I just read a post on Facebook and the person mentioned, among other things, that "capitulating to the demands of a religiously zealot society driving dogma as the norm means losing hope in future generations." I wonder what he defines as the "demands of a religiously zealot society." Believers and non-believers alike too easily brand those who don't think or believe as they do as "extreme" or "zealot" or "far right" or "far left."
A teacher wrote the post, and I hope he remembers our country's early history, unless his history lessons were completely stripped of any references to God due to the over-reaching, out of context concept of separation of church and state. If he were to read original accounts about our country's forefathers, he might be shocked to see that our publicly-praying and God-fearing founders would easily fall into his definition of religious zealots. They unabashedly believed that the hope in future generations rested firmly in the belief and honoring of the God of the Bible.
I don't think of myself as a religious zealot, but I do base my worldview from a biblical standpoint. And I'm so grateful that I have the freedom to believe and freely practice my Christian faith. We live in a country that protects our individual freedoms, including freedom of religion. But our history is far from spotless. It is fraught with conflicts from efforts to uphold or redefine or expand those protections for all of its citizens. And I'm thankful for that; some things in our past did need changing and enforcing.
I have to respect those who believe differently than I do, and I appreciate the reciprocality. And hate doesn't have to be part of the equation on any side. But what bothers me the most-- and it happens too often in any segment of society-- is when people base their decisions and beliefs on mis-information, half-truths, and downright falsehoods. And they're either too gullible or too lazy or too unknowledgeable to check facts and sources to learn the whole truth.
I'm okay with live and let live in our country for the most part, unless something is harmfully contrary to my biblical beliefs. Take the volatile issue of abortion. One side says it's a matter of choice and control of one's own body. I believe the choice was made at the decision to have sex; but if it resulted in a pregnancy, from that point on is a matter of being a responsible human being and caring for the life that was created.
I understand that many people consider the fetus a mass of growing cells with no soul, or they use a date to determine when the fetus is viable. But I believe that life begins at conception, and an eternal soul is created at that point. I have to speak on behalf of the unborn because God hates the shedding of innocent blood, and I believe our nation is going to be judged for allowing it. But if someone doesn't believe in the teachings of the Bible, an abortion is just another form of birth control. That's a huge difference in beliefs. And although it breaks my heart to know these precious lives are deliberately ended before they get to live their lives, I can't judge the mothers for it-- God says that is His responsibility, not mine. For those who've aborted their baby and regretted it later, my Father offers the balm of healing and forgiveness.
The entertainment industry likes to say it is only reflecting what is happening in our society, but more often than not, they create new realities, trends, and social mores. Many TV shows and movies include gay and lesbian characters, and a number of people are comparing the LGTB efforts with the Civil Rights movement. Polls show people are becoming more accepting of this lifestyle, but many Christians, including myself, find ourselves at odds here because those behaviors are not acceptable to God according to New Testament teaching, which is very clear on the subject. But I cannot force my beliefs on others, and again in our free country, I should have the right of reciprocality. I haven't always had a good attitude towards LGTBs because of things I've seen like the crude and lascivious behavior in Gay Pride parades, but I know now that doesn't reflect the behavior of all LGTBs. I've learned to respect our differences; I can still love, like, and work alongside them, but I can't condone the lifestyle. My commitment to God and belief in His teachings outweigh man's ever-changing social values.
But when new laws force faith-based organizations, churches, or companies to hire practicing LGTBs or face criminal charges, or when the Obama Health Care Act is forcing companies to pay for services or forcing doctors or nurses to perform procedures that violate their consciences and religious beliefs, one side is flagrantly disregarding the freedom of belief of the other side.
As for education, I chose to send my children to Christian schools and eventually home-schooled them three of their elementary school years because I wanted to be able to teach them Christian "dogma" and include biblical history and lessons along with the rest of their studies. Education, to me, isn't complete otherwise. That wasn't possible in the public school, and I didn't expect or demand that the public school change for my beliefs. Some educators thought we were enemies of the public school because we chose a different path of education. But I served as PTA president for the public school during one of our homeschooling years because I knew that my children would be entering public school eventually, and I wanted it to be an easier transition for them. At the time I was called a fanatic by some, and others even said I was ruining my children. But when my kids went to the top of their classes in seventh grade and graduated #1 and #2 their senior years, folks realized otherwise. I'm so grateful we have the freedom to educate our children however we choose in our country. Not everyone agrees with homeschooling, but we can still respect our different opinions.
Much of the morals, laws, and work ethic we have today in our society are based on Judeo-Christian principles, but most folks don't know that. And there are many of these we all can agree on. I don't accept my beliefs lightly nor blindly. God allows all of us the free will to accept or reject Him. My faith is based on love, not fear. And although I don't understand everything about my faith, I believe it calls for a noble, compassionate, and merciful response to our world. I'm sorry for those times we Christians have failed to demonstrate God's love to those who don't believe as we do.
I can respect others' choices of beliefs and education and lifestyles, but I must stay true to my faith and belief in an eternal God and his teachings, no matter what the latest wind of dogma or ever-changing social trends man gives credence to. My disagreeing doesn't mean it's a hate crime. It's a difference of core beliefs. And I'm not advocating on behalf of a religion that devalues women and allows killing and harming others to force them to convert, or punishes their own who choose to live life differently. Extremists are present in our country hiding their ulterior motives behind our first amendment rights. That's kowtowing to fear and bondage, which represents a total loss of freedom.
Our country should continue to allow us all the freedom to express and live out our beliefs without fear of reprisal. And we all should respect our differences. We are one of the few countries in this world with these freedoms. Let's do everything we can to keep it that way.
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