Holy Ground

"And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5 KJV)

I use this quote to acknowledge the respect and reverence I hold for the subject matter I am about to discuss. It is the tragedy one family faced losing their 20 year old son. The family was devoutly Christian, the son gay. I will allow the mother (Linda Robertson) to tell the story herself.

http://justbecausehebreathes.com/

The courage and vulnerability of this mother (and family) amaze me. As with Damien Mander (Yes or No 5-30-13) it is obvious no punches are being pulled and we are getting the straight, unabridged truth. That it is heartbreaking deepens the impact and increases our compassion. We ache for and with the family.

That said, what is the lesson we can benefit from? Isn't it the complications Christian fundamentalist create when they insist on a literal interpretation of scripture? That they are convinced they know the will of God based on the Bible? Isn't a segment of the United States resisting the recent Supreme Court decision to permit gay marriage based solely on the bible? This very minute, aren't Christians politically active enacting legislation at the state level (Texas, North Carolina and Ohio) to remove a woman's right to chose?

The question is, why? Why isn't your belief sufficient to you? Why do you insist on making it my belief? Why do you wish to impose your morality on me? The argument seems to be (always) biblically based. The problem is, the Bible can't be literally read. It is too full of contradictions and counter commands to be interpreted in that fashion. And it is not a matter of me saying that it is contradictory, READ IT! Simply start at the beginning of Genesis chapter 1. Chapter 2 of Genesis contradicts chapter 1. As to the typical semantics Christians (at this point) start to employ, I ask you go to Genesis chapter 5 and read the first two verses. It is your text, it is either "literal" or its not.

Understand it isn't just Genesis...its the entire Bible. The first book of the New Testament (Matthew) flatly contradicts the third book (Luke) as to where Mary and Joseph lived prior to the birth of Jesus. All four gospels have different stories surrounding the resurrection and one would think that they would have gotten that right. I could go on and on, but it isn't my aim to ridicule Christians. I am simply trying to create a context where they will allow and respect MY choices.

I shared Linda's story today because it underlines the point of this website. It is our experience which makes up our reality. (see God section, second half of paragraph 3) You can be as well intentioned as can be, but once you start imposing ethics or morality on others, you diverge from the path. The path is self discovery. The goal is understanding your relationship with Life (God). The fulfillment is granting this privilege to others. Then, and only then, will you be standing on holy ground.