Everywhere you look, LGBT people are being demonized and dehumanized. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the treatment of LGBT individuals. Many “Christians” believe that ‘calling out sin’ is perfectly fine. They think that making jokes about Caitlyn Jenner is justified. This mindset is wrong. Here’s an easy-to-read breakdown of how religion hurts people.
The Beginnings Of Hate
- Pastors (who claim that they speak on behalf of God) misconstrue and cherry-pick Bible verses. They condemn one version of “sin,” yet look past another. (Example – Pastors used to preach against divorce, but as more and more church members became divorced, preachers obviously had to retire those sermons).
- Pastors demonize and dehumanize LGBT people in their sermons.
- Parents, politicians, and other religious leaders sit in church and listen to the preacher. These churchgoers believe every word that is said. These people go on to demonize and dehumanize LGBT people.
- The children of these parents see and hear how their parents treat LGBT people.
- These children grow up believing that LGBT people are less than human and become bullies who harass LGBT individuals in school.
- These bullies become adults, and they don’t think twice about committing an act of violence against LGBT people because they’ve heard LGBT people be demonized and dehumanized for their entire life.
LGBT People Are Left With Few Options
- LGBT people can be brutally attacked in a hate crime.
- LGBT people can die at the hands of an attacker in a hate crime.
- LGBT people may commit suicide because, for their entire life, they’ve been made to feel worthless. (After all, who thinks they have a good chance at life if they’re already condemned to Hell?)
- LGBT people may turn to drugs to cope with the feelings of worthlessness and despair.
- LGBT people may sleep around to find fulfillment elsewhere because they think they’re unworthy of love.
- LGBT people may suffer emotionally and psychologically from all of the bullying and harassment they endured in school.
- LGBT people may end up homeless on the street because their parents kicked them out of their home.
- LGBT people will try to find the strength to carry on after they’ve been treated horribly for their entire life.
THEN, If LGBT People Are Lucky Enough To Make It To Adulthood, They Have Many Other Things To Worry About
- LGBT people must worry about discrimination in the workplace, in businesses and stores, doctor’s offices, apartment/house hunting, getting loans/credit with banks, etc.
- LGBT people must fight for their right to have the freedom to marry in order to gain the same financial benefits as heterosexual couples.
- LGBT people must worry about PDA and being overly affectionate in public.
- LGBT people sometimes have to hide who they are so that they won’t be fired from their jobs (which is perfectly legal in 32?states).
- LGBT people deal with online harassment on a daily basis. Every day an LGBT person logs online, and they see people saying horrible things about them.
- LGBT people have to deal with family members who aren’t supportive, sometimes even not being allowed to attend special events or holiday functions.
- LGBT people may be kicked out of their church once the church finds out.
So, the next time your pastor, your family member, or your friend makes a joke or says something negative about LGBT people, remember….. Words can heal, and words can harm. Words and actions have consequences. Words carry on and reverberate into eternity. Are your words helping to harm or to heal?
