Sadness

I can't think of another word to describe how I felt when Jeff told me that fundamentalist Christians were chanting "Kill Obama" at a recent Republican rally. It's not about McCain or Obama... It's about how bad fundamentalist Christians make the rest of us - those who really believe in the true message of Christ - look. I imagine that Muslims around the world feel this as well. A few vocal fundamentalists have managed to make their entire religion seem zealous, evil and wicked.

And this is how the fundamentalists make us as Christians look as well.

Jesus preached love. He cared for all people - lepers, prostitutes, the poor, the weary, the weak. He told us to "Love One Another." And here we have a huge groups of people, claiming to love and honor Christ, to be Christians...calling for death to a man. Why? Who knows. Fear. Politics. The Unknown. Maybe the color of the skin.

This isn't about politics. This is about who I am as a person. My faith in God, my belief and confidence that God has led me through the worst times of my life is central to who I am. I am saddened that people in this country are using the name of God - the God that people around the world know as loving and merciful - as they chant horrible things. I wish they'd open their Bibles and read it. I wish they would stop being swayed by psychotic, fundamentalist, brain washing pastors. Listen to some of what the Word says - like mercy, grace, love, and doing Good deeds. STOP listening to those who contort the message and the books/verses of the Bible that can easily be twisted to cause fear and incite people to say and do evil things.

Start living as a true Christ Follower. Read these verses. There's no way to twist them:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
(1 John 4:7)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corin. 13:13)

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
(1 John 4:16)

Ghandi was quoted as saying:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

He was a wise man. Sadly, he was right about too many Christians...