Connecting with a Christian

It's no secret that there has been conflict about keeping Christianity and politics separate. For years I've always seen Christianity as a rather dominating religion especially after reading Things Fall Apart. Christian protests against the gay rights movement have also influenced my negative outlook on Christianity and I'm sure a massive population can side with me on that. However this post is about an important experience that needs to be brought to light. 

Several nights ago I was conversing with a darling gentleman whom I'm unexplainably fond of and I asked about his take on religion. I understand religion is a taboo topic and that's exactly why I asked. He said he was Christian. As a member of the LGBTQ community, practicioner of Shinto, and evolutionist who has never read a single passage from the bible in their life my initial response was 

Oh S**t

After a few seconds I began to realize this response was shaped and influenced by my past experiences and representation of hardcore Christians in the media and therefore unjust. Instead of shifting topics I asked about his favorite bible verse, how he interpreted it, and why it was significant. He passionately shared his views in a way that I could actually understand and I was surprised to see we were on, not the same, but a similar page. I asked questions about Jesus to gain a better understanding and he also explained his reasoning for believing. I never thought I would actually enjoy talking about Christianity on this level but I did and in that moment I realized how easy it was to build and break down walls because of unjust judgement. (No Trump related joke intended) 

It's not hard to judge a person based on their religion especially if they're from the Middle East. Because of these judgements we take several steps back from truly understanding the other person. People believe what they believe and do what they do for a reason. 

The issue that is corroding humanity is; mass populations with influential power make these judgements and use that lack of understanding to make imperative decisions. This isn't just with religion I'm also talking about racism, sexism, discrimination, etc. If we as humans took the time to understand each other and ask questions  and break down the walls built from judgement the world would be completely different. It would be better. 

One thing that is very important is the difference between sharing your beliefs so others can understand and shoving your beliefs down someone's throat. Unfortunately the line between those two is blurred and leaves plenty of room for misinterpretation. That and the fact that people are easily triggered nowadays. #2016 

Morale of the story don't judge someone based off their religion especially if you know little to nothing about it and don't let the media and negative past experiences shape your judgement. 

-Just Jane

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."-Dalai Lama