"Love and Forgiveness"
A Reflection on Christianity
“I hope God strikes you down for not believing in him.”
These are the words of someone who believes in
love and forgiveness.
Because Christianity,
the institution responsible for more deaths than any other, practices
love and forgiveness.
The bible,
the book responsible for justifying more atrocities than any other, is a book of
love and forgiveness.
Because Deuteronomy 20:16–17 and Leviticus 25:44–46 clearly helped spread
love and forgiveness.
“Homosexuality is a sin.”
Words from a Christian
who preaches
love and forgiveness.
Words that, not long ago,
were used to justify mass executions
in the name of
love and forgiveness.
I thought we were out of the dark ages,
but I guess we’re going back.
Because love commits genocide,
and forgiveness drops the axe.
Love tells you
“die if you disagree,”
and forgiveness tells you
“burn if you desire.”
Because love is God’s cage,
and forgiveness is the key;
and how dare you be free.
Because Christianity brings out the best in people.
Because Christianity makes people kind.
Because the Christian bible wasn’t used to justify rape, torture, slavery, the inquisition, the crusades, the witch hunts, and countless other massacres—
that was just misinterpretation.
That was love and forgiveness.
“Christianity is different! Christianity has changed!”
Are you simply unaware your religion continues to massacre Muslims in Nigeria and the Central African Republic to this day?
This is the same religion that smiles while women are beaten for walking alone,
while children are raped in its schools,
while entire populations are tortured and eradicated
in blind submission to God.
And every head hanging from the trees and rotting on the stakes was severed in the name of
love and forgiveness.
Because love protects the powerful
and punishes the innocent.
Because forgiveness preaches kindness
while executing dissent.
While executing innocence.
While executing children.
While executing anyone who speaks.
Yet after all of this,
all of the horror, all of the rape,
all of the genocide, all of the blood,
we haven’t learned our lesson.
So believe what you’ll believe. Bring back the stake for burning witches if that’s what you please.
But as innocent men and women give their dying screams,
don’t have the fucking audacity to call it
love and forgiveness.