Lately there has been an increase in people on Facebook posting about religious topics... which is perfectly fine and they are totally within their rights, however, some of this postings have been to the point of downright nasty to people that don't agree with the poster's beliefs. I'm all for expressing oneself and standing by what you believe in, but don't degrade or bully people because they don't agree. The most current example that has been causing heated arguments is the keep Christ in Christmas related posts. In fact, in one post it got so ugly that a Jewish friend of mine was basically called an Atheist because she wasn't Christian. To sum up the post it said something along the lines that Christmas is a Christian holiday and people need to stop taking it away from them and turning it into their own holiday. And it got pretty nasty, on both sides of the discussion.
So why am I telling you this? Oh, right, so I can express what I believe.
- I believe in the Big Bang, Dinosaurs, and Evolution.
- I believe that if you are black, white, purple, gay, straight, man, woman, 6 toed, 1 eared, or a any of those combine you are all equal and should be treated so.
- I believe humans should be able to marry any other human they want as long as both are of legal consenting age and not related by blood.
- I believe that no one should be bullied by another person. For any reason.
- I believe we are responsible for taking care of our planet every chance we get.
- I believe everyone has the right to express themselves and their opinions, as long as it is done respectfully and doesn't bully another person or group.
- I believe that tolerance is sorely lacking in the world.
- I believe that Christmas doesn't belong to any one group. It belongs to everyone and it should be celebrated in the way that person sees fit. If anyone demands to know who owns the Christmas, it is the Pagens and their Winter Solstice celebration that kick started the party. It then grew from the traditions of different cultures and religions.
- I believe that the holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving and goes through till New Year's. This includes Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, and any that I might have missed. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to say Happy Holidays to anyone who you do not know their personal beliefs. Merry Christmas should be saved for the day of (or even the week of) Christmas and to people you know for a fact celebrate the holiday.
I could go on and on, but I'm going to stop there. You really don't want to hear about my thoughts on the current generation, the obesity epidemic or heaven forbid the Occupy anywhere situation.
Well said, and I couldn't agree more! See I still love you!
ReplyDeleteGood entry. It does serve to remind people that what we say and do reflects who we are. Those who attempt to belittle or bully others, as you pointed out, are not acting out their faith. And faith and religion are not always synonyms. Most often these people are "parroting" what others and/or the media say. That's one of my "soapboxes" - blindly allowing others to influence you about what to say or believe. Think how often throughout history that has caused suffering.
ReplyDeleteAnd...claiming to be a Christian doesn't necessarily make one a Christian...
And as my mom would say, "That's my two cents worth!" :)