this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2024
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[–] xhieron@lemmy.world 24 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Jesus is real. I love you. Those who hate you speak for neither Him nor for me.

The Gospel of Christ is love, and woe to those who knowing it use His name to cause suffering and death.

I'm sorry that people hurt you. That's not what Jesus taught, and that's not what He lived and died for.

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 26 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

When you say that you love me, do you mean it in the God's Love kinda way? Or the human love kinda way?

Cause God created hell and then told everyone to worship him, and if you don't, you go to there. He calls that love. I don't want that kind of love.

To paraphrase Stephen Fry, God gives children bone cancer. I don't want that kind of love.

God lets those that have unabashed hate for others live in his sanctuary and preach his message. I don't want that kind of love.

God lets his priests sexually abuse others. I don't want that kind of love.

God lets wars be carried out in his name. I don't want that kind of love.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality. I don't want that kind of love.

You can talk about Jesus' teachings all you like, but actions speak louder than words. The Gospel of Christ is the love of an abusive partner. Say one thing, do another. God's love is a terrible thing, and I want nothing to do with it, and anyone who does is a coward. If, and it's a big if, if God is real, is he the kind of God you want to worship? Seems like a waste of effort at best, and a complete betrayal of others at worse. So, go ahead, spread his love around. Just remember what kind of love it is you are spreading.

[–] CthulhuPudding@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The framing of "God's love" you just gave is a very important one and completely true. I'm no theist and I also stand with Stephen Fry on the issue. But I'm pretty sure that Xhieron was trying to express something genuine and positive. Maybe don't be so harsh to someone who was clearly trying to follow Jesus's teachings to love thy lemmy user as thyself?

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I think the phrase goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." It doesn't matter what a person means. It is our actions that define us. You can be as positive as you want to be, but if you preach a message of hatred, all the lollipops in the doctors office can't make up for the pain you cause. Claiming God's Love is good when God's Love means hating doesn't make God's Love better. It makes you worse.

[–] Instigate@aussie.zone 7 points 5 months ago

As a bisexual man who grew up Christian, I feel you. It’s easy to assume our experiences are those that every queer Christian has ever felt. It’s easy to hear the stories of hate, maliciously disguised as ‘love’, and to throw that assumption onto a whole creed of people. I don’t know your story, and you don’t know mine, but one thing I’ve learned that I think might be worth sharing is it’s not a great idea to assume the intent of someone based on a group they belong to.

For so many years I lived in the closet, fearful that my Christian mother wouldn’t accept me. I finally came out to her in my thirties and I was met with nothing but love and acceptance. She actually quoted scripture to me to reinforce why she loved me no matter what. All I’m saying is that true Christian love does exist, and while it may be rare, don’t discount an entire population of people based on our learned notions about them. We humans are biologically trained to recognise patterns, but sadly that same impulse leads to stereotyping. We need to moderate those impulses to give others a fair chance to show they love us.

Anyway, big love to you and yours. I hope that you’ve been able to find acceptance in the family you’ve made for yourself.

[–] justaderp@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You came to proselytize. They asked if you love them. Now, show this person a meaningful sacrifice.

[–] Instigate@aussie.zone 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Hey mate, I don’t want to step on your toes, but what meaningful sacrifice can one anonymous person make for another on a platform like Lemmy? I get where you’re coming from; pretty words are meaningless unless they’re backed up with action, but what action could this person actually take that would meet the definition of ‘sacrifice’?

Just as an aside, love doesn’t always have to include sacrifice. I love my fellow LGBTQIA+ comrades and it doesn’t cost me anything to do so. I love my friends, and they don’t ever demand sacrifice from me. I love my hobbies, and they give me strength and energy. Love can give and bring you strength, if you let it.

[–] justaderp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I would suggest reading the parable of the widow's mote.

It's not my duty to solve the Christian's problem. Their book teaches that love is sacrifice and that they recruit in love. If this one doesn't know how to sacrifice for another because they're online then their own text suggests they find another way to recruit.

If the one found a way to love the other, if they're true to their faith, then we will likely never know.