Burnishing Bigotry - 3rd edition

Dialogue #48 … Vanessa’s Song
Vanessa: Lucy --- sadly, while you point one finger outward, it is three you are pointing back at
yourself. Because you are so busy investing in speaking ―anti-Scaughdt‖, it appears you are
refusing to live ―pro-Jesus‖ … Scaughdt isn't trying to convince you to listen to him --- he is
trying to help you listen to Jesus … And if you truly believe Jesus is your Lord& Savior, then
Scaughdt can't take that away from you no matter what he says.
If the resurrection is that critical for your life, couldn't you be walking the way of Jesus
regardless, and yelling Amen to anyone encouraging you to do so? Are people possibly afraid
of walking the way of Jesus when they deny his words? Does someone possibly (and I say
possibly because I don't really know the inside of another's heart) have some doubt about the
resurrection themselves – that they are allowing that difference in theology to deny the validity
of following Jesus‘ teachings? Is the belief in the resurrection an excuse to not follow the Way
of Christ? Is is true that if he is your Savior then you only have to try living selected parts of the
Bible while not trying to enliven all of them? Are your own actions demonstrating what is meant
by Jesus coming to only fulfill the Old Testament? Really? So if Jesus asks you why you didn't
Love your enemies (e.g. by focusing on cleansing your own sins instead of choosing to condemn others
for theirs) will you correct him and tell him he wasn't worth following because you wanted to
attempt to follow the condemnations of the Old Testament instead?
And if you are truly in Christ, dear lady, will you please tend to your own sins and Love
all others while they tend to their own? It is OK to not join others in their sin, Lucy. I Love you
even if you bash Scaughdt and all homosexuals a million times, and I also encourage you to just
Love them instead … A real discussion is only possible by answering each question and point
given to you instead of avoiding them, so the problem here really doesn't hinge on Scaughdt's
beliefs at all …
I see so much passion within you, Lucy, and I know you could be a strong force for Good
while joining others with whom you share common bonds through God's Love. And I know as
well that you could be an even greater force for Good if you would stop building walls of
opposition towards those who don‘t believe as you do, and with condemnation towards those
who ―sin‖ differently than you do. This is a very important time in our world – a time where the
torch of Jesus' Love could be carried and passed on to one another, and this, regardless of our
differences in choice or belief.
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