By JAKE MOKRIS
Fred Phelps makes me very aggravated. Mr. Phelps is a Baptist minister who preaches hatred toward homosexuals. He and his church stage protests at soldiers’ funerals, celebrating the soldiers’ deaths as God’s judgment on society for tolerance of homosexuality. Because they call themselves Christians (I’m not sure that they are), they give all Christians a bad name, and they dishonor Christ.
Now, this doesn’t mean that homosexuality is acceptable: the Bible calls it “an abomination.� That’s what I believe, but you won’t see me protesting with Mr. Phelps. The Bible does not tell Christians to hate people. There is a difference between saying that someone’s beliefs might be incorrect and speaking unkindly and offensively to people who hold those beliefs.
Today, people often talk about “respecting each other’s views.� The phrase usually comes up when someone argues that another person’s views are incorrect. Then, all criticism is silenced. The idea of “respecting each other’s views� implies that it is hurtful and evil to say someone’s beliefs are wrong. But that’s just ridiculous.
Suppose someone is so depressed that he wants to commit suicide. You walk over and tell him not to kill himself, but you do it because you want to rub it in his face that you’re right and he’s wrong. That would be heartless. You really tell him not to kill himself because you care for him. Criticism is not necessarily a hurtful act; criticism can be all right, as long as it isn’t ridicule. Of course, criticism can make people upset, but that doesn’t give those people the right to silence criticism, especially when that criticism is motivated by care. That’s the same as saying: “Don’t tell me I’m wrong; I’ll feel upset.� What kind of an excuse is that?
We don’t have to respect people’s views, but we do have to respect the people who hold the views. A certain belief may not make sense, but the person who holds that belief is still a person. As long as we remember that, we can critically analyze other people’s views.
For example, I think abortion is murder. If you don’t call me names or attack me, you can contest my views as much as you want. Why? Because views are inherently contestable. Both of us can’t be correct; either abortion is evil, or it isn’t. It can’t be both at the same time — or right for you and wrong for me. This is a fundamental quality of our universe — its order and rationality. A statement cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same relationship. If the universe isn’t rational, then I can be right and you can be right, too, and the United States just paid off the national debt. If the universe is rational, then only one set of views can be correct. All other views — all of them — are wrong.
That’s a difficult idea to live with. But if the universe is rational, it must be true. Billions of people live on the earth, and that means that billions of people are probably wrong. Maybe that’s why people believe in “respecting each other’s views.� If all criticism ends, and no one has to deal with the thought of being wrong, maybe life can be better, and the world might be at peace. But that isn’t peace. It’s ignorance.
It’s not inherently hurtful or evil to say that someone’s views are incorrect. The evil comes in when people behave like Mr. Phelps, filling criticism with hate.
Jake Mokris is a homeschooled student and member of the York Daily Record Teen Takeover staff.
Jake,
You will find that those people who are able to discuss/debate and disagree about an issue will be able to discuss the issue, and those who are not will attack the other person, often with bitterness or hatred. Sometimes this is due to ignorance or a weak position, but it is also due to sheer frustration.
The problem with Mr. Phelps and others, like Pat Robertson, is that these people's actions are likened to those of Old Testament Prophets. In the Old Testament, prophets did speak for God. But, the New Testament says something to the effect that..in olden times, God spoke through the prophets, but now He has spoken through His Son. I'm only a lay person, but I understand this and recognize it as a Biblical teaching. This relates directly to your anything goes or this truth is right for me statements. Unfortunately, Christianity is also infiltrated by many, many teachings that lack sound Biblical understanding.
Jake,
I agree with you. I do not think homosexuality is right, but I am not in their situation. I know many individuals who are homosexual and I consider them friends. They stay private and are good people who like myself believe in God. It is not for me to judge them or say hateful things about them.
Jake,
Mr Phelps is the ultimate result of believing in the Bible as literal truth. Check out his website. All of his beliefs and actions come straight out of the Bible. Anyone who believes the Bible is literal truth (as you seem to do) cannot justifiably criticize the beliefs and actions of this man.
When I saw the pictures and article about Fred Phelps and his family at that funeral - I groaned inside, since it does give Baptists and Christians in general a bad name.
Where in the Bible does it tell us to go to funerals and hold signs that say things like "thank God for dead soldiers" and other odd statements? While the Bible makes it clear that sodomy is wicked, it isn't the only sin that should be protested. I know an evangelist who preached outside an opening of Brokeback Mountain, but he doesn't just single out homosexuals to preach to. He'll go anywhere he sees people disobeying God - just as he ought to do.
People say that sodomites are "born that way" and some Christians like to say they're not. Actually, we are all born in sin and are each prone to different abominations. So, yes sin should be preached against, but we shouldn't pick one kind of sinner and treat him badly.
I guess you knew I'd respond to this one, Jake. :)
Oh, about the national debt... good one. lol.
~*~Katie~*~