My first diaper was changed on a church pew. I was raised my entire life in church. From as long as I can remember I have heard pastors, ministers, and speakers talk of how we will eventually lose more and more freedoms in our house of worship. How that as the time draws closer to the end it will become necessary for our freedoms to be tighten and controlled by the ever so scary plot of the anti-christ to do his work before the return of Christ.
As I have grown older, I have watched to see if this freedom has been infringed upon. I must say that I have not witnessed the attack on our places of worship as I was warned about, ...yet. The America I have always known, just wouldn't stand for it. However, I have noticed a change in the opinions and mind-sets of the American public. It seems that if you should choose not to allow certain "life style" into your membership or church functions most of the American public would cry out on the horrible bigotry that they have just witnessed. We as a nation need to grow up and realize that we cannot expect to be included in every group or allow any group or "worldly" pressures to influence the beliefs or the practices that we or others have.
I am absolutely sickened by religious groups that preach hate and intolerance. I have witnessed true bigotry in church when someone was treated horribly by the congregation or listened as the preacher told us how that homosexuals, blacks, and hispanics were the cancer on our nation (I actually heard this). This makes me sick. Love, acceptance, and charity should be our cry, not hate. I feel if Christ would come to earth as he did the first time, he would attack our religious organizations exactly as he did with the church of his day. Not because we should change our core beliefs, but because many beliefs can be inspired by hate. Hate has no place in the christian life but many use their beliefs as a cover for hate. However, we cannot allow beliefs, exactly like these, to be silenced because we are not adult enough to understand the intent of our nations forefathers.
Freedom to believe is a precious freedom and needs to be allowed by everyone, even the ignorant.
