The Heavily Quoted Quote

 

Phillip Hong

 

As a lapsed Evangelical Protestant - please don't ask me how I was one - I am obligated to provide a sense of moral brevity in this first article. Thus, a heavily quoted quote from the heavily quoted book called the Bible:

 

"...do unto others what you would have them do to you..."

 

Matthew 7:12

 

There. That's the end of my "moral brevity", simply because I have a problem when it comes to forcing my beliefs upon others. This may also explain why I am not in the best terms with my family's church.

 

There is something in this quote that doesn't make sense to me. What do you have to do with these "others" and what do they have to do with you? In the simplest of circumstances, one could mean being neighbourly, understanding others, having an open heart. But recently, it was quoted in more complex issues. The heavily quoted quote quoted was used as an excuse to force one's beliefs upon others.

 

I'm not gay. I'm not of Caucasian extraction. I'm not a mother, and I lack a womb. I didn't even encourage people to be Christian, and I certainly am not Christian myself to most people. But does that give me permission to restrict marriages to straight couples exclusively? Am I allowed to prevent women from having an abortion completely? Does being religious or otherwise make me more or less "moral"?

 

The moral of the story is: I expect people to quote the heavily quoted quote quoted that is quoted from the bible regularly, to have a different interpretation of said heavily quoted quote quoted earlier.

 

Officially, I am non-partisan. I don't match completely with any one political party and I will only decide who I vote for on a per-election basis. One would easily be confused with what I truly believe in.

 

I am a conservative. I dress conservatively. I don't go out for a "night on the town" based on people my age. I truly believe in sex after marriage, and that would be an ideal option for me. Here's the kicker: I'm conservative... to myself, only.

 

To "others" (as a partial quote from that heavily quoted quote that was quoted earlier, "the quoted quote quoted"), I am socially liberal. Do what you think is best for you. That usually shatters the eyeglasses of most churchgoers.

 

The heavily quoted quote quoted is correct in my opinion, because what I want out of others is themselves. Whoever, whatever they believe in, and wherever they are.

 

The quoