Excorcism

It’s outrageous how people can be so ignorant, so imprudent, and blinded by something that is supposed to be a guide. You all know what I’m speaking of, that infamous word that has caused epic wars through out history, and that people still argue about today. Yep, I’m talking about religion. This thought process all started with my usual after school routine consisting of a snack and the fabulous Tyra Banks Show. To my surprise, Tyra begins the show speaking about exorcism. The only knowledge I posses of exorcism is the ridiculous stuff you see in movies. So obviously I was skeptical. The legitimate definition of an exorcism is a Christian ceremony created to eradicate “evil” spirits from someone.

On the Tyra Banks show was a charismatic young man about sixteen, named Jeffery. When asked a simple question, “are you attracted to woman”, he hesitantly said, “um yeah.” Now most men I know would answer confidently and loudly, but Jeffery looked timid and terrified, which indicates that he is indeed a homosexual. However, if you accused Jeffery of liking men, he would completely deny it. He claims that God has saved him. Two pastors at his local church performed an exorcism on him, and Jeffery declares that the “unclean homosexual spirits” had been removed. There are two things that deeply disturb me about this incident. First off, how can someone stop being gay? I have absolutely no issues with homosexual men. In fact, one of my best friends is gay, which brings me back to my point, how can you change the way you feel? Most people think that gay men choose to be gay. But this is not the case. They cannot resist the attraction they feel for men. They may try to hide it, but eventually the truth comes out. So this exorcism, in my opinion was completely unnecessary. In no way, am I intending to offend Christianity, but I do not believe you can blame homosexuality on an evil spirit. God obviously had a reason for creating homosexual men, and I don’t think that Satan has anything to do with this.
The next thing that profusely irritated me was the utter ignorance displayed by the pastors who performed the exorcism. They bluntly said, that all homosexuals will go to Hell. They have sinned by maintaining a relationship with another man. This whole argument all comes back to one thing, God and religion. If these pastors really believe that a gay man who has committed no serious offense will go to Hell along with a murderer, their morals are seriously appalling. If you tell a gay man that he will go to hell just because of his sexual preference, what is stopping him from stealing, cheating, and killing? What will stop him from killing himself? These pastors falsely state that they are open and welcoming to all people, when it is clear they are not. How can you tell someone they are going to hell, and still be a mentor or friend of theirs? I understand that homosexuality is a sin in Christianity. But isn’t compassion and love something Christians strive for. You should not cease to love someone just because of his or her sexuality. What truly makes a person are the things they chose to do with their life and the way they treat other people. This defines a person and if religion begins to interfere with simple humane principles, what has become of this world?