Live and be yourself

**The views of the Eri do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Sistahood**

So here's the thing, my mama raised me that love was love.  That everyone deserves to be loved.  Deserves respect and honor (unless they give you a reason not to).  The exceptions  to this "just love them" mantra are obviously adults who take advantage of children, men who abuse women, etc.  But those kinds of people are monsters, not humans.  So I'll say that all humans deserve love.  And I may be the most right-wing nut job on the planet but I guess I don't see what's wrong with MORE love in the world, MORE loving adults to raise kids who would otherwise be left abandoned somewhere.

"When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned" 
- Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan ft Mary Lambert

So you see, I'm struggling a bit with my church.  I don't think they're reading the same bible I am.  I'm reading the version that talks about how we're all sinners and we're all saved by grace and how Jesus loves all his children.  So if the argument against gay marriage is that they're "sinners" (according to many a right-wing-nut job, just not THIS one) then, no one gets to get married because we are all sinners.  I guess sometimes I just don't understand why a church has so much trouble with more love in the world, isn't that a running theme of the NT?  But one thing's for sure, this pretty Irish girl has never once been afraid to stand up for what she believes in.  So that's why I'm going to leave my little white wooden church and find a church that doesn't preach hatred.  Oh, I understand all the damnation stuff, the idea that unless we accept Christ, we're all going to hell because we're all sinners.  I agree there.  I just think if you're going to hate one sinner because of their sin, then you have to hate all of them because of their sin.  And I don't want to hate anybody.  I want to preach love, for all humans, to my boys.  If that makes me a monster in the eyes of my church (and I suspect my father), well so be it.  As I've said, I'm not afraid and I don't back down from something I believe in.  This is important and tickling my conscience right now because Stomp's old enough for a conversation about it.

A special thanks to the Jersey Mama who taught me that love is just love.  Let's not taint the bible with hatred and viciousness.  Let's not taint our children with either of those qualities either.  Or ourselves.