Replacing Hate for Love

I've been thinking about this for a while. I've discussed it with friends and family. And the more I ponder or discuss it, the more I'm convinced I should write about it. No, its not because I think a bunch of people will read it and agree with me. I'm writing this because I feel like it needs to be written; for myself and perhaps anyone else who stumbles across this post. 

When you look at the pictures above, what comes to mind? What words pop in your head when you see those photos? I think of the words anger, disgust and hate. When you look at the above pictures, are you persuaded to believe and accept their message (assuming you were pro-gay before looking at them)? Because I know I'm not. Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying I believe homesexuality is ok. On the contrary, I believe that it is a sin. Marriage should be between one man and one woman. But that doesn't change the fact that there's something seriously wrong with the above pictures. Not only do they utterly fail at convincing anyone of their point, they actually drive people away! Those pictures? All they do is spread the hate, anger, and disgust that they show. Even people who call themselves Christians participate in this. And what are they doing? They themselves are sinning!  While they write and say rude, hurtful and hate-filled  comments about ''thooose sinners," they themselves are sinning. And when their conscience pricks them, they ignore it, burying it deep under the hate.

 Mark 12:31 says "The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Are we showing God's love when we mistreat others? Absolutely not! By slandering  these people, we are losing a chance to show God's love and grace. By hurting them, we tell others that they don't want to be like us, to be a christian. By aligning ourselves as Christians and then going out and spreading hostility, we automatically put all Christians in a box of hate because 

when others look at us, those pictures are all they see. And if that's all you saw of Christianity, would you want to become one?  Sadly, for me the answer is no. If people are looking at Christians and saying "I don't want that" because of our sin, then we, are failing.  Nowadays, christians seem not to be known for love or kindness, but for hate.  Again, I'm not saying being gay is ok.  I'm also not saying that if someone rejects Christianity because it recognizes that  homosexuality is a sin that it's the Christian's fault. What I am saying is that we need to stop spreading hate. This doesn't mean we have to support gay rights, but it does mean that we need to stop having bumper stickers like the one above and stop treating homosexuality like its the worst sin in the world. Being gay isn't the lowest sin; in fact it's just like any other sin. It may have different consequences, but in the end "..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) All of us have sinned... I kinda feel like that's something we've forgotten in all this chaos of trying to go against the grain. 

 Phil Robertson once said, in reference to gays, "...I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other." So true. As Christians, we need to have a  balance between accepting homosexuality as ok and spewing hate about them. We need to show the love of Christ . We need to recall that, but for the grace of God, we would be as lost as they. Lastly we need to remember to look in the mirror every once in awhile. Because you know, we have stains too.