I was raised in the Catholic church. My house was a loving household, and I knew from a young age that there was a right and a wrong way to treat people. As a curious child, I wanted to learn about all sorts of people, and I loved everyone I met.
I remember the first time I experienced the harshness of the real world. I was in second or third grade, and some girls were laughing at one of my friends, who had a foreign accent and was struggling to say a specific word.
Why was I so bothered? I went to church with these girls.
I always learned to love everyone regardless of whether we were different. “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).
The Bible affirms these are the two most important commandments to live by. To me, the main purpose of the Bible is not to follow every single word inside of it without deviance. The Bible, more than anything, is about love. It’s to love God, love others and love ourselves.
I’m not a perfect Christian. I make mistakes. It’s impossible to be perfect, but there are two things that I stand by: loving God and loving my neighbors.
When I came to UT, I saw prominent political figures arguing against diversity, public shaming of LGBTQ+ individuals and offensive rhetoric deprecating different cultures and lifestyles. As students were repeatedly targeted by racist, sexist and homophobic comments, I was heartbroken when I realized that their excuse for hate was often their religion — my religion.
Seeing people spreading hatred and using their Christian faith to justify it, I questioned how the Bible I grew up with could be used in this way. Why was a book about love being twisted to promote hate?
These beliefs bleed into politics.
Around 80% of Evangelical Christians said that the Bible informs their political views, but only 37% have changed their political views that turn out to conflict with the Bible. This makes me wonder if the Bible was ever a true motivator or simply a justification for what people want to believe.
In these past few months leading up to the midterm elections, I’ve been incredibly impacted by James Talarico’s words.
“Love is not passive,” Talarico said in his acceptance speech. “Love is not neutral. Love is not weak. … When you extend an open hand instead of a closed fist, you’ll be surprised who takes that hand.”
Talarico built his campaign on the fact that the only way to cure the hate in politics today is to fight back with love. If you’re going to use your religion to back your political views, this is how to do it.
Accepting everyone is the most Christian thing you can do. Christians should never be viewed as people with hate or a lack of acceptance in their hearts. If Jesus could forgive his executors and eat with sinners, Christians have absolutely no excuse to hate a person for their background, life choices or affiliations.
Acevedo is a freshman journalism major from League City, TX.
