Are Religious and Spiritual Leaders Responsible
Posted: Thursday, July 08, 2010
by Dr. Carla Goddard
As a Pastor there are many times that people from all walks of life come to me both personally and in my position as Director of a Spiritual Wellness Center. They come for different reasons, however, there is one thing in common among nearly every person that comes to. What is that one thing you might ask? They come for hope. Hope for something - something better, something different, something spiritual, something emotional, or even just something physical. As one who is in the field of pastoral work, I would like to think that every spiritual leader would offer the same thing as is forefront to me. Hope.
I felt compelled to write this article because of the experience I had this morning. I volunteer on a website that offers the public a place to ask questions of volunteers in different categories. The public has a choice of whether to ask the question privately or publicly. The question/comment that I received from the site this morning was from a 13 year old young man. He wanted to tell someone of his plans. Paraphrased from his email: Wednesday's night he went to his hometown church (please note I have since found out the young man was from another state) and spoke with the pastor there. The conversation with the pastor involved the young man telling the Pastor that he was gay. The young man's question was did God still love him. In the young mans words he was answered that "being gay was going to send him to hell and that God does not 'like' people who are homosexual."
His statement to me, "If I am going to hell anyways, and the church says God "hates" me and I can't be saved, I think suicide is the only answer. I just thought someone should know."
I am not exactly sure why the young man chose me to write to out of all the spiritual people on the site but he did. I am unsure of what type of church it was and that really is irrelevant. What is relevant? This is not the first time that a situation of this nature has come across my path. There are many times that people come from different religious backgrounds and share that judgment was passed down upon them from religious persons. Judgment upon their sexual orientation is only one example. While I do understand that many religions have their dogma and beliefs, I can not fathom the idea of telling a person that they are condemned and there is no way out.
If I am not mistaken, the basis of every religion, of every spiritual path, is Hope. Hope in something. Something outside of themselves. Hope that can carry them through dark days. Hope that they are not alone. Hope that someone cares enough to listen. Hope that tomorrow is a brand new day. I will not go into statistics of how many young people commit suicide each year. I will not go into quoting from sacred texts. I just want to know and understand how it is that any spiritual person, especially those who are looked to for guidance and help, can ever tell anyone there is no hope - no way out - nothing but condemnation.
Due to the very nature of being the Director of a Spiritual Wellness Center, I am blessed with the opportunity to meet many beings on different spiritual journeys. I have the opportunity to speak with many religious and spiritual leaders of the community. I am blessed with being able to speak with persons from different economic levels, different educational backgrounds, different countries, different sexual orientations and different cultures. It is my belief that anyone I have spoken with would not have done or said the same thing to this young man. They would have offered Hope, offered love and offered compassion.
However, I think we need as a community, especially those of us who are in positions of leadership, whether it is spiritual leadership, educational leadership or simply mentor leadership, to be acutely aware of what we say to people and how we say it. We never know what the power of our word can have. It can uplift and be a beacon of light or it can be a razor blade that cuts deep and perhaps not only wound but kill. The power of four letters. Hope. Love. Or Fear. Hate. They are all four letter words, it is a matter of what weight they carry. I pray that the weight is as light as an angels wing that carries hope and love upon it. Let us all become beacons of light. Let us all, everyone who reads this, be a person who carries hope and love to all that cross our paths.
I make this challenge to my brothers and sisters who are spiritual leaders and spiritual workers. I challenge you to carry hope. Regardless of what a person says to you. Show them hope. Show them light. Show them love. Regardless of what sexual orientation they are. Show them hope. Show them light. Show them love. Regardless of what spiritual journey they are on - show them hope, light and love. I challenge you to speak of hope, light, and love in your churches, in your temples, in your synagogues, and in your classrooms. I challenge you to show tolerance and not judgment. I challenge you to reach across the paths to your spiritual neighbors in your communities and work together as one to bring hope, love, and light back into our communities. I challenge you for one moment set aside your dogma, set aside your sacred text, set aside all of things human and reflect upon what is the basis of your faith. I challenge you to look deep within yourself and ask: Is it not hope, love, and light that drew you to your chosen spiritual journey. Is it not hope, love, and light that continues to draw you to your spiritual beliefs and faith. I challenge you to ask yourself how would you be received in your own spiritual places if you walked in desperate, alone, hopeless, and lost. What would you find?
I am not asking anyone to change their faith nor their belief system. What I am asking is is for each of us to pause a moment and reflect upon the words we say and the actions they have. You never know the impact your simple words will have on another human being.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Wonderful article, Rev. Carla, thanks. I can't understand the mentality that needs to judge and condemn in the name of religion, and I'm so glad that young man found his way to you. I think you do good work.Jennifer - Thank you. There is a Supreme Being that takes care of judging and condemnation. We here on Earth do not need to try and do that job.
This is an amazing story, unfortunately all too common. I am an avid Christian. I am discussed with the ego of some in Christianity. To think that we decide who goes to Heaven and Who goes to hell is extremely arrigant. First off, no one knows who goes to heaven or who goes to hell except God. Second, in scripture it says " let you without sin cast the first stone". We all have sin. God treats all sin the same. Murder is no worse than steeling in the eyes of God. We are imperfect beings. Christ recieves us all. He loves everyone with no exceptions. There is always time to find theLove of Jesus Christ. He loves each and every one of us and He has even when we are doing what we know in our hearts to be wrong. Just remember that Pastors and Elders are also Human and sin. Just because they are Christ's representative does not mean they are with out sin. Lastly, no one just becomes an instant Christian. There is no magic powder. We come into a church and we start to walk. Someone who is 20 years along his walk cant expect the person just entering to understand the level at which they are at. To live this Christian life means there is always a struggle with in us between good and evil. Those of us down the road a little further need to have a little tolerance and understanding for the people just coming through the door. We need to gently show them the scripture and their sin and let God do the work of change. It is not up to us to change people or ourselves. That's God's job!!! I know Christians who have come in and God imparted to them that their Homosexuality was a sin. That is a message that cannot come from man. It has to come from God. As it has to with any sin. And with your last breath, you can commit your life to Christ and he will accept you with open arms. It's never to late to find Christ and we are never to damaged that is Love cannot heal us. J.W.
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