Judging by the word choice, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this wasn't created by a church-going Christian. And when I thought about that, it made an even bigger impression on me.
Let's face it: when people leave the church, it usually isn't because of something Jesus did - it's because of something the people in the church did. People leave because they feel hurt, unloved, betrayed, abandoned, all sorts of reasons. But if you talk with a non-believer, or someone who practices a different faith, most of them still have respect for Jesus and his teachings, even if they don't follow him. There's a popular quote attributed to Gandhi that says: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." He's right - so many of us don't act like Christ as much as we should, myself included. With all of the talk about LGBT rights and gay marriage and President Obama's recent announcement of supporting equal rights for all citizens, I've been thinking about what it means to follow Christ and to know and love people who practice a lifestyle different than mine.
I came to this conclusion: I can love my friends and be okay with them loving whomever they want to love because at the end of the day, Jesus loves them, too. I don't have to agree with it or practice the same things they do but I should (and do) continue to love them, without judging, the same way I want people to love me.
So when I saw this message today, I thought about the fact that it probably was made by a non-Christian, and the fact that they seem to understand the teachings of Christ better than we church-goers do. When Jesus said "Love your neighbor as yourself" he didn't condition it with "... unless they're gay, then don't worry about it" or "... except for people who are practicing Muslims; they don't like me so I won't like them, either" or even "... but if they've done something to tick you off, by all means talk about them behind their backs." No, Jesus quoted Leviticus, where Moses hears God say, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Period, end of discussion. Did I stutter?
