Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Jesus Taught Love. Many Churches Teach Hate. Who is Right?

Jesus gave two commandments. One, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. And two, love your neighbor unconditionally (the Greek word used was "agape") as you love yourself unconditionally. When he was asked who is one's neighbor, he told the story of the the Good Samaritan. Samaritans were considered unclean by Jewish standards. They were reviled, much as gays, transgender people, immigrants, Muslims and many other minorities are today. In short, Jesus was telling people to love everyone around them unconditionally.

But today, many churches and those who claim to follow Jesus teach hate and intolerance towards the minorities mentioned above. They more closely resemble the priests of Jesus' day than Jesus himself. They call gays an abomination. They call Muslims terrorists. They call immigrants criminals. They persecute the very people Jesus told us to love.

So if Jesus taught love and the churches teach hate, who is right?