Mack Leonard,
Saint Louis, MO
p>My words I chose were “Ever heard of ‘love thy neighbor’?”. This is referring to the bible verse Matthew 22:39, in which Jesus commands people to treat others as you wish to be treated, and love everyone around you unconditionally. I think that today, religion becomes an excuse for hatred, and that is not what religion, especially Christianity, is based on. Christianity is built on love, respect, faith, and community. Unfortunately, today religion is morphed and twisted into excuses and inaccuracies. I think that especially in recent events in America, honesty and decency has been red-flagged as being “woke”, disguised in the media as a trick when it is just a part of the religion that millions of people practice. It scares me, as a member of a younger generation, that my generation will take these practices and continue them, not understanding that we are so harmful and set in destructive habits that only further destroy our nation and community as a human race. I am not religious, but I believe that loving those around you and understanding that we are all just people is important to building a thriving world. Equality cannot be reached in hatred, dishonesty, and corruption.