Pro-Family != Hate

It's time to remove the verbal veil ... see what is really happening.
There are people campaigning to blot out hate speech.
If it were truly hate speech that they were blotting, I would join them. I'd bring my own ink!
But it's not.

"They" have an agenda.
Their agenda is to normalize their own way of life. One of their tactics is to label any detractions or objections as "hate speech". Such a cute trick: If you disagree with another group, come up with a label everyone hates and stick it to them.

 "And what, exactly, is "hate speech?" This sounds like a phrase out of 1984."
-- Paul Graham

The label "hate speech" is a rhetorical device that is used to shut down dialogue. It should serve as its own warning label, "someone doesn't actually want to talk about it". And they don't want you to talk ... at all.
 
We are pro-family. I say "we" because my wife and kids and most of our nearest relatives and close friends are pro-family. To be clear, by pro-family, I mean that we support traditional marriage: one man, one woman, "til death do us part". There's no hate in that arrangement.

Several alternative lifestyles, one in particular, define marriage differently. But some of us don't want to swallow this redefinition. A large number of people, many of them Christians, disagree with the idea and disapprove of the agenda. Doesn't mean we hate anyone. Frankly, just the opposite. But to say that "gay marriage is wrong" is flagged as hate speech.

To be fair, there certainly are some in the anti-gay-marriage camp who do hate. But life is not boolean logic and two wrongs don't make a right, so the hate of some does not render the "gay marriage is wrong" statement hate verbiage. The anger of some straights is worth discussing ... in a different post.

If I said smoking was bad for you, would that be hate speech? I don't hate smokers. Would it be wrong to say that I "hate" breathing second hand tobacco smoke? Hate is a four-letter word.

If I said getting drunk is usually not smart, would you call it hate speech? Most of us "hate" drunk driving. Most of us recognize that drunkenness, even "safe" when you're not driving, makes you look bad. (YouTube is everywhere.)

If I said that divorce hurts everyone, would that be hate? All of my friends who have gone through it have expressed pain. God said, "I hate divorce.", so do you censor Him?

Scared of Losing Something? Sure, I'm scared of losing something.

"Those who are scared of losing something are those who seem frantic or shrill or outraged."
-- Russell Moore

I'm scared, as an American, of losing the heritage that made this country great. Historically, the US did many things well, though we made mistakes. I have always said that the best of America was rooted in Reformation Christianity. (But I'll save defending that position for another post.) A cornerstone of that legacy is "traditional marriage".

As a Christian, I know that I have made mistakes. No no ... let's be clear ... not "mistakes", I have done wrong, harmful and hurtful things. I am no better than drunkards or cheaters or ... or homosexuals. (If we lived under sharia law, I might have lost fingers by now, maybe worse.) I am thankful that Jesus took it for me.

• The Jewish law tells us how to live.
• The Jewish Messiah redeems us with His Own Life.

Getting it right, in the Old Testament, is tedious. No one makes it. And there is a constant reminder, "sin must be dealt with". Every other culture (around the Jews in the BC days) would change the rules, either make it relative or say it doesn't matter. (We still do that today.)

Getting it right, in the New Testament, means take the offer. Believe and receive. Then live. And remember you're "a new creation". So don't go back to your old ways. As a Christian, I have nothing to lose. So I'm not scared of the homosexual agenda. But it still hurts.

So ... without fear ... without being shrill or frantic ... and without hate ... gay marriage is wrong. Not to say that some friends don't disagree. (I will not "out" those near and dear to me who are stuck in it. They are loved!)

But "they" (the movement) have an agenda.
They want to make their lifestyle "okay", but it is not victimless. no more than cutting. Their "orientation" is about as real as a nicotine fit. It's a choice.

Their agenda is to normalize their way of life, but they cannot do that without destroying another way of life. I hate that.

-- R; <><

My Story

My Story

I was 11.

I kind of believed in God. But I was already annoyed with fanatical absolute concepts.

Mom and Dad were "recently religious", for lack of a better term. We had attended church regularly as long as I could remember. But they had stepped things up a notch, and that triggered my annoyance. I was almost angry about it. I hate having things forced on me.

I was a good kid.

That's how I saw myself. Truth is, I have a serious mean streak. Not sure if I was conscious of it or if I just thought I could control it. But I was out of conrol in other ways. I was starting to get into mild trouble.

Mild trouble:

I was hard to control in school.

That was the extent of "trouble".

But that was tough for my teachers and in turn was difficult for my parents. Simple stuff like, "shut up while the teacher is talking", obvious common sense, just did not click. If I wanted to say something, why not??

Everyone is a "sinner". Most people like to weigh sins, as if some badness is more bad and other badness is not-so-bad. Wrong is wrong. Sin is sin. Every drug is a "gateway drug". Every sin is a "gateway sin". And eventually, death is death and hell is hell.

I was convicted that I was "a sinner". For a long time, I did not want to bow to this reality.

Jesus Paid

I grew up hearing about Jesus, that He was/is the Son of God. Somehow, He is also part of the Trinity, so He is God. I knew that He died on a cross, was buried, rose from that grave. Never understood why.

Here's why:

Sin cuts you off from God. Sin is the stuff you do, starting with the attitude you hold, that shuts you out from your Creator. Sin is what rips away everything that makes life worth living. That's hell. The fire and brimstone part is true, but that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that ultimate aloneness, an unberarble emptiness, so full of yourself there's no room for anything or anyone else.

Even though I was just 11, life was starting to be hell. Look ... "mild". I used the word "mild" to make the point. My life was far from the hell some people go through. Thank God! (literally) But I was on my way there.

They finally sent me home from school. That hurt.

I Believe

I believed. Finally I realized that I had had enough of myself. I only vaguely remember the moment, didn't mention it, and thought it was private. But people could tell. Mom heard from the teachers. They asked about the change, so she asked me. Frustrated that my secret was blown, I responded, "How did you know?" Mothers always know.

There was no thunder. There were no fuzzy feelings. I've never spoken in tongues. But it was real ... and pivotal. Life is not perfect, but I actually have life.

-- R; <><

The Truth Cowboy

The cow-hands of the Old West knew.  The cow-hands of today know.  "Don't try to understand 'em. Just rope, throw, and brand 'em."  That's how it is when herding cattle.

Similarly, Truth must be pursued.  It cannot be possessed in our current frame.  It must be acquired and identified, even inventoried.

I'm not really that much of a cowboy.  Never worked in the dirt like those good men and women.  But I know that I gotta chase the Truth, round it up, kind of like chasing cattle.  Someone has to ride herd, take on the distractions which lead the little doggies astray, and vaqueros don't usually ride alone.

Like the library background?  I do too.  It reminds me of one of my mentors who has a lot of books.


-- R: <><