an amen?

In American churches we still have some semblance of the right to free speech. We permit tax exempt churches to burn an effigy of President Obama on the church lawn. We have pastors of tax exempt churches declaring possible murder but definitely concentration camps for Gays. We have bishops of tax exempt churches telling municipalities that if a child is to be adopted by a Gay family, that city will no longer receive funding for food and housing assistance from the church. And we have preachers of tax exempt churches standing at the pulpit urging his Congregation to burn down a Planned Parenthood building.

But in this free speech tax exempt world of churches of America we also like to limit the right to free speech especially when one man speaking to one man or one woman speaking to one woman wants to say “I do”! Somehow the expression of love is frowned upon by America’s tax exempt churches while shouts and harangue’s of hate echo from one stained glass window to another.

In the world of tax exempt churches we hear the beacons, pastors elders urge their flock to insist on less government infringement on their lives. We hear the leaders of the the tax exempt churches protest that the power of prayer will fade as each and every homosexual goes to City Hall to wed. We are sermonized that God is a great power the ultimate super hero. But somehow women who want control of their own reproductive rights, Gays wanting to marry, workers who want a fair wage, homeless seeking shelter will destroy God and diminish his glory.

We hear that Government is the AntiChrist, except when it is permitting tax exemption status for the churches to spew vile and venomous hatred for that same government. We hear that there is a war on religion by these tax exempt churches. We are told that even though this is America based on some manmade Constitution, it is in fact a Christian nation based on a Bible from God. And in fact it was God who inspired the Constitution but not all the parts about fair and equal. Except of course the tax exemption for churches.

There is so much free speech happening in the churches of America, all loud and all directed to those deemed as different. (Different then what, one may wonder). But sadly with all that bluster, bullshit, bigoted bogus bias what we don’t hear is the voices of the masses. We don’t hear people sitting in the pews who swear they are Christians shouting down their priests, pastors, preachers. We don’t hear a demand of stop when the malice is delivered by their church elders, you know the ones who don’t speak for a God but for their own self serving self preservation. We don’t hear people saying but wait in America religion is one thing and laws of equality another.

I used to think it was just the people on top, the ones who swear only they can talk to God who were at fault for a double standard. But the more I don’t hear protest from people who say they are real Christians the more I realize it is they who are the monsters. The noise of hate from these tax exempt churches is loud, but the lack of noise from those who pray in these tax exempt houses of worship is so much more deafening.