Consistency

I've seen the mantra: "Love is love." At first it's a "duh" statement ... until you see the rainbow behind it. Oh, that is what you're talking about. So, let's see; "love is love." Is that what you're claiming? I love pizza and you love your dog and we both love our mothers. Is love love? "No, no, we're just talking about who you can have sex with and who you can marry." Perhaps. It doesn't look like it from here. Because I love pizza and you love your dog and we both love our mothers and there is nothing in there about sex or marriage. "No, no, we're just talking about the LGBTQ folk who you want to restrict." Perhaps. It doesn't look like it from here. Because the "B" of your acronym is for the bisexuals who are attracted to both genders, but you won't allow polygamy (more than one husband or wife) or polyandry (a woman with more than one husband) or polyamory (marriage (or otherwise) of multiple partners regardless of gender) -- only two. Because "love is love" only in those circumstances that you allow and not in the circumstances that run counter to my beliefs. "Love is love" is inconsistent.

"Do you people even know your own Bible? Jesus said, 'Judge not that you be not judged.'" "Yes, He did. What's your point?" "Well, you guys are wrong for judging others and wrong for claiming to speak for God and wrong for using the Bible as your litmus test for truth and wrong, nay, evil for suggesting that the Bible says these things are sins and those things are deserving hell and all that." "Sounds very judgmental to me." "That's what we said!" "No, it sounds very judgmental of you to tell us all the ways in which we are wrong and even evil. How is that not judgmental?" Non-judgmental people are inconsistent.

"Dan Cathy is the CEO of Chick-fil-A. He has donated to anti-LGBT causes and openly stated his opposition to gay marriage. He is clearly a bigot and a hater and a homophobe. Not like us. We don't want his restaurants in our town. We are inclusive and he is not. We are tolerant and he is not. We will not include him in our inclusiveness or tolerate him in our tolerance. Never mind that nothing that goes on in his restaurants reflects any negative attitudes towards anyone at all. We will not be inclusive or tolerant in the name of being inclusive and tolerant!" Inconsistent.

"You tell us the Bible says X. You tell us it means X. You claim to be speaking for God. We know better. The Bible appears to say X but clearly means W and not at all what you think it means. You misread and misapply and misuse it while we, for the most part, don't read, apply, or use it at all. You're wrong, wrong, wrong for telling us that we're wrong. You should be more gracious like we are." Inconsistent.

I believe in love but believe it has definition and when it is outside of that definition it is not love. So to say "This is love and that is not" is not inconsistent. I believe the Bible, so when Jesus says, "Judge not," I pay particular attention. When He says, "Take the log our of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matt 7:6) in the context of "Judge not," I don't assume He means it in an absolute sense, so when I rightly take care of the "log" in my own eye before concerning myself with yours, it isn't inconsistent. I believe in being tolerant of good and intolerant of evil, so being intolerant in some cases is the right thing to do. Consistent. I believe the Bible is God's Word and, so, if it says it and clearly means it, I have no problem arguing that "God says what His Word says He says." It is not inconsistent with the premise. I strive for consistency -- internal and external. I think a lot of people don't see their own inconsistency. But, then, I'm not sure how many people see consistency as a virtue, based on a lot of what I see out there today. Wait ... what do we call that when people put on masks of "love" and "acceptance" and "inclusiveness" and "tolerance" and such but don't actually possess them? I've been calling it inconsistency. I think Jesus called it hypocrisy.