I was raised Catholic from the time I was eight. I went to church every week, to a catholic school, prayed the Rosary with my great grandparents— the whole nine yards.
However, I never got along with all of the teachings pushed at me. I always stood out and made my opinions on certain issues known.
Now, Pope Francis is saying what I have thought for years: Where is the love?
The pope recently announced his displeasure with those who ostracize and condemn the gay community. As I read an article on the New York Times’ website, this quote from the head of the Catholic Church stuck out to me, “We have to find a new balance.”
Now, the pope wants to heal and so do I. From my viewpoint, there is nothing to forgive the LGBT community for and this is, again, where the pope and I split off on different paths. That’s not the point, though.
If the head of the Roman Catholic Church can stand up and admit the hatred thrown around by certain people toward a group of individuals is wrong, why can’t everyone else see that too?
Everyone is equal. Stop hating others based on their life choices. They probably don’t care who anyone else loves, so why does anyone care who they love?
There is no reason to say someone who loves someone of the same gender as himself or herself is defective in anyway. They are the same as any heterosexual person: They eat, sleep, breath, live and love. By that logic, how can people hate other people?
This is the 21st century. We do not live in the 1950s. It is time for a change.
Everyone needs to accept everyone else.
Yes, I honed in on the LGBT community and the hatred they are shown, but I’m also applying this article to all groups who are “hated on.” Groups I reference are religious, ethnic, political, etc.
We are all the same. We are all human. No one gets to say he or she is better than anyone else is.
The world would be a significantly better place if there was a deficit of narcissism.
I wish everyone was blind for a day. I don’t mean that as an insult, but if no one had the ability to see, I believe we would see a spike in respect and a sudden loss of interest in what others look and act like.
Previously, I bluntly stated that everyone is the same, yet by the same token, each of us is unique in many ways. No two people are exactly alike, animalistic instincts aside. Therefore, prejudices should not happen because no one matches perfectly with anyone else.
If no two people are the same, there is no true basis to stand on to be against anyone else.
Sharing some of the same traits as a group is not grounds to stand with or against someone. If one person does not know another, there should be no judgment because, hey, they don’t understand the other.
Excuse me while I’m blunt— prejudice is stupid.
I am not saying I want everyone to be friends, nor do I think that will happen, 21st century or not.
I would be content if there was merely less hatred flying around my head.
If someone doesn’t like someone else, that’s fine and dandy. But to hate someone they don’t know based on one thing they have in common with other people? That’s foolish.
Raise up the flags of respect and burn the bridges of hate.
Join the new movement and balance the world with love and respect.
Let’s all strive to make that a thing.
Respond to Lydia at