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"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets." Luke 6:22-23 "If anyone says "I Love God' while he hates his brother, he is a liar. How can he love God whom he does not see, if he does not love his brother whom he does see?" 1 John 4:40 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1 Peter 4:12-14 |
"Every religion, from the oldest to the nuttiest, has a simple message behind it; one thought that's expressed in a myriad of prophetic forms: every single person, without exception, is of such infinite worth - we are all shining stars. The idea is the same throughout; it's just a matter of how we want it presented to us. Theologically speaking, I'm drawn to how the Catholic Church deals with it. Sure, sometimes the message gets muddied or forgotten, but that's where faith comes in: I know that I am loved by Someone out there. For anyone (even the Church) to treat me with disrespect or hatred just because I'm
gay is to deny my inherent worth - to ignore the very Image in which I was
made; it's to spit in the very face of God. And as long as I understand
that, I'm okay." Edwin, author "The Hound of God" (Found in the High School Section of The Nifty Archive) |
