big•ot
noun \ˈbi-gət\
: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)
I have seen this word tossed around a lot in the past few days in reference to Christians with a traditional view on sin according to the Bible. I think I have it figured out, non-believers can’t fathom disagreeing with something and still being able to love the person. As Christians, that is what we are called to do. I’m a strong believer in the word of God and I know that is getting less and less popular these days but popularity has never mattered that much to me anyway.
I grew up in a very Christian home, my parents were (and continue to be) missionaries in South America. I grew up in a third world country being home schooled by my parents (“Well, she must be socially retarded!”). I have cared for the sick, homeless, hungry and widowed with no regard to their faith, color, age or sexual preference. But more than that, I’ve LOVED these people (some being strangers and others being close friends)! Some of my friends and I have had vastly different views on things like politics, religion, drugs & sexuality and we still manage to love and respect one another.
What I get tired of is hearing “how Christians are supposed to act” by non-Christians. “You’re supposed to be accepting and loving.” We are supposed to love our neighbor but are not called to accept sin! This is not a debate on homosexuality, I don’t want to open that can of worms, it’s about Christians being mislabeled or maybe misunderstood is a better term. I have “tolerated” HUNDREDS of posts about “marriage equality” and have never tried to censor my friends (or anyone else for that matter) because their views differ from mine and I expect the same courtesy.
A few of my friends have posted, “'You are not some sort of “Patriot, fighting for the First Amendment rights of all Americans” if the only time you get upset about a person’s “rights being trampled” is when it happens to people who think exactly like you...And if the only free speech that you support is speech that you agree with, that doesn’t make you a “patriot.” It makes you a hypocrite. And that’s something completely different.” And that is true, however, Christians don’t have the power to censor things we disagree with, we are a minority. If that were the case, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Kim & Kanye wouldn’t be nearly as popular.
When you ask a Christian what their view of sin is, be prepared to hear their honest opinion. Don’t ask someone a question that you have an idea what the answer is and then get mad at them for having a differing opinion from yours. Saying, “Here are my beliefs according to the Bible.” And going on to say, “It isn’t my job to discriminate/pass judgment, it’s my job to love.” Is not “spewing hate” or being intolerant. Firing someone for having Christian values and sharing them when asked is pretty intolerant though.
Don’t tell me that my faith is full of intolerant bigots, my church loves everyone. Sure, there are folks out there that claim to be Christians and do not walk the walk (Looking at you Westboro) but that is like saying, “all blondes are airheads” or, “you must be an addict if you have tattoos”. I really dislike generalizations!
It is A&Es right, as an employer, to fire or suspend anybody they want to. They may have a lot of angry fans and may even lose the whole Robertson family. Do I think it was a mistake on their part? Yes. But it was their choice to make. I stand behind Phil because he was asked a question and answered it honestly and according to his beliefs. I stand behind him because he is my brother in Christ! He could have betrayed his beliefs to appeal to the general public but he stood firm on his faith and I applaud that! He didn’t hurt anyone, he didn’t promote hate (quite the opposite).
I wish all the folks on social media could keep it civil (both sides). There have been hurtful words exchanged between strangers and between people that, at some point, called one another “friends”. Yes, I’ve seen things on friends’ facebook walls these past few days that I disagree with but I don’t hate them! I’ll still hang out with them, our kids will still play together and we will continue to love each other. It all comes down to respecting views that differ from your own. Disagree, sure! Just don’t disrespect.
