If you didn't read a copy of Nicholas Kristof's op-ed a couple of Sunday's ago in the NYT, make a bee-line for it now: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/opinion/10kristof.html He should be required reading for everyone since he almost, single-handedly, brought to light the oppression and genocide occurring in Darfur. His latest essay concerns the problem of religion and women. Any faith system that doesn't give equal rights to women inevitably abuses them.
The statement applies to all faith systems and to all oppressed groups. For years, conservative Christians have successfully excluded gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and transgendered people from church leadership and have justified their actions by quoting selected passages from the Old and New Testament to buttress their intolerant views. 'If God doesn't love or tolerate GLBT folks, then why should we,' the thinking goes. It's easy to dismiss the rights of some if God doesn't want them either. GLBT folks are just the latest group in the U.S. rejected by conservative Christians but never forget previously targeted groups: women, African-Americans, Jews and Atheists. At one time or another, conservatives in the name of Christ have worked to limit the human rights of these people.
All of us who participate in a system to reach the divine become the God we adore. If our God is self-righteous, intolerant, and selective in love, then we will be that way too. Christians especially play the innie-outie game of who's in and and who's out or what I like to call Belly Button Theology. You're in if you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, but you're out if you're gay. You're out if your Jewish, but back in (maybe), if you support a strong Israel because Jesus will be stopping off in Jerusalem first when he finally gets around to returning. Everyone who is Muslim is completely out. Atheists too. And even though we haven't confirmed their existence yet, aliens and I mean the outer space kind, are out too, 'cause they don't know about Jesus. I suppose if we ever meet any, we could tell them.
But a God who loves and accepts everyone demands no less of us.
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