Willful Ignorance–Bad Fruit, America in Reverse, but Hope

Last updated on: January 1, 2024 at 8:18 am by Julie Nichols

Willful Ignorance–Bad Fruit, America in Reverse, but Hope 2024-01-01T08:18:46-06:00 Julie Nichols

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I wonder on a near-daily basis how my faith is going to survive not only the current events but also as a parent of LGBTQ+ kids who fully supports them. I love and support them because of my faith, not in spite of it, because I want them to live and thrive and not die young and live in instability. One of the most challenging pains of fully supporting LGBTQ+ kids is the judgment parents like me receive for supporting them. It is a total joy to fully love and support them because it removes such a burden off of me not to unconditionally love them for the way they are. It’s called following science and undoing the harm decades of poorly-applied ministry, professional practice, and parenting have caused. I want to be on the right side of history when it comes to all three areas.

In general with the LGBTQ+ issue, people who have no experience with the LGBTQ+ issue who refuse to work through the theological hurdles, medical realities, and listen to the countless lived experiences of others tend to be the harshest judges. It’s simply mind-boggling to be blamed for “allowing this…” “or causing that…” when they simultaneously refuse to face facts and reality for themselves by living in willful denial, even when they are told that LGBTQ+ issues are life and death issues.

Outside of the LGBTQ+ issue is the rising threat of Christian Nationalism although the two are interconnected. The denial that Christian Nationalism is even “a thing” or that democracy is in grave danger is mind-boggling too. The far-right wing of the Republican party wants theocratic authoritarianism, not democracy, freedom, liberty, and justice for all. Again, we have willful denial and anti-intellectualism at the core of the growing threat of Christian Nationalism as well.

After recently spending time with some who live in willful denial, I believe that anti-intellectualism by historical and scientific denial are at the center of allowing and enabling Christian Nationalism and the continued endangerment of LGBTQ+ people and other historically-marginalized groups. Sometimes I wonder if willful denial is linked to intentionally wanting history to repeat itself, like actually wanting a repeated variation of the Holocaust. I hope it’s not true that these types want to roll back hard-earned civil rights which have occurred for those outside of themselves over the last 7o years. It makes me wonder if the intentional desire to deny history and science is really rooted in actually wanting history like the Holocaust to repeat itself. Let’s watch a debate between Governor Newsom of California and Govenor Ron DeSantis of California. When Governor Newsom says that Ron DeSantis intentionally wants a “cultural purge,” I think he is correct. I will close at the bottom with hope.

@meidastouch

Gov. Gavin Newsom ended DeSantis in the very first moments of the debate. “But there’s one thing in closing that we have in common, is neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”

My hope is, there are more rational-thinking and caring people, both religious and non-religious, who want democracy and liberty, and justice for all than irrational-thinking and uncaring people. We have to ask ourselves, do we want the same freedoms for others, especially those who are different than ourselves. If the answer is yes, then we will fight against Christian Nationalism with every fiber of our being. I have hope that we can beat it with radical love, inclusion, voting blue, and activism because I believe that only one political party still stands for democracy and freedom. Democracy and freedom are at the core of what it means to be an American and a hope to the world.

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