I was at a funeral not too long ago and the priest said something that stuck with me. He said that the most important thing you can learn in this life is how to love.
Religion is meant to be a guide on how to achieve love. One of the most famous quote of the bible is Matthew 22:39 that says "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Most of the 10 Commandments, for example, are a reflection of love:
- 4 - “Honor thy father and mother.”
- 5 - “Thou shalt not kill.”
- 6 - “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
- 7 - “Thou shalt not steal.”
- 8 - “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
- 9 - “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
- 10 - “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
Some people consider themselves Christians but are quick to place judgement on those that have a different sexual orientation than the norm. They will say things like "My God is saying that what you do is a Sin".
Your God is also saying that you should love your neighbor.
Your God is also saying that only God can judge.
We need to stop pretending that the Bible, and other religious texts, are about hatred as this isn't the case. We have to stop using religion as an outlet for our hatred. We hate because we don't know how to love - not because religion thought us how to hate because it doesn't.
Where do I stand on religion:
When I read religious texts, I approach it from a philosophical perspective because I consider them philosophical work rather than words of a God. When ever I talk about religion, I have both positive and negative things to say about it. I don't believe everything that I read from any religion.
I want to be the best person that I can be a parts of religious texts are helping me with this.
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