The Rainbow Connection

Hello, beautiful people! For those who celebrate, I hope you are having a safe and happy Pride.

I have a confession to make: I was, and still am, apprehensive for the safety of my siblings given the general atmosphere surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community and the copious amount of bills coming from state legislatures targeting my family, particularly those identifying as transgender. While my primary concern is physical violence, I am also deeply distressed by online attacks against anyone who dares post and/or wear a rainbow this month.

Cruising social media, I am sad to say I have not been disappointed. I anticipated a certain amount of bullshit about how "Christians need to take back the rainbow" as if it was stolen and somehow theirs to take ownership of in the first place (although, I did get a chuckle when I saw the Ark Encounter in Kentucky lit up for Pride as brightly as the White House despite their fervent and rather judgmental statements to the contrary). A rainbow is a rainbow, my friends.

Scientifically, a rainbow is a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets (National Geographic). Mythologically, a rainbow is said to have a pot of gold at its end and is tended by the messenger goddess Iris. Rainbows are part of nature; therefore, they belong to everybody, not an individual or one single group.

What many "Christians" are in a tizzy about this month is the symbolic meaning of the rainbow. The funny thing about symbols is they tend to have more than one meaning. It is perfectly correct to believe the rainbow stands for God's promise not to flood the world again just as it is equally correct to believe the rainbow's wide arc encompasses a diverse group of people who are as vibrantly brilliant, bold, and beautiful as the seven colors.

What is not ok is the judgment, condescension, disgust, hatred, self-righteousness, homophobia, and ugliness that typically come with the "Christian" view point. You are, in fact, teaching children not to accept others and are weaponizing God to do it. Every last one of you contradict yourselves when you essentially say, "I love you, but I deny your existence, your rights, and you're still going to Hell."

That is not love. Not even close.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV. You do remember Jesus hung out with the lepers, prostitutes, and others the so-called religious people deemed undesirable outcasts, right?

It is quite presumptuous to do God's work for him and act like you know exactly what he wants. After all, he is the ultimate judge and has the final say. We all know Matthew 7, so I'll say this instead: Worry about your own damn soul, and mind your own fucking business.

While I'm on the subject of symbolism, I'm sure most of us have encountered the beaded prayer bracelets that strongly resemble rainbows before. The red represents the blood of Christ; the yellow the promise of heaven; the green for growing faith; the blue for baptism; the black for sin, and the white for purity and cleansing. Why is that ok but the same colors that stand for equality, inclusivity, acceptance, and love send you into a conniption screaming "indoctrination" when they're on a flag?