Acceptance and Judgment

One of the things that bothers me in today's society is that if you don't accept something... if you don't adopt a certain way of thinking... then you are considered a hater... a judge..... non-christian... or a "judgmental better than thou Christian"... This way of thinking drives me crazy....

I have my beliefs and my beliefs do not necessarily go with the "politically correct" way society is today... But one thing that must be understood is this: Because my beliefs and my value system is different than some... that does not mean I judge them... it does not mean I condemn them.... it does not mean I hate them.. It does mean that I do not agree with them and I choose to live my life differently...

Acceptance and Judgment has a very fine line..

I don't believe in having kids before marriage.... but I would never point my finger at someone and judge them... I would never condemn them.. their children.. that is a ridiculous thought...

I don't agree with gay marriages.. I believe a marriage is between one man and one woman... but I would never tell a gay couple that they are wrong.. I would never place them in a defensive or hurtful position... Frankly, a very dear friend of mine married her partner of over 20 years... I love her and her partner... and in that love we respect each others beliefs... it's okay we disagree...

I don't believe in getting so drunk that you lose perceptive.... you lose rational thought.. I do believe drinking is okay in moderation... for some.. But I would never serve alcohol at my home if there was someone there fighting a drinking addiction.... because I do not believe I am being a true friend if I tempted them with something they have a hard time controlling...

I don't believe in sex before marriage... I am not going to pretend that I was innocent the day I got married... so far from it..... way way far from it... and I have had to pay the price for my indiscretions. Having to fight precancerous problems for the rest of my life because I slept with the wrong guy in college over 20 years ago... Not being able to give my husband that special gift of myself.... I hope and pray that my girls will use better judgment than I did..

I do believe in love.... I do believe in acceptance.... I do believe that we were all created by the same God and that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.... whether you have accepted Him or not... I do believe that regardless of our beliefs and value system we must find a way to accept one another and respect our differences... and not place judgment...

Who Are We To Judge Michael Jackson

Today the world said good bye to Michael Jackson... A father, a son, and a brother... I hate that he is gone.. I hate that some people joke about his life.... thinking it funny to say jokes about little boys.... I don't know if he was guilty of those things.... the legal system declared him innocent - and if he is guilty...he is standing before God now.... It is not for us to judge.

It breaks my heart to hear and read such hateful comments about Michael - especially from people who claim to be followers of Christ... Is it okay to mourn the loss of a "saved" person and then turn around and make judgments and say awful mean spirited things about someone you find to be morally not your equal? We are ALL sinners.. we are all not morally equal to what God wants for us... So how can someone who claims to love Jesus turn around in the same breath and rip apart a person who may not be a Christian... who may have done bad things... That is two faced... the old saying comes to mind... "Hate the sin... Love the sinner" Does God not tell us to Love one another...? Are we practicing love when we say hateful things?

As a parent listening to his young daughter talk about her daddy just makes me cry... He was loved by three young children... his children... their daddy... and joking about his eccentric life - I think it is simply cruel.. We need to go beyond that.. We need to show compassion... We need to lift these three children to God.... we need to pray for their joy.... their sadness... their future. We need to remember that he was loved... and today there are three more orphans in the world...