Eeek! I feel dirty.
Apr. 26th, 2007 10:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflydreamingI used a real email address (my work address) for the AFA poll, because I figured that they would check, and I wanted my answer to count. Consequently, I got an email from them this morning, to confirm my "Action Alert".
I figured as long as they were counting me among the sheep that I would email them. What happened to the poll? What were they going to do with the results? The message I got back was only this: "The poll has ended".
Their message is insidious, because they claim not to hate homosexuals. "Hate the sin, not the sinner." It's a message that sounds fair. After all, we all have our opinions. We can't like everything that other people do. The problem I have with the way of thinking of which they are an example is that it's lip service. This is not a policy of "To each his own", or even a policy to let God do the judging.
The AFA wants to change the world. In itself, I approve. If you have beliefs about making the world a better place, then acting on them is laudable.
Except.
I don't agree with them, and I think that the world they want is not a better world. I think they need to look to the planks in their own eyes first, as it were. It gives me some hope that the Archbishop of Canterbury recently made a statement on that subject. But who listens? "Preaching to the choir" is human nature. It's much more comfortable to voice opinions when you don't expect to be confronted with opposition. That doesn't mean that you should go make trouble in someone else's clubhouse. It's rude to start throwing mud, when you know that you have an opposing view, merely to upset the group, if the group wasn't going out and making trouble with you. I don't advocate emailing the AFA to tell them they are a bunch of [insult of choice]. That kind of action is non-productive.
How much better we would be, as a people, if we truly realized how often our dearest views are or could be wrong. Believe in what you believe to be right, but don't be afraid to question it to see where it's weak. Understand that you might be wrong. Don't gloat, when the other guy is wrong. Apologize as needed, admit your wrong when you've wronged, even when it hurts your pride, and never apologize when you don't mean it. And if you're not sure, bite your tongue.
I figured as long as they were counting me among the sheep that I would email them. What happened to the poll? What were they going to do with the results? The message I got back was only this: "The poll has ended".
Their message is insidious, because they claim not to hate homosexuals. "Hate the sin, not the sinner." It's a message that sounds fair. After all, we all have our opinions. We can't like everything that other people do. The problem I have with the way of thinking of which they are an example is that it's lip service. This is not a policy of "To each his own", or even a policy to let God do the judging.
The AFA wants to change the world. In itself, I approve. If you have beliefs about making the world a better place, then acting on them is laudable.
Except.
I don't agree with them, and I think that the world they want is not a better world. I think they need to look to the planks in their own eyes first, as it were. It gives me some hope that the Archbishop of Canterbury recently made a statement on that subject. But who listens? "Preaching to the choir" is human nature. It's much more comfortable to voice opinions when you don't expect to be confronted with opposition. That doesn't mean that you should go make trouble in someone else's clubhouse. It's rude to start throwing mud, when you know that you have an opposing view, merely to upset the group, if the group wasn't going out and making trouble with you. I don't advocate emailing the AFA to tell them they are a bunch of [insult of choice]. That kind of action is non-productive.
How much better we would be, as a people, if we truly realized how often our dearest views are or could be wrong. Believe in what you believe to be right, but don't be afraid to question it to see where it's weak. Understand that you might be wrong. Don't gloat, when the other guy is wrong. Apologize as needed, admit your wrong when you've wronged, even when it hurts your pride, and never apologize when you don't mean it. And if you're not sure, bite your tongue.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-26 09:57 pm (UTC)Yes. That's something that many of the loudest people don't seem to understand.
And because the loudest Christians don't question their beliefs, there are always people who think that being a Christian automatically means you've never questioned anyway. Ya-ay.