But.....

I had a completely different topic I was going to write about this morning, but as usual reading and researching things on the interwebz has led my brain down a rabbit trail.  And what is on my easily distractable brain this morning is the concept of 'I love you ....but....."  "God loves you.... but....". 

Religion of varies types seems to enjoy putting restrictions on people, the major acceptation being perhaps Pagans/Wiccans whose only major rule seems to be "An it harm none, do what thou wilt.".  (A great website for an unbiased overview of religions is: Religious Tolerance ) Back to my train of thought here, there seems to be an awful lot of restrictions based on gender and of course sexual preference.  And it seems to come back to "I love you.... but... you're gay."  "I love you... but... you're a woman and I'm the man so you have to do what I say." 

But American Christians are sooooo very fond of "God's love is unconditional.  He loves us no matter how horrible a sinner we are."  They are proud to say that even a murdering child molester can find forgiveness with Jesus.

"God loves a homosexual as long as they repent of it, ask for forgiveness, be born again and then deny that part of their nature for the rest of their life."   (Obviously a generalization, not all Christians or other religious people feel that way.  Just the majority.  And don't you just hate it when the majority speaks for all?)

Wait... but you just said...  God's love is unconditional.

"God loves women, but the head of the household is the man.  And a wife should be subservient to her husband." 

Oh wait, yeah that's just from "the Old Testament" it doesn't apply today.  Along with its okay to offer up your daughters to be ganged raped to save all powerful God's wimpy little angels who couldn't fend for themselves.  Its alright to force  your daughter to marry her rapist as long as the rapist pays you for her. 

Okay, that's all Old Testament stuff and doesn't apply, so why cling to ONE old "rule" and say it applies today.  I forgot, today's Jesus is all fluffy bunny slippers and warm fuzzies.  He's just a hippie dippy dude, in a hippie dippy world.  Peace, love and potlucks.  He just "hates fags".  (Why is it no one ever says anything about Jesus traveling around with a group of men and just not hanging around with many women?  And the disciple "whom he loved", the "beloved" disciple.  There is a lot of debate about just which disciple Jesus loved, but its there none the less. Things that make you go hmmm....  I'm not going to finish that thought, I'll just let you the reader draw your own conclusion.)

Really?  Have you even read the bible?  Beyond what a church tells you to read?  Jesus said the Old Testament law doesn't apply anymore?

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:18-19 RSV)

"It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid."  (Luke 16:17 NAB)

I really have no idea how this became Christian orientated, but I guess there's no way around that.  I specifically wanted to look at a varity of religions that act this way. 

Anyway, to sum it all up. 

There is no 'but' at the end of "I love you", if you really mean it.