PMS, Feminism & Religious Bigotry

Yesterday a friend of mine posted a very well written blog about the effects of PMS.  My friend is a Methodist Minister and a feminist and what she posted was very enlightening and helpful to me as a man, helping me to understand what women go through; enlightening me considerably.

For some reason this particular post was read by many more people then her usual readership.  I don't know all the details but she received abusive comments and threats from people who would, no doubt, consider themselves religious and claim that God is on their side.  I have a different description for them: in my opinion they are ignorant bigots!

It is people like that in all faith paths, not just Christianity, who give their faith a bad name.  In the case of Christians it is those for whom Christianity is an intellectual ascent to a set of beliefs or a creed, rather than on a living and loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is those who profess to be Christians but display no evidence of their faith in their lives, it is a faith of words without deeds, of lives without love.  Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another.  We cannot call Jesus our master with integrity and then fail to obey his commandment to love.

I write as a Methodist Minister, as somebody most people would consider to be religious.  I don't know if God is on my side or not: but I do my best to serve him and bring his love to those who so desperately need it.

The God I seek to serve, the God I love, is indeed love itself.  In his first epistle the Apostle John wrote, "love us from God: everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love". (1 John 4:7-8, NRSV).

My friend did a very loving thing for her sister women when she wrote about PMS.  I'm sure God was smiling on her for writing and publishing it.

I'm equally sure God isn't smiling on the person or people who have cause my friend such distress and worry.  He loves them and will forgive them if they repent; but right now it is my understand that God is not on their side because they have shown anything but love: "whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love."

I am saddened and angered that my friend has been hurt, frightened and distressed by the unloving, uncaring and, in my opinion, bigoted words of others.  I pray that God will touch their hearts with the love of the living Christ and they would know the changed and transformed lives of true Chrustian believers!

I also pray that God will protect my friend from any who would wish her harm and that she would be able to nestle securely in the love and care of God.