This Christmas, many self-proclaimed American Christians would benefit from finding a refresher course on what real Christian behavior entails under their tree.
Many self-described Christians tend not to embody the Christian ideals of service, compassion, forgiveness and empathy. Instead, they use Christianity as an excuse for unwarranted hatred. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the recent attacks on the LGBTQ community.
Now, I know that’s not all Christians – many still approach the world seeking to edify others, and if that’s you, you’re not the intended audience for this play. I target those who imbue exclusion, morality, and a false martyrdom us versus them that my Armchair Psychology PhD interprets as “making marginalized demographics feel small to make our uncertain selves feel powerful.”
Blaming Christian values for your actions does not make them accurate or true. Think of it this way: if Jesus were to come back and celebrate Christmas 2022, where would he spend time? The moral pulpits of evangelical churches, whose preaching is equal parts judgment and demand for tithing? With right-wing activists rallying against trans students – a vulnerable and almost excruciatingly small population – while worshiping at the altar of a fake idol named Donald Trump? In the McMansions of Republican congressmen who voted against codifying same-sex marriage, but will sit down to an extravagant Christmas dinner full of food that will mostly be thrown away after their third/fourth (and much younger) wife l carefully documented for his prosperity gospel instagram account?
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I think if Jesus were in Asheville today he would be at a homeless shelter celebrating Christmas with trans teens who felt rejected by society or breaking bread at O’Henry’s with people who aren’t wanted at their family’s Christmas parties. I think whichever hypothetical reality you choose speaks volumes about your basic understanding of the meaning of Christmas and the intentions of Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus certainly wouldn’t worship at the Asheville Greater Works Church of God in Christ, a church whose website prominently displays a link to a tithe calculator alongside scriptures that are dear to him and whose pastor, Ron Gates, aligned with the Alliance for Defending Freedom (one of those designated hate groups using Christianity and a dubious interpretation of “freedom” as smokescreens) to bully trans school board member Peyton O’Conner, for her to step down from a seat that she fairly won.
I’m sure Gates will say he did this for the sake of the children since he told the Asheville City School Board they shouldn’t focus on ‘sexual immorality or indoctrination’ , but it’s a flimsy excuse. He did it out of pride, to center himself in a cultural warrior narrative that courts headlines, donations and political influence, or maybe just because he has hate in his heart. Maybe he knows he’s not a good person and is using cheap scare tactics to distract O’Conner. I do not know. These are guesses. But he didn’t do it for children because the indoctrination in the context in which he uses it is not real.
Being around LGBTQ people does not make kids LGBTQ. Research proves it. You cannot turn a child into bisexual, gay or trans. Sexuality and gender are not determined by osmosis. If it did, I’d be straight.
I grew up Catholic in a predominantly conservative family at a time when “it’s gay” was said pejoratively and often. My dad is a retired Navy colonel and former high school basketball star who loves watching sports and mob movies. If the indoctrination works as Gates and his ilk claim, I should be married with three kids and a wife who quit her PR job to be a stay-at-home mom determined to Instagram our pointless Christmas dinner. But I’m not, and I’m not – I’m gay, single, and fed up with insecure individuals who use religion as an excuse for their insecurities and bigotry.
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According to the Trevor Project, more than 1.8 million young LGBTQ people seriously consider suicide attempts each year in the United States because of the way they are stigmatized – at least one suicide every 45 seconds. This is indoctrination in action. It is the evangelical industrial complex that convinces innocent children that it is better to be dead than alive. I hope those self proclaimed Christians who have participated in this kind of indoctrination take this Christmas to reflect on why you are doing what you are doing because it is definitely not in the name of Jesus or the Bible, and I think deep down you should know that it’s true.
Pat Brothwell is a former high school teacher and writer and marketing professional living and working in Asheville.
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