Justified Hate: A Warped Sense of "Christianity".

From a very young age DD and DM taught my sister and I that you don't have to like everyone but that hatred was not allowed...period.  I remember being told by DD that hatred was ignorance many times throughout my childhood.  I remember asking DD one day what the "N" word was when I heard someone say it to my childhood friend who happened to be black.  My DD explained it and I sat there stunned when I thought someone could call my friend something so derogatory.  I was in sixth grade.

One day I was in my room totally blasting my new Dire Straights "Brothers In Arms" album and singing along to some of the songs.  Then Money For Nothing came on and I cranked it up even more.  How can you not with that sweet guitar intro?  And again, I started to sing along.  The words to one part of the song are:  

See the faggot  with the earring and the make-up?  Yeah buddy, that's his own hair.  That little "f" got his own jet plane.  That little "f" he's a millionaire.  

I had never hear that  word before but based on the lyrics it didn't sound like something nice.  So, off to DD I went to ask him what that word meant.  The first thing he asked was where I had heard that word.  The way that he asked I knew he was upset that I had heard such a word.  I told DD about the song so DD came back to my bedroom to listen to the song as we sat on my bed.  DD got up and turn the record player off and when he turned around his eyes were misty.  He sat down again and explained what that word meant.  He also told me if I ever used that word he wouldn't hesitate to spank my behind regardless of how old I was.

I was taught basic human respect from as early as I can remember and I was not raised in a Christian household.

I remember when Prop 8 was on the ballot.  I was watching the news one night when they were doing a piece about the protesters that were standing on each corner of a major intersection in a city nearby.  I remember being asked if I would do that.  My response was a resounding "Hell No"!  I won't stand on a street corner yelling hateful things at or about another person.

So when I read this article on Yahoo today about Westboro Baptist Church (not the first time I've heard about this "church") and the actions they opted to take at the military funeral for a fallen soldier, who happened to be gay, I was horrified, angry and embarrassed that they call themselves "Christian" when the message that they spread via red and black lipstick on their face, is hate.  And what did DD say hate was?  

Their retort was "Rather that trying to shut us up, use your platforms to tell this nation to mourn for your sins".  I guess they forgot about loving the sinner but hating the sin.  Clearly they have not looked in a mirror in ages or they would have noticed that they damn near have a tree in their own eye. 

I don't feel this way solely because I am a Christian or because I was in the military or have friends/family who are military and I don't feel this way because I have friends, be it from childhood or prior co-workers, who are homosexual.  I feel this way because it's just plain wrong.  This man, a soldier, gave his life so you can have your rights.  His family deserves the military honor and deserves to lay him to rest in dignity and peace.

Here's link to read the article that prompted this blog:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110302/ap_on_re_us/us_supreme_court_funeral_protests