I'm never eating another Oreo!
I'm never eating another Chic-fil-A!
I'm never shopping at JC Penny!
I'm never giving another dollar to Susan G. Koman!
You're a sinner going to hell!
You're a lying bigot... And you call yourself a Christian!
Liberals are stupid and out of touch!
Christians are hateful morons who don't believe in science!
I'm a Republican and I think our President is the devil and Jesus must be coming back soon!
I'm a Democrat and think all Republicans are greedy bastards who hate poor people!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
Stop! Will you please sto-op?!?! **Yelled in my best Phyllis Nefler voice. (Only my brother, Joey, will get that).
Society, how can you teach,
I wanna know
If you don't practice what you preach?
That's right
If all men were truly brothers
Why then, can't we love one another?
Love and peace from ocean to ocean
Somebody please second my emotion
I am so tired... Maybe I need to delete my facebook. I am so so tired of reading all of the hate - FROM BOTH SIDES!!! What good does it do? Does hate ever win? I think everyone needs a good listen to The Avett Brothers' "Ballad of Love and Hate". Love wins, people... Every single time.
Because someone disagrees with you, does that make it right to spew words of hate back at the person preaching intolerance? Does telling someone they're a hateful bigot and you're never visiting their establishment again change their mind anymore than their hateful words about your lifestyle make you reexamine your life? No! If we have a difference of opinions, we need to educate each other on why we feel this way, not add to the hate in our world.
I am not saying that you don't have the right to not eat at Chic-fil-A if you don't agree with their president's beliefs. You do. That is your right. But think - Did Million Moms boycott on JC Penny hurt them? nope, pretty sure it did the opposite. And I'm not saying he doesn't have the right to state what he believes. He does. That is his right. He can truly believe homosexuality is wrong, but as far as I know he is never been accused of discrimination. And remember, he is not a politician. He may be president of Chic-fil-A, but he is one vote. His opinion doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. We are all entitled to our opinions, but the hate going back and forth between both sides of the camp is what no one should engage in. No one. **And yes, I realize he gives money to certain Christian groups that are considered anti-gay... That's not my point. If you choose not to eat there and give him your money, then don't.
Do
I agree with Chic-fil-A's president? About as much as I agree with the
people calling him names. I understand your feelings and your anger that
someone wants to deny you rights... No one should be denied rights, but the hate needs to stop.
Don't believe it's both sides? Go to Chic-fil-A's Facebook page... The name calling on both sides is sickening. And don't even get me started on the guy that compared the persecution Chic-fil-A is under to that of the church when Christ was killed and how Chic-fil-A will only get stronger just like the church. Seriously? Don't stoop to the hate on the Chic-fil-A Facebook page, or to the rest of Facebook... or to the hate in this world period.
Be the bigger person.
It's not just Chic-fil-A and gay marriage... It's everything right now! Politics, social issues, what type of dog I should buy/adopt, where I should shop, what I should eat. I AM TIRED! Just stop!
You posting pictures of Obama with catchy little sayings about how horrible he is is not making anyone change their mind. It's just making Obama fans find pictures of Romney with catchy little sayings and post them right back. And it's filling up my news feed with crap and I'm tired of it!
Baby steps people... Yelling hate and saying people have to agree with you right now is not going to work. And it's not what Jesus would have done. Opening up a conversation will work a lot better.
Not everyone has to agree with you. You can still love them... or at least be kind to them. Tolerance?
My dad and I agree on NOTHING politically, but we sit and have a beer and we listen to each other and I really respect his opinion. And occasionally we find ourselves nodding yes in agreement. Must have been the beer. ;)
My mom and I agree on very little socially, but I understand where she's coming from and I explain where I'm coming from in a loving way. And we understand each other. And slowly, but surely... we're getting closer and closer to agreeing on a few things.
One of my best friend's and I don't agree on religion, but we talk about it all of the time and she tells me she wishes more Christians were like me and not so hateful. WOW! What a statement. Jesus preached love and Christians are known for hate. That makes me so sad...
My friend, Sara, and I don't agree on baseball and... Err... Oops! Practice what you preach, Alison. I hate The Yankees. LOL!
Actually, do sports count in this discussion? Because I really hate The Red Wings too and I'm not too fond of Big Ben or Jeff Fisher. :) Oh and music too... I hate on John Mayer all of the time. See... I am having a reasonable conversation with myself on this blog (because I'm the only one who will probably read it) and I'm discovering that I need to change some things about myself too. I can choose to root for anyone playing against The Yankees, Red Wings, Big Ben, and Jeff Fisher, without hating those teams, individuals, or fans (who obviously just don't know any better). I can choose to turn Lightning 100 off when they play John Mayer, but I don't have to hate him (even though he doesn't seem like a very nice guy). **I said this to be funny, but I don't know him... Only what his exes have all said and what I have assumed based on interviews and his twitter account. But I don't know him. I do NOT like his music, but I cannot speak to his character. I was just being funny.
