Sophia Harper (shefloats) wrote in genome_project, @ 2012-08-16 14:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | august 2012, newspaper |
Backdated to yesterday
08.15.47 - 8:00 Dear Hallie, I think I'm gay. My parents are really religious. My friends aren't that tolerant. They'll never understand. I'm not sure what to do. I've got a girlfriend so nobody will know but it's getting harder and harder to pretend. Help me. - Scared Straight Scared Straight, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. - Deuteronomy 10:17 All men are equal in Islam, the Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab, nor does the non-Arab have superiority over the Arab, save in the fear of God. -Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him. All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness ... the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. - Dalai Lama I could go on, but it seems the general message of most religions follows along the same idea that everyone no matter what they believe in, the only one who is allowed to judge you for your choices is whatever supreme being you want to worship. Religion should not be an excuse used to ostracize other people because they're different. There may very well be someone in your group of friends or a relative who would be willing to have your back if your parents don't take it well. While parents should be accepting of their children, it is unfortunate that there are still some who do reject them over something as silly as preferring to date a George over a Georgia. Trying to hide it is only going to make yourself more miserable in the end, and you might find out your friends are more tolerant than you first thought. If you want to test the waters rather than coming right out with it, you could also try hypothetical situations and gauge reactions from there. Coming out is not a simple thing and there can be many reactions that you probably won't expect no matter how much you prepare yourself. Hence why it is always good to have someone to support you. - Hallie P.S. And to preempt all the mail I'm sure to receive for saying this: you can certainly find quotes from your religious texts that also say that I'm wrong and reasons why anyone different from you is an "abomination", but a faith that picks and chooses what it believes while ignore the other messages is an empty faith. Need Advice? Ask Hallie is written by Hallie Parker and published every Wednesday and Sunday. She can be reached at 4 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004 |