The Finding Faith series seems to be taking on a weird but somewhat familiar pattern. So far we seem to be getting into “The Blame Game.” This religion did that and that one did this and so on. The culprits doing these vile and atrocious acts against humanity are not the apostles or emissaries of the faith system they claim. They enter in on the reputation of this or that faith and commit crimes later when in power. When you enter in singing praise songs and turn them into a battle cries on humanity, the name of that faith is hate. Hate is evil, and we ought to stay away from a religion whose leader asks me to “worship” in an evil way.

For instance, 9/11 was not an act of love. Neither was shooting employees of an abortion clinic one morning. Or the imprisonment and deaths of homosexuals living in Uganda and so on. Killing in the name of “the lord” is hate not love. Hate crimes are committed in the name of “God” (fill in the name of god) all the time. Hate is wrong no matter how or where it manifests. The people who do these things are the radicals and freaks outside those faith systems who hate humanity and aren’t that faith system’s mouthpiece.

So it’s my hope this series doesn’t focus on how messed up humanity is; pointing fingers is rather judgmental. It seems that we all hate in some way or another. When people stumble and fall, shouldn’t we extend our hands and help them get back up to where we are? I can get behind a religion that teaches that! Trying to help is love and we know what judgment is. Not my job!

If this isn’t love, what is it?

— Larry Flynn