A week of harsh
encounters with intolerant Christians leaves our teen
diarist disappointed, worried, and yet confident: If true
Christianity is defined by love, then he remains a
good Christian, whatever others might say.
Satre is a junior at Notre Dame Academy, a private
Catholic high school in Middleburg, Va., and the
founder of the Virginia LGBT activist group
Equality Fauquier-Culpeper. He writes weekly journal
entries for Advocate.com.
I have no
intention of heading down a path of complaints and
meaningless ranting—however, broad observations
cannot go unnoticed. Over the past week I have
persistently witnessed the abomination of what was once a
truly beautifully represented religion.
Christianity
seems to be a religion that is meant to love all creation
regardless of our views and differences. Of course, we have
all seen the corruption and deterrence of organized
religions, but how does one actually express hate and
make judgment while doing so in the name of
Christianity?
Last week I
received numerous e-mails full of hatred and containing a
consistent message: Every letter stated boldly that the
sender’s view, as a Christian, required them to
stand up against my actions and attempt to educate me
about my “perverse lifestyle.” One letter
stated that I needed to read the Bible and “get
right with God,” that they “don’t hate
[me]” but “don’t want [me] to end
up in hell, which is where [I am] headed if [I]
don’t get right” while also suggesting that I
“should go to church.”
Needless to say,
this is the most generous letter of them all.
Last week I
witnessed the sheer destruction of what once stood as a
strong organization in the name of Christian faith,
accepting and celebrating diversity and not
discriminating on the basis of any difference of
belief or self. Christians have pushed out those they
believe are “bad eggs” simply because the
individuals have diverged from what they believe is
the proper conservative Christian way to live.
This specific
Christian organization [which I cannot name] has fallen
victim to capitalism and power-hungry money mongers who have
spread fear and a feeling of complete isolation
towards anyone they have the slightest disagreement
with. I have been placed in a lose-lose situation in
the hands of an organization that feels I am a perfect
reflection of sinful abomination—all in the
name of Christianity.
I have
seen—more often than not—the tenets of
Christianity displayed selectively. I have
seen—more often than not—Christianity
isolating the Wiccan religion simply because of petty
differences. I have seen—more often than
not—Christians as a people whose sole purpose and
mission in life is to “help” people be
unaccepting of themselves, give up their own truths,
and trade them in for a fake life.
I thought I was
what a Christian was supposed to be—as loving as
possible, accepting all forms of life without question, and
ensuring I protect family values in correlation with
nature, life, and love.
Christianity
seems to have been redefined by the 20th century, as opposed
to how it has been changing over the past centuries. These
few people have not represented the entire community
of the Christian faith but have dominated my
encounters with other “Christians.”
Unfortunately,
alongside the many I have seen who will only love in the
name of Christianity, I feel like I am in the
minority—the Christian minority.
I feel confident
to express everything I am and everything I believe, and
I will always say that I am what I believe a Christian
should be. But nearly every single letter and act
toward me in the name of Christianity or by a
Christian person has been hateful, isolating, and completely
focused on my “self-destructive actions.”
I am not asking
for an explanation; I am asking for a reason: Why have I
not received a single letter from anyone saying they accept
me because they are a Christian?
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Satre can be reached at tully@efcva.org and
via MySpace.com.