I'm reposting an old blog that sadly, a year later, is still relevant.In 2014, it was Arizona and Kansas flirting with so called 'religious liberty' laws making it legal to deny someone service if that person's lifestyle (or something like that) violates one's religious beliefs. Indiana upped the ante, and Gov. Mike Pence signed such a bill into law last week.
Of course, denying someone service fails to recognize that no matter the lifestyle they are one of God's children and Christ loves them, too. Christ's love redeems us all, makes us all equal, and there is no other. Therefore, theologically, there is no one to hate IF you are a Christian. Here's the blog from last year.
They Just Do Not Get It - March 3, 2014
No, the title of this post is not about Duke fans.
But I AM talking about crazies, specifically the ones in Kansas, Arizona and elsewhere who even think about passing laws that make it okay to not serve people - in this case gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered - who violate a private business owner's deeply held 'religious beliefs.'
Those laws have been defeated or vetoed after opposition from Republicans in the business community.* However, houses of worship - especially Christians - should also oppose these efforts. Sadly, most of these folks who vote for these laws, support the lawmakers who think them up, or the business owners who would love legal cover to discriminate THINK they are acting on Christian beliefs.
They're not.
In the run up to Lent - this year western Lent and Easter are in synch with the Orthodox calendar; take that Georgian calendar! - our gospel lessons have been getting us ready and reminding us why Easter is the holiest of holidays for Christians.
One of the themes our priests have been reinforcing the past few weeks has been how we treat other people, or 'the other'. The message, especially in last week's reading from Matthew 25:31-46, is that we need to treat everyone, to love everyone, as if that person was Christ. Whether you like them, know them, think they are bad people, if they are Dukies - no matter what - Christ tells us to love them.
To quote the Bible: 'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
It really is eerie how directly antithetical these proposed laws are to scripture. To further quote Matthew: 'for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison (that's right, in addition to never turning anyone down for anything even if they are gay, Jesus says you have to LOVE prisoners!) and you did not look after me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Since these laws deal mainly with restaurants the folks who support them want to literally do the opposite of what is written in the Gospel. Perhaps they want to start a new religion, or perhaps start a new organization: Evangelical Christians Against Christ.
Christianity is a simple religion but one that is challenging to get right; one of the things you have to do is love everyone as Christ loves us.
Just as the righteous crucified Christ the righteous among us today do not seem to understand his message. David Green, the billionaire CEO of Hobby Lobby and a financial backer of groups that advocate these discriminatory laws said in a 2012 speech “We have tried to run our business in a way that would be pleasing to our savior."
I humbly suggest that that is not happening, yet. Mr. Green may want to read Matthew and then rethink his current business model.
* Smart business owners would never support these laws - or more importantly turn away business. Greek restaurant owners in the south and in inner cities never turned away paying customers just because those customers were African-Americans. It was good business and good karma. As you may know, Greeks were so well known for taking anyone's money that during the riots in Detroit, Washington and elsewhere Greek businesses were not fire bombed or damaged. The LGBT community uses the same money as the rest of the country. If you're a for-profit business like a restaurant or a hobby shop, why would you want to act like an anti-Christian AND turn away paying customers?
FYI, David Green was coincidentally born in the same hometown as one of the greatest Americans, Christians, and humans of all time, Dean Smith. Both are from Emporia, Kansas. I looked up Green's biography on the off-chance that he was a graduate of Duke University.
As for Dean, if you have not yet had a chance to read Duke graduate John Feinstein's excellent column in honor of coach Smith's birthday do that right now! Of course I take quite a few shots at Duke but Feinstein's columns are almost always great - especially this one.
Of course, denying someone service fails to recognize that no matter the lifestyle they are one of God's children and Christ loves them, too. Christ's love redeems us all, makes us all equal, and there is no other. Therefore, theologically, there is no one to hate IF you are a Christian. Here's the blog from last year.
They Just Do Not Get It - March 3, 2014
No, the title of this post is not about Duke fans.
But I AM talking about crazies, specifically the ones in Kansas, Arizona and elsewhere who even think about passing laws that make it okay to not serve people - in this case gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered - who violate a private business owner's deeply held 'religious beliefs.'
Those laws have been defeated or vetoed after opposition from Republicans in the business community.* However, houses of worship - especially Christians - should also oppose these efforts. Sadly, most of these folks who vote for these laws, support the lawmakers who think them up, or the business owners who would love legal cover to discriminate THINK they are acting on Christian beliefs.
They're not.
In the run up to Lent - this year western Lent and Easter are in synch with the Orthodox calendar; take that Georgian calendar! - our gospel lessons have been getting us ready and reminding us why Easter is the holiest of holidays for Christians.
One of the themes our priests have been reinforcing the past few weeks has been how we treat other people, or 'the other'. The message, especially in last week's reading from Matthew 25:31-46, is that we need to treat everyone, to love everyone, as if that person was Christ. Whether you like them, know them, think they are bad people, if they are Dukies - no matter what - Christ tells us to love them.
To quote the Bible: 'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
It really is eerie how directly antithetical these proposed laws are to scripture. To further quote Matthew: 'for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison (that's right, in addition to never turning anyone down for anything even if they are gay, Jesus says you have to LOVE prisoners!) and you did not look after me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Since these laws deal mainly with restaurants the folks who support them want to literally do the opposite of what is written in the Gospel. Perhaps they want to start a new religion, or perhaps start a new organization: Evangelical Christians Against Christ.
Christianity is a simple religion but one that is challenging to get right; one of the things you have to do is love everyone as Christ loves us.
Just as the righteous crucified Christ the righteous among us today do not seem to understand his message. David Green, the billionaire CEO of Hobby Lobby and a financial backer of groups that advocate these discriminatory laws said in a 2012 speech “We have tried to run our business in a way that would be pleasing to our savior."
I humbly suggest that that is not happening, yet. Mr. Green may want to read Matthew and then rethink his current business model.
* Smart business owners would never support these laws - or more importantly turn away business. Greek restaurant owners in the south and in inner cities never turned away paying customers just because those customers were African-Americans. It was good business and good karma. As you may know, Greeks were so well known for taking anyone's money that during the riots in Detroit, Washington and elsewhere Greek businesses were not fire bombed or damaged. The LGBT community uses the same money as the rest of the country. If you're a for-profit business like a restaurant or a hobby shop, why would you want to act like an anti-Christian AND turn away paying customers?
FYI, David Green was coincidentally born in the same hometown as one of the greatest Americans, Christians, and humans of all time, Dean Smith. Both are from Emporia, Kansas. I looked up Green's biography on the off-chance that he was a graduate of Duke University.
As for Dean, if you have not yet had a chance to read Duke graduate John Feinstein's excellent column in honor of coach Smith's birthday do that right now! Of course I take quite a few shots at Duke but Feinstein's columns are almost always great - especially this one.
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