Sunday, November 4, 2007

Wake up, You are a Bigot.

Its been a wet day in Kampala. Wet, rainy, soggy, and dull, dull, dull. Temperatures have not mirrored that gloomy outlook, but they have been bordering cold to me.

Actually been a nice day. Sunday.

Won’t talk about waking up late. Seems I do it on Sunday, as a matter of fact. There are additional benefits to sleeping in Sunday morning. Especially when the weather forecast is for rain and the chill of rain all day long. Funny that we get many showers, but it is not so usual to get a full day of rain. Ugandan weather is sunny beautiful, though even the rain is a blessing.
No church for me. I seem to remember when my love used to leave me in bed so that he could go to church. No longer. These days I leave him in bed so that I can look at the beauty of the morning.

Church.

Yesterday, someone who used to know me eons ago asked me where I go to church these days. I said I no longer go. He was surprised.
One time I was a Christian fundamentalist. Not a committed Christian, but fundamentalist. Now I am not. I had not noticed the path I had taken. I had become a bigot.
Seated on the fence, proudly pointing out the logs in other people’s eyes. I had a tree in mine. But was completely oblivious of that fact.

I have railed against Christians on this blog. And there are other posts which I did not release, because I suddenly had some insight into the tree in my eye. Yeah, I am no Christian, but plenty other people find joy in that faith. And it is their business. I do have a bias against being religious. Same thing, actually. But again, having a Christian respect me for my right not to believe means that I have to respect their right to believe. Where that right encroaches on my freedom, I may have issues. But not because they believe what I do not.

That was an interesting insight.

I have taken it a step further. Ever wondered how much our view of the world is coloured by our prejudices? I did not, until I consciously started nixing the thought that so-and-so is a Christian. Just look at the person, and remember that he or she is a human being. And that is enough. One may or may not be religious, but that is in addition to being a human being.
A revelation to me.

Yes, my thought processes have taken years to be formed. I don’t think that I will not have those ‘automatic’ reactions of negativity when a person professes his or her religion. Yet I had never understood the hold they had on my own perception of people. Simply seeing a person as a human being, and not as a Moslem, or Christian, or ‘saved’ or the myriad other religions.

Interesting thought. Tearing up my own prejudices, even those I am not aware were there before.

GayUganda

3 comments:

awannabe said...

well yours is a very honest and eye opening post. No matter how many times we read about the pharisees and saducees in our Bibles, and Jesus rebuke to them for being hyprocrites, we seem to find ourselves falling into that same trap. I know that acting like a hypocrite is what drives others away from believing. I just pray to God to give me a child like faith and to help me be compassionate towards others. Jesus says that showing love and humility towards others is what it means to be his disciple, not holier than thouness.
When I become discouraged with the behavior of other Christians I realize I have lost my focus, and need to refocus on the Lord himself.

HisLoveCoversMe said...

Very interesting post.

You state that you were one time a Christian fundamentalist. But now your not. Are you no longer a Christian or are you no longer a Fundamentalist? Or no longer both?
Just curious.

For me being a Christian has more to do with Christ and less to do with me or what the world thinks fo me. So even if someone hates me because I am an SGL person. I will not inturn, reject Christ or my Christianty because of that. Matter of fact, I can no more reject my Christianty as I cannot not reject the fact that I am an African American Same-Gender-Loving Man.

It is who I am.

Be Blessed my brother.

gayuganda said...

Hi awannabe,
You are very welcome and thanks for your comments.

Hi hislovecoversme,

Interesting name. No, I am no longer Christian. Too much water under the bridge, for now!

And I tell you I am not a fundamentalist. Fundamentalism per se is too impractical in Africa! Yeah, I know there are some who will argue that with me. But a ‘pure’ fundamentalist view of the world is too illogical in Africa. One has to face the world as it is, or one breaks. It is as simple as that, in my view. So, I do not think I am a fundamentalist now. That was when I was young, idealistic and immature. At least that is what I think!

gug

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