I'm really glad I wrote this blog. I needed to hear this too. :) I am definitely not perfect and get caught up in all of the arguments occasionally too, but enough is enough. And I've had it. If I see one more hateful post about Chic-fil-A, gay people, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Conservatives, Obama, Romney, I'm going to scream. I mean it. I may just lose it... I miss the days when my Facebook news feed was filled with videos of kittens doing funny things on YouTube. Just kidding; I hate cats. Oops, I did it again. Love, Alison - Love!
Seriously though, I just don't get it. Love > Hate
So, my point... You can root for what you believe in without hating everyone who doesn't agree with you. This goes both ways. Do you have to agree eventually? Absolutely not! You can disagree without hate and slander. But you can open a civil conversation about the difference of opinions and in time, perhaps minds and actions will change. Trying to force your beliefs on anyone is not going to work.
This is all written from a Christian who happens to support gay rights. YEP, they exist! I know quite a few, actually. I don't even want to get into the religious debate on whether or not being gay is a sin or not. That is opening up another can of worms that I am not willing to do. My point is that the United States was founded on freedom of religion and freedom in general. One groups' beliefs should not dictate all Americans' lives especially since that one group doesn't even all agree on the issue. If we are founded on freedom, then everyone should have the right to their freedoms. And guess what, WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE! And another point is that even if you fully believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, how is it hurting your marriage if my friend marries his or her partner? We live in a world where divorce is the common thing... My parents celebrating their 50th anniversary this week is NOT the norm. So what sanctity of marriage are we protecting when even I am sucked in to watching one woman picking her husband out of 25 men in front of a camera crew? Whether you agree that homosexuality is morally right, aren't all Americans entitled to their freedoms?
As a Christian, do I believe I was called to witness to others and stand for what I believe in? Absolutely! Do I think I was called to hold picket signs and hate those who don't agree with me? Absolutely not! And can I still love Jesus and
love my neighbor and not be completely sure about certain issues? Sure! I
don't find life as black and white as a lot of people do. I can stand for what I believe in in a loving way. And I can hold the people I love accountable without jumping down their throats with harsh words. I believe Jesus called me to love my neighbor as myself. I know my brother is glad to read this. I may or may not have lost my cool with him a few times. :)
And as a somewhat social liberal, do I believe in love and acceptance for all? Yes, I do. Do I believe the way to achieve that is through hate and fighting? No, I don't!
As a socially liberal conservative Christian, I believe in living my life to the best of my ability... loving others as best as I can no matter what their race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc.
Do I have all of the answers? No. Do I pray for guidance? Yes! Am I perfect? No. Do I mess up and use unkind words and harsh tones? Yes - More often than I care to admit. I am a sinner. I fail every single day. We are all sinners and Jesus came to save us. I can tell others that good news and I can love and pray for them whether they want to hear it or not.
And they will know we are Christians by our love???
So whether you are Republican, a Democrat, a Christian, an Agnostic... Can we all just agree that the hate needs to stop and we need to love each other?
Because we all need to remind ourselves of this:
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. - Luke 6:35
Because Ellen said it best:
Because we all need to listen to these songs:
And because we all need a good laugh:
5 comments:
thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!! thank you sweet Alison for putting into words what has been in my head (well, not all the words LOL - we probably don't agree on everything either).
I'm very tired of reading and hearing all the hate and negative stuff lately. It seems that open communication and freedom of speech has led many people to feel that they must absolutely say whatever they are thinking at all times. and while I'm open to people having their opinion, I feel it is being thrown at me with a bit of force lately. Personally, I think I will go and download some cute kitten videos so I can feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Love you girl!!!
In case I didn't make myself clear, thanks!!!
Robin
Hey, Alison--
Old friend of Jenn's here...I met you and the fam a time or two when you first moved to TN. Wanted to give you a big cheer for standing up and speaking your piece (and peace). It takes quite some nerve to do such a thing these days. But yer mama didn't raise no shrinkin'violet girls, as is quite obvious to the internet world. : ) I love that you are willing to take what might be (what certainly is) an unpopular stance on an issue or two, and defend in within the context of the Gospel. That's the thing; what Jesus said can be interpreted a hundred different ways, but "the greatest of these is love". What the world sees more clearly than anything is our willingness to love each other regardless of our views--and we can still be firm in those views. I see you're doing both, and hurrah for you. I love that you're fighting the good fight in print. Keep it up! Peace on ya, Bernie
(Pardon any typos...not wearing my contacts!)
YES! You honestly said everything I have been saying this entire time. I'm so tried of the hate. It's so sad that when I tell people I am a Christian I am automatically seen as narrow minded and full of Hate. I also support gay marriage. I want to stand up and applaud you for everything you just wrote, you are 110% right!
I totally agree with you!! I am a lot more conservative but imagine that! I believe in love and friendly conversation and though I have been in debates that I am not proud of I in the end just want to be respected for who I am and not to be judged. So in turn I don't try to hate or judge others. Thank you for this post! There needs to be more love and understanding in the world. We may not all agree or be the same in thinking but we can learn from each other, than screaming words of hate at each other. Blessings to you! :) This needs to be shared to all!
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