If we read the Book in its entirety

How might the world be different?

Amen, Rev. Cremer.

The Human Rights Campaign has done an excellent job of sussing out what the Bible says about the transgender community and you can read that here. Boiled down? You may want to go back and read the linked verses in that piece if you’re struggling with loving the neighbors who don’t dress like you or don’t fit neatly into a gender box.

Why are we even talking about this, the Bible and transgender people? Well, those of us weaned on fundamentalism (a dry tit, indeed) know that the Bible — our sword — is so often used to wound people, to slice them right in half and then stand over the corpse and pray for our victim.

If we, as Rev. Cremer suggests, took the Book in its entirety, would we want to close our borders? Would we want to cut so-called entitlement programs? Would we instead want to make sure everyone is fed and educated and supported and loved? Because that sounds like really good church to me. The rest of it isn’t even a bad interpretation of Christianity. It’s not Christianity at all.

Better that we not swing the sword in the first place, and that’s not just me talking.

The above meme was once my computer screensaver at work. I mean, you don’t have to wait until you understand someone before you love them. The rule is simpler. You just love ‘em.