Quite often, I think of great things to blog about then, one of three things happens.

1. I’m not near a computer at the time, but I assure myself that I will most definitely remember that absolutely fantabulous idea later and I do not write it down. Very unwise.
2. I get distracted by life in general and children in particular and by the time I can get to the computer the blog post is no longer topical. Darn those pesky children who expect to be fed and cared for.
3. I want to write about something important and meaningful and I chicken out. I then read something incredible written by another blogger and kick myself that I wasn’t brave enough to write about it myself.

Obviously I need to get a notebook and a better routine to deal with the first two. I think I’ve found the solution to the third problem. I’ve just read an amazing post on a topic I have long felt passionate about and an amazing response to the post that shows just why it’s important to write about the important things. Nothing like the bravery of someone else to convince you to overcome your fears.

Thanks to a Facebook link by Yvette Vignando from Happy Child, I today discovered the Single Dad Laughing blog. In November last year, blogger Dan Pearce wrote a post titled ‘I’m Christian, unless you’re Gay.‘ This was followed up today with ‘A Teen’s Brave Response to “I’m Christian, unless you’re Gay”’. These posts have reminded me why blogging isn’t just a self-indulgent outlet for frustrated wannabe writers.

You need to go and read both of those posts now. Really.

Dan’s original post moved me deeply. I’m a Christian and I have long felt uncomfortable with the way many Christians and Christian churches target particular groups within the community and ‘blame’ them for undermining our society. I’ve never understood it. If we believe that (perceived) weakness and flaws in others are a problem, then aren’t our own weaknesses and flaws just as likely to be a problem? We listen to sermons that talk about love, forgiveness and the fact that all sins are equal in the eyes of God and the we walk outside and impose a strict hierarchy of wickedness on actions, with our own weaknesses given the lowest possible ranking.

I’ve never been able to get my head around the inequality of it all. I am grateful that I have the freedom to express my faith, to form my own opinions, to choose my own priorities. Why would I not want others to have that same freedom? Why do I believe that I have a greater right to integrity and self-determination than someone else? What makes me so special and them less so?

It is the underlying arrogance of people on both sides of the debate (about same-sex marriage, homosexuality in general, religion vs. atheism, lifestyle choices, health choices, whether eating sugar will poison us all) that leaves me feeling frustrated and, when Christians are involved, quite often embarrassed and ashamed of how my own faith is represented.

Of course I think that what I believe is right. That’s why I believe it. I think that my life choices, my faith, my priorities are the best possible from the options available. That’s why I chose them. BUT, and this is the important part, that doesn’t mean I have the right to force others to share my view, to demean and belittle them if they disagree, to ostracise, ridicule and mock them if they don’t share my opinions or to blame them for all that is wrong with the world. If I want the right to set the priorities for my life, I should extend that same privilege to others.

If you didn’t follow the links to the Single Dad Laughing blog above, you really should go now. If you’re a Christian or simply someone who believes that their faith gives them an inside edge on the way things ‘should’ be, I strongly recommend you read the original post, then read the response post that shows just how much damage can be done by judging actions without acknowledging the person and their need for unconditional love.

As a Christian, I found the original post confronting. As a parent, I found the incredibly wise and heartfelt words of the 15-year-old boy just as confronting as I consider the way I deal with my own children and the efforts that I make to ensure that they feel accepted and valued in their own home.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what I really want to do with this blog and I think today I’ve worked it out. I’ll still be writing frivolous posts about random things that catch my eye, but I’ll also be speaking up about the important things. Thank you Dan for your courage. You’ve inspired me to be brave too.