I know writing/talking about politics and religion is only asking for trouble. But something has been bothering me since yesterday and if I don't write about it, I'll keep obsessing over it. There's a so-called "Christian" webring that has a blacklist of other webrings and groups its members are forbidden to join. Among these groups is The RAOK Group -- a group of people who believe spending 5 minutes a day spreading kindness on the Internet can make a difference. Why is RAOK so "bad," according to these people? Because Wiccans and gays (oh my God! No! Not those heathen homosexuals!!) and other naughty people are among the members. Other unacceptable practices/beliefs include transcendental meditation, numerology, ESP, new age, reincarnation and karma.
These are the kind of "Christians" that bother me and, quite frankly, scare me. Their tips and guidelines for deciding if the links on your site are acceptable include "Would you show this link to Jesus?" Well, yes. Yes I would point Jesus in the direction of RAOK. I like to think that if he didn't like it, we'd have a discussion about it. We'd listen to each other's points of view. He'd let me make my own decision. I debated on whether I should post a link to this site. I decided to do it so you can see for yourself, decide for yourself.
The link to the blacklisted sites was taken down yesterday after a few people expressed their opinions on it. I wish I could see it so I could show you what these "Christians" are saying about other people. It's one of the most un-Christian things I've ever seen. The woman who runs the group also deleted guestbook entries that took offense to the blacklist. Of course it's her right to delete anything she wants to from her guestbook, but I don't understand why she did it? Afraid of an intelligent discussion on the subject, perhaps?
I consider myself a Christian. However, I don't belong to an organized religion. I believe in being the best person I can be. I believe in helping others. I believe in being in kind. I believe in what Mahatma Gandhi taught -- "God has no religion." If we are to believe what the "Christians" in this group believe, we must believe Gandhi is not in heaven. Does anyone believe that?
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