Good God, BAAD Representation.

DEAR

     Anyone who has been hurt by religion:

         I'm sorry. As I've always said, "Good God, baaad representation." But I digress.

         You may have little trust in what men say about their religions. That makes sense, because we are fallible humans who have trouble understanding many things. We will never agree on everything; we will never have the same exact thoughts on things; this is because we are separate minds and collections of experience. I don't wish to argue with you, but I do wish to say that I hope you find peace in whatever you decide to believe.

       Humans commit atrocities. How people interpret what God wants and thinks is what has created so many different interpretations of it throughout the world and in history. Man has often skewed religion to support him in any way possible; even Hitler claimed so, and I'm pretty sure he went directly to the fiery depths after he kicked the bucket. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:15-16) "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." (Paul, in his letter to the Romans 16:17-18).

       People who actually follow the Bible are few; it commands us to "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter, in his letter to the exiles 4:8), because "There is only one lawgiver and judge, He who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James, to the 12 tribes 4:12).

       I have questioned the Bible in places (and then remember that it was written by man and translated an absurdly high number of times, so how could it be completely perfect? Only God is perfect). I question verses and then do research of the time in which those lines were written; the different translations; and the group of people those writings were aimed toward. Most of my questions have been resolved through this process. The Bible was written to explain things; there is much good life advice in the Bible. I do believe in God, and because of that belief, I have discovered a hope beyond myself that I use in every step of my life. And truly, that's all I need. When I die, I'll know the real answers, but for now, He is enough for me.

         I know you've heard of "mind over matter". I believe in that, and belief in God gives me that helpful push sometimes.

       "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?" (Paul again, in his letter to the Romans 11:33-34). This was written as an answer to the very claim that God lets certain things happen, and we can't understand why or how. We try to, which is why the Bible was written, but we can't fully comprehend. The only one with all the answers is God, not man.

With Respect,

Joélle.

All Lives Matter- And So Do All Opinions

DEAR
     Judgementals:
            Innocent until proven guilty. Why is that one line so hard to take to heart?

        Our relatives have a very specific view of who they think we are: uptight, condescending, judgmental religious people. During a recent get-together, one of my cousins was discussing her friend’s new boyfriend; she was curious as to what his parents thought about the relationship. She was about to mention the specific reason for it when my aunt shook her head and mouthed, we don’t talk about that here. My cousin then went on to say something about the parents’ religion and how her friend was not of the same religion as her new boyfriend.

          Naturally, I asked what religion they were, as I’m always curious about everything. My aunt and cousin both tensed and exchanged glances, as if they were afraid of something impending. I asked again, and my cousin hesitantly told me that the boyfriend’s family was Muslim. My reply, which seemed to surprise them, was “Oh, yes, their culture does have rules about that.” From what I know of Islamic law, the boyfriend’s family must be much less strict with the rules, as they’re allowing their son to date at all. I’d be curious about the situation if my friend were in the same position, I don’t blame my cousin for wondering. What really bothers me is that my relatives seem to think that my family and I are so judgmental that we’ll explode at the slightest mention of something not in line with our personal views.

            I try to be hyper-aware of how much general society and media condemn Christians; I walk through judgment every day, because I don’t try to hide my religion. The problem is this: just as it is unfair to generalize an entire race or political group, so too is it unfair to generalize a religion. I know I’ll get a lot of flak for this, but saying all Christians are small-minded and disparaging is like saying all Muslims are terrorists, or all black people are violent, or all French people are uptight. And God forbid you’re an African-French Muslim. Or a police officer in the United States.

        The solution to this is to realize that each person is different, and it’s not the amount of melanin in your skin, or the entity to whom you pray, or the place where you were brought up that does any of those awful things we hear about on the news. Each person who did those things made the decision to carry out the actions. Was their way of thinking influenced by the subculture of the aforementioned? Possibly. But those individuals made the decision to hurt others on their own. You can’t condemn the village for the actions of the one.

          Just because I have certain beliefs doesn’t mean that I’m not able to listen to— and hopefully understand— other points of view. This is a concept that a lot of people struggle with, and I don’t blame them. It’s hard to understand things you don’t believe, but you can’t respect others if you don’t try to see the world through their eyes. A diamond wouldn’t be as beautiful with only one facet, would it?

           The world is a judgmental place, because we are humans, and all humans judge. We all have first impressions, and we all cast our stones at the celebrities and politicians gracing the criticism-brimming tabloids. It’s in our nature, just like it’s ingrained in our hearts to protect our own.

With Respect,

Joélle.