love for the masses, love for all classes. love conquers all, love accepts all, love respects all..." (also Michael Franti). even if you're not really religious at all, i still believe it's the same set of values we should live by. live by love, live by peace, live by respect. we're all stuck here on the same planet, we might as well make the most of it by at the very least tolerating each other. mutual cooperation and understanding of other cultures is the key to changing the world for the better and reversing some of the hideous problems our nation has got itself into. next time you are about to judge someone for what they believe in, take a look at your own beliefs, and imagine someone ridiculing them. you wouldn't want it to happen to you so don't make it happen to someone else. ALSO, if you happen to be present when someone else's beliefs are unfairly being judged, make it stop. it's something i've tried to do. usually people will get defensive and probably call you some not so nice things (at least from my experience), but at the very least you've made them think, and it's for a very important cause.
