We have learned all we need to know in kindergarten it is said. I think we learned it in Sunday school.
Civil rights should have been a given. Everyone is
equal. No matter what. We learned that in Sunday school, didn't we? I seem to remember the first bible song we all
learned.
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world
ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD. I
don't seem to remember a caveat about homosexuals or women. He loves us all. Without judgment. Without question. Everyone is equal in Jesus' eyes.
Weren't we taught that Jesus died for our sins? A friend
once said that it was a comfort to her to know that no matter what she did or
thought, it could be forgiven because Jesus died for her sins, too. If we are truly forgiven for all of our sins
in the eyes of God, then how can we judge something as sinful because we
disagree with it?
Speaking of judgment, we were taught in Sunday school
that God judges us. GOD JUDGES US. Not the minister. Not the guy down the street. God.
By judging others are we not usurping God? By condemning gays and taking
away their civil rights, are we not saying that we do not trust God and His
judgment?
The ten commandments were taught to us as children. They are in the Old Testament, the Torah and
the Koran alike. They are the basis to a
civil society and, to be honest, just common sense in many ways.
Need an explanation?
Let me explain it.
Don't worship any gods other than God. When we worship gods,
we lose focus. We forget what is important.
Our fellow man. Our
families. Taking care of the stewardship
of the beautiful planet that we were given.
Do not make and worship idols of any kind. Again, when we do this, we get off of
the track. It's like on the movie, Bug's
Life. The ants work themselves to death
to gather food for an offering to the crickets. They let themselves and their
children suffer to make sure that the vengeful,
crickets have enough food to make it through the winter. We shouldn't do
this. God wants us to be healthy, happy,
loving, caring of each other as we would take care of and honor Him.
Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. No, this doesn't mean don't say
god-damn or anything like that. It
means, don't do things in the name of God that are unkind, unloving, judgmental, hateful, harmful or in any other way detrimental
to anyone. A few wild things that come
immediately to mind... The Spanish Inquisition.
Witch Burning. Slavery. Jim Crowe
Laws. Gay Bashing. Women Hating. Yes.
Gay bashing, and making women subservient is as bad in the eyes of God
as Hitler's genocide of the Jews. It really is.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy. Everyone needs a break. Everyone. No one can work 24/7/365, day in, day out,
year in, year out. It diminishes our
souls and our sense of self. Everyone
needs a break. When we don't, we get
careless, grumpy and make mistakes in dealing with each other and in life. Moms, dads, bosses, employees, and even kids need to stop, take a nap,
think, and get centered again. It's a
go-go-go world and always has been. We
need to stop for ourselves and each other.
Honor your father and mother: Generally,
our mothers and fathers love us and mean the best for us. As children and teens, we need to listen to
our parents. Even as adults, sometimes
we need to listen to our parents as they continue to love us and want the best
for us. However, some people use this commandment to abuse their
children. Being honored, as God directs,
means that we as parents must be honorable.
Do not murder.
This one is simple. We shouldn't
kill others. Life is a precious commodity
and way too short. Life is to be
treasured. No one has the right to take
life away from anyone else. Doing so
diminishes us all.
Do not commit adultery.
When we marry, we make promises to each other to love, cherish and honor
our spouse and by doing so, ourselves.
One way we can honor, and love our spouse is to stay faithful. That bond, when given freely and kept, is a
precious connection which enriches us all.
Do not steal. We should be able to trust each other.
We should be able to enjoy the bounties of this earth without worry, without
locks and security systems. We all work
hard for what we have. If you need
something, ask. We should treat each other with kindness and
respect, and that means respecting
others possessions.
Don't lie about others.
Gossip. Telling tales out of
school. Bullying. We all know that we shouldn't lie about
others. It doesn't mean just perjury in
court, it means in life. Abuse isn't just physical, it's verbal and emotional. These scars are harder to heal. Saying
something that is mean, cruel or hateful spreads negativity throughout the
world. "What you do to one, you do
to me."
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do
not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or
anything else your neighbor owns. Jealousy is bad for everyone involved. Working hard to buy things to make your neighbors/friends jealous is just as
wrong as being jealous. We should be
happy for those that achieve honestly. We should endeavor to do the same ourselves.
What it all comes down to is this:
We should strive
to be good people, hard workers, and honest, supportive friends, siblings,
parents, children, neighbors and citizens of this Earth.
We need to
stop judging, stop condemning.
We need to
start loving.
Everyone.
