A Repented Homo Who Has Found Jesus

I actually saw a man wearing "A Repented Homo Who Has Found Jesus" on his shirt today. He and a buddy were wearing these shirts and carrying around picket signs with “I Love Jesus” written on them, marching in circles in front of the New York Stock Exchange. And as a straight, non-religious female, I was somewhat irritated and offended. One of my biggest annoyances is unsolicited advertising. I’m not talking about the pop-up screens that appear when browsing CNN.com, or even telemarketers (although that could start a whole new diatribe), but the people who try and tell me what I should believe in.

For example, I used to be staffed on a project in Richmond, VA. As I was working with the state government, I would walk by the capitol building every day to get to the office, which was across the street. On a nice, cold, wintry day, I was walking to the office when I saw protesters in the distance. Now, I don’t have a problem with protesters. But I do have a problem with anti-abortion demonstrators or as they so fondly like to call themselves, people who are “pro-life”. As if the rest of us are pro-death. At any rate, I recognized these “anti-choice” demonstrators about 40 ft away when I saw pictures of large, dead fetuses on their picket signs. Getting enough of this on Sproul, I was used to seeing these graphic images.

As I got closer to the demonstrators, I realized one thing – they were all men. There was not one single woman amongst them. Not only that, but the people who tried to give me anti-abortion literature were young men. Fifteen at the oldest. My first thought was, “Shouldn’t you be in school right now?” And my next, and more striking, thought was, “What do you know about sex, abortion, and rape?” What were these 15-yr-old boys, these brainwashed children, doing advocating anti-abortion? Who were these kids, being spoon-fed beliefs by their parents and pulled from school so they can educate females on how to treat their bodies?

I once saw a sign that said something like “If you were a woman with syphilis, had several children already who were all deaf and mute, and was found to be pregnant, would you abort your unborn baby?” And the next line read, “You just killed Beethoven.” Now, I’m a big Beethoven fan, but if you had killed Beethoven, then who would ever have known? How could you miss something that you never knew existed?
I just hoped that the creators of that sign were not thinking that they were going to find anyone stupid enough to think that if they have syphilis, they should keep their unborn babies because they're going to give birth to the next Beethoven. Pregnant women should be cognizant that major health issues will result from a birth in those conditions.

I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions that some people will naturally have opposing viewpoints. All Christians should be allowed to believe in Jesus and think that everyone else is going to go to Hell; homos should be allowed to “repent” and find Jesus; men should be allowed to think that they know what’s best for a woman’s body. But I do not think that blaring their messages in others’ faces is the way to convince others to believe the things they do. Wouldn’t they rather that a person convert to their viewpoint naturally and sincerely of one’s own volition, rather than by constant poking and prodding?

As a person who’s childhood was not too far in the past, I know that constant poking and prodding is the fastest way to get you nowhere - and I’ve learned when to stop. I just wish everyone else would too.