My thought for the day.

 If any of you have picked up the Bible and started reading it, and you have chosen to read it, so you can worship it, the Bible, God, and worship Jesus. You have taken the long and the wrong approach to finding understanding and salvation.  What you need to do is read it for Jesus' teachings and lessons. To drill deeper into what he wanted. His followers and Christianity needed to be what they were meant to be, to save the world, as he believed.  It needed to be saved, so if you are reading the Bible. And you get out that his teachings or lessons are only good for Christians, and only if you're straight, and only if you're against abortion or anything else, you have not gotten.  You are missing his lessons.

His lessons were pretty clear. You love everyone. You forgive everyone. When he was being persecuted, he did not tell his followers that his teachings were only for those who agreed with him, who followed his teachings, and who  understood what he was about. No, he said they were for everyone. He forgave all of those who had sided against him; he had forgiven all of those who did not understand. he said it was for Gentiles and Jews for all.  His religion was supposed to be universal. As the old Latin word, we're supposed to be Catholic. Catholic means universal, but because protestants are so hateful. As is most other religions against the word Catholic, we use universal or unify.  So his religion that came from him and his teachings were meant to be universal for everyone, for the Roman generals and the Greek pagans that still followed their pantheon, for the Jews who persecuted him, and for his followers, everyone. It still is for everyone if you read the lessons.  And the teachings in the Bible. They were for everyone. The gay's deliberals to conservatives the hardcore right-wing evangelicals. Even the profiteers, he believed, everyone should have a chance at salvation. He didn't care about the religious background. As long as they understood the teachings of love your fellow man as he had loved you.  So, I offer you my closing thought: if you cannot look at a person with whom you disagree. You find yourself being hateful, too, and say I disagree, but I still love you. As Jesus loves you, then, you are not following his teachings. You are not following his lessons. You have just been reading a book, so you can worship it in a way that suits your reading of it. And use it as a weapon to exclude people and oppress people.