‘Hate the sin and have a change of heart’
Yesterday, Kevin and I went on a blissful walk at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, Florida. We were enjoying our walk and Pokemon hunt when we walked past a guy holding a Bible and yelling things along the lines of “Him humbling us.” I turned to Kevin and said, “Let’s sit down and listen for a bit.” Now, I’m not a religious person and have always questioned it, its legitimacy, and morality (I don’t believe everything people tell me and like to formulate my own opinions).
There was a fair amount of wind blowing, so Kevin and I’s hair was slightly sub-par and not as flawless as it normally is. It was also hard to hear the man yelling, as we were sitting a good 50 or so feet away from him. And it was probably in his and our best interest that we weren’t able to hear every single word because we probably didn’t want to hear everything he had to say.
As we sat there and listened for a few minutes and captured some Snapchat footage of this man yelling, a few young ladies came over to ask us a few questions that rose both Kevin and I’s blood pressure. We managed to remain calm and decided to hear them out and ask a few questions. Either way, they weren’t going to persuade us and vice-versa. In fact, they made me realize a lot of things. And I’m sure they did the same for Kevin.
One of the first questions we were asked was, “Do you know or are you familiar with the Ten Commandments?” We said, “Yes, a few them.” So, we rattled a few of them off. It’s been so long since either of us have been to church. The gal had responded with, “Do you believe that if something were to happen to you and judgement day were to come that you would make it into Heaven?” “Now you jinxed us,” I said and chuckled. Kevin and I looked at each other and knew exactly where this conversation was going to go.
Right off the bat Kevin had a great question about homosexuality: “I’m gay and he’s gay, so you’re saying that we should break up and ‘move on’ because the way we are now is not how God made us? Isn’t he all loving?” They were caught off guard and became slightly uncomfortable knowing that we were gay and a couple — a grave sin in their eyes. They quoted the Bible a few times (I don’t remember which quotes they used), gave us some relatable examples, and told us that we need to “hate the sin and have a ‘change of heart’” in order to make it into Heaven. Kevin’s up-bringing was far from perfect, so I’m very surprised he kept his cool when we were at this point in the conversation. She asked us to listen to a woman by the name of Rosaria Butterfield. Roasaria was a lesbian, found God, and then became straight. You can watch a video we found on Rosaria talking about this union with Christ.
In my honest opinion her “converting” from lesbian to straight is a form of conversion therapy and is extremely saddening. Conversion therapy has been proven time and time again that it does not work, it’s dangerous and… stupid. Here are some statistics from the Human Rights Campaign about conversion therapy.
About midway through the conversation it shifted to another topic: uncontrollable human issues, such as illness and the like. The church they were a part of and promoting was a Baptist church, so I knew their beliefs and where they stood on various issues. “So, my Grandma’s cancer is a punishment from God, even though she’s a true believer, goes to church every Sunday, and very, very good-hearted person?” I asked. “Yes, it is,” said the Russian girl. I was infuriated by this. I could’ve stormed off, but decided to take a step back, a deep breath, and continue to hear them out (very, very rare for me to do that that far into the conversation). “We need to profess the word of God and repent our sins,” she added. “Everybody’s sin is our sin. We’re all plagued with sin.”
They did eventually ask me what religion I was affiliated with. “I used to be Catholic,” I said. “I had some conflicts and was kicked out of my church.” They were slightly dumbfounded by this, but it’s the truth (and lying is a sin, right?). The one gal asked, “Can I be blunt?” “Sure,” I said. “You didn’t learn anything about revelation at your church and in your religion,” she stated. Regardless of my beliefs or religious affiliation, I found that very offensive. I took that statement as “Our church and religion is superior and is the one true follower of Christ.” I responded with, “That’s what the Catholic church was saying about your religion. If you’re both going by the same Bible, then one of you is lying. Which one is right?” After that remark was made, I really cut them out and was completely turned off by anything they had to say. Because implying that your church, religion, or beliefs are superior to mine, Kevin’s, or the person walking their dog is wrong. Period.
I would never force my beliefs upon anybody, and I would hope you do the same. I live by a simple rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you want to believe in a higher power, then by all means do that. But pushing it upon me and stating that you’re right and I’m wrong is only pushing me away.
There were so many other questions that Kevin and I asked them but there’s no way I could remember it all. Just be a decent human being. Can we all agree to do just that?
