Hopeless Humanity...

I received the statement below in quotes in an email from my son's boy scout troop leader. It made me angry and upset me very much.

"For Your Information:

Following is a news segment on NBC. Looks like we will need to rally to put a stop to this.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16739587-exclusive-boy-scouts-close-to-ending-ban-on-gay-members-leaders"

I replied to the above email with the letter below.

Much of the information below came from this source and I copied and pasted it into my reply because I agree with this point of view.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/jesus-homosexuality_b_1442195.html

My reply:

I don't want to change your views on gays. I don't want to tell you what to do about this. But I do not want to be told I have to rally with the organization that welcomes my son who sins but does not welcome other sinners.

(Copied and pasted from the link above)

There has been story after story in the news of teens committing suicide because of bullying. We have also seen a surge of news stories of kids being harassed, threatened, and even physicality assaulted. No one's child should have to endure that. No one should feel afraid, hated and rejected like that. I have seen story after story of how gay and transgender kids have felt hated, at times even hating themselves so bad that it makes some of them want to end their lives.

That really should be a wakeup call for Christians who exclude gays from anything. Regardless of where we stand on the rightness or the wrongness of being gay, none of that matters much when people are dying. We can argue over what the Bible says about homosexuality, but one thing is utterly clear: Jesus clearly teaches us to love people, not to hate them, not to make them feel hated, and not to stand by while that is happening. From the perspective of the New Testament there simply is no room for doubt on this. We know exactly where Jesus stands. He stands on the side of the least, the condemned, the vulnerable.

John's Gospel tells the story of a woman caught in adultery who was brought before Jesus. The religious leaders say to him, "The law commands that she should be stoned to death, what do you say?" Jesus bends down and draws with his finger in the dirt, and then says to them "Let the one who is without sin throw the first stone." One by one they all leave until he is there alone with the woman. Jesus says to her "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she answered. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared.

Many are quick to point out that Jesus next says to her: "Go and leave your life of sin." But the real point here is that even though Jesus did consider adultery sinful, he still was the one who defended her. In fact, he was the only one there who was "without sin" and yet he did not cast a stone and did not condemn. So again, even if we think homosexuality is wrong, we know what Jesus would do in our shoes. He has drawn a line in the sand, and we need to decide what side of that line we will be on. Will we be on the side of Jesus and the one who is being condemned and threatened? Or will we stand with the religious accusers on the other side of that line? Maybe we were not the ones actually throwing those stones, but did we stand on the side of the accused and condemned and actively defend them like Jesus did? Did we actively defend and love "the least of these"? Because Jesus says that the way we treat them is the way we treat him.

(This part is not copied and pasted):

I will not rally for hate and exclusion of people. I love my son but I hate some of the things he has done. I will not tell him he cannot be a part of my family because of those things and I will not tell a person they cannot be part of this organization. Love is not conditional, it is UNconditional. Please refrain from telling me and my family to put conditions on our love and acceptance. It is very hurtful to people and helps turn people away from Jesus instead of turning people toward him.

I should have included this statement, but I think it would be rejected anyway so I did not: In my opinion people do not choose to be gay. I think it is biological, hereditary, and a product of humanity. I think no matter what we think about gays, they need to be loved and accepted just like everyone else.

Non-Parents Know It All...

NOT!

I am upset and saddened by the lack of support demonstrated by people who complain about parenting when they have NO kids.  I am appreciative of friends who show support and assistance rather than being critical of parents.

People usually aren't critical when they assist with holding children or playing with them, but when kids become disruptive and another person who isn't their parent assists, it is viewed by others as the parent being inept or lazy. I believe that people who don’t have children should refrain from commenting on parenting if it isn't supportive or helpful, especially when it comes to discipline or behavior. You don't know the child as well as the parents do, and sometimes your way of handling things would just not be helpful to the child or the parent.

Whatever a person’s beliefs on parenting are, they may not be the same beliefs as yours, and  respecting beliefs is more important than expressing an opinion on what someone thinks a parent should or should not do. And if someone has suggestions regarding parenting, maybe they could try to be a friend first by asking what they can do to help instead of passing judgment. Parents will make mistakes and don’t need friends, teammates, or coworkers, etc., rubbing it in by making critical complaints or suggestions. Parents are already hard on themselves as it is. It would be wise to learn a little empathy when it comes to parenting when you have never walked in the shoes of a parent. Respect their beliefs and their right to choose the way they parent.