Lessons from a suicide letter

[ColesCountyDem]

Yesterday, 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn killed herself. She was a transgender girl who walked out in front of a semi-truck. After reading the suicide letter she left behind on Tumblr, I felt like I had to do something.

The way she was treated by Christians was a theme in her letter. She ended her letter by saying, “My death needs to mean something.” She also asked that we “fix society.” This blog is an attempt to honor those words. They are solely my opinions and thoughts.

I want to focus on what we as Christians can learn from this tragedy. Leelah was a person who was treated like a second-class citizen because she was different. Christians, we have to do better. I’m sad to say that in some churches hate and discrimination are alive and well. There are churches that don’t welcome members of different races, members of the LGBT community, or those with lower income levels. This list could go on and on. Discrimination and hate are sins!

We have to stop labeling anyone different from us as someone who isn’t loved by God. One of the first verses we learn as Christian children is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If we truly believed this we won’t spent most of our time pointing out reasons God doesn’t love certain people. God loves everyone regardless of their race, gender, orientation, or income level....

More: http://baptistnews.com/perspectives/lessons-from-a-suicide-letter/

[Thav]

1. We have talked about this in our family.

One thing that my wife says that is very apt: "God does not want us to hate others because they sin differently from us."

We have also experienced hate in our church. Not directed at us, but at a community we support. My wife and I are active in a pregnancy center and did a goods fund raiser for them. My wife overheard someone saying, "Those whores don't need our support." She didn't call them out. I wish I had heard it I would have. "When the sick woman touched Jesus' robe, did Jesus say, 'you dirty whore, you don't deserve my help?' "

It's this hatred that most people experience about some Christians. Some of these Christians believe that all the blessings are reserved for people like them, and everyone else just isn't worthy. And that's sad.