More On Hate


I wrote on Sunday about Sally Kern’s hate speech against homosexuals. Well she’s issued a response to the criticisms of her words, and in typical fashion thinks calling an entire group of people “cancer’, “deadly”, and claiming that they are trying to recruit the two-year olds of the world isn’t really hateful. I guess because it’s not directed towards her that means it’s not really hate?

Of course she has the benefit of hiding behind her religion to say whatever she wants. Sadly too many people go to the church of “Jesus told me to hate you”. Hate is an easier thing to do than love, and makes a person feel so much better-than rather than equal to the person they are hating. Because isn’t that what Jesus said, “whatever you do to the lesser of man gets you a bigger house in the heaven and a high-five from God for being so super cool”?

Rev. Russell Mark, involved in the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, issued his own statement about her comments. Now here’s a little piece of real Christianity in action.

State Representative Kern:

As a concerned citizen; as a Baptist minister and as a Christian, I applaud your intent to protect our children, our communities and our country. Afterall, you swore an oath to uphold the law and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma and to serve your constituents. I am concerned, however, that in your zeal you have fallen into the trap of so many well-meaning extremists and that is to dehumanize your preceived enemies. To do so, no doubt, is to make them easier to attack, afterall, no one really quibbles at squashing bugs. However, you may be familiar with the recent murders of a 15 year old boy in Oxnard, CA and the murder of another teenager in Fort Lauderdale, FL. These young men, among the many people that are attacked each month in this country, had the audacity to present themselves publicly as being gay. For their sin at such a very young age some well intentioned, god-fearing individual, took it into their hands to destroy the enemy. The CA boy was killed by his peer; a teenage young man that was taught by his elders at home and at church that gays are the scourge of society. Yes, he snuffed out a fag for Jesus. Just like you teach.

Though your recent public words did not call for murdering gays, there may be those that take your authority to heart and kill the enemy. You said to your constituents that you had been a teacher, but a teacher is first a student, yet your words were filled with idiocy and lies. So are you are a poor student that can’t research and find truth for yourself? Do you only repeat what your elders have taught you? I seriously doubt if you’ve ever had the courage to meet with a gay group of anykind and talked about your concerns, or more, actually learn first hand about those you think are your enemy. Instead you stand at a distance and throw rocks and incite others to throw rocks, or worse. _For that, you are a coward and a bully and need to fully understand that the blood of every young gay man and woman that is physically or psychologically injured or dies in this country is on your head_. These are the real stakes, Represtentative Kern, and yes, words do matter.

As a Christian I have to ask what kind of god do you worship that you would seek the murder of children? Does your Jesus call you to spread lies, repeat gossip and inuindo about people you don’t even know? Does your Jesus teach you to spread hate and to live in fear and teach others to live in fear? So very odd isn’t it that your Jesus and my Jesus are so very different. You see, my Jesus teaches the power of love; to confront my enemies face to face; to embrace them and seek to understand them; to find commonality. Out of humilty, seek understanding and out of love, to not be afraid. Even in my anger at what you have said, I would seek to understand how you, my sister-in-Christ would say such ignorant, offensive and incitful things. How do you take a few obscure passages and totally ignore all that Christ teaches and seek to bludgeon an entire people? How do you do this and then go to church and worship the Christ who gave everything to reconcile the world? What about bigotry and fear-mongering is Christ-like? How dare you treat the cross with such distain! And how dare you misuse the authority of your office. Be ashamed Representative Kern. Be very ashamed. More than your constituents are watching; God is watching.

Lastly I would say that it is not too late to learn from your grievious error and to make amends. Our faith teaches us a lot about forgiveness; how to seek it and how to find it. Afterall, the Gospel is about reconciliation with God, ourselves and with one another. This choice is yours.

Rev. Russell Mark

Tags: , , ,


Like this post? Subscribe so you don't miss a thing!

Bookmark Me!

Published by: Summer on March 11th, 2008 | Filed under life, politics, religion



One Response to “More On Hate”

  1. christine Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    i heart bro mark

    christine’s last blog post..Writings from the Vault - Part 11

Leave a Comment

« Back to text comment