Monday, October 22, 2007

Thinking: Such tiny, tiny things.

The other day I saw two men in a public place. One of them was standing on a small step-stool talking to a crowd, and the other was holding a sign that declared:

SATAN'S
CHILDREN
Hypocrite Christians, Hebrews,
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus,
Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
and all other False Religions.

Sodomites, Pornographers,
Pedophiles, Fornicators, Cross-
dressers, Lesbians, Adulterers,
Transvestites, and all
other weirdo Sex perverts.

Scoffers, The Prideful, Atheists,
Agnostics, Idolaters and all
other Clueless Fools.

Murders/Babykillers,Liars,
Thieves, Corrupt Politicians,
and Covetous Moneygrubbers.

Boozers, Dopers, Revelers,
Mouthy Women, Girlie-men
& all Sin loving Heathen.
REPENT OR HELL

This was in a public place that literally thousands of people (all college students) would pass daily. These men stayed there for several hours, and I had the pleasure of talking to the one entertaining the crowd.

My friend was convinced this was satirical; I had the feeling it wasn't. Several questions to this man later, we had the answer: a simple bigot. I've heard a quote: "Doubts are such tiny things. Those who have no room for them must have no room for thoughts, either."

The questions I asked him concerned some of his recent topics, one of which was homosexuality. He proclaimed that all homosexuals had chosen to sin and thus should be condemned to hell; after all, one of his friends had been "cured" of homosexuality. Of this I asked him, "Is God all powerful? Is God then able to forgive all? Why doesn't He? He must be a malevolent god, Who is able to forgive but not willing."

He also talked of the traditional place of women in society. Of this I asked him, "From where do you get your quotes? Which edition of the Bible? How can you trust a translation when you know not the translator? How can you follow a text word by word, not even speaking the original language?"

He talked of other religions. He knew that Jesus was the only Son of God, of the only God, of an all-powerful God. This meant that Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Everyone Else was wrong. Of this I asked him, "How can you use one religion to proclaim another wrong? How can you accept one on faith, and use faith to disprove faith? How can you use one holy book to destroy another? Why would you use faith to instill disbelief?"

He talked nothing of answers, only of beliefs, of what he knew, of what was wrong and right. He was so sure, so very sure of what he had Faith in. The same Faith that I have in people, in things, in friends, in family, in life... That same Faith he had in hate.

And what made it all the more sad was that he was ignorant of this. He knew that he loved Jesus with all his heart, he knew that the Lord loved him. He knew everything and nothing at all.

White and black, none other. No room for gray, no room for doubts.

No time to read his Book for the forest within. It is much quicker to see each tree, to follow each branch, examine each leaf.

Before this man knew how to be a real Christian he knew how to see everything else as false, and a faith built on falsehoods could be none other than false itself.

Doubts. Such tiny, tiny things.

No comments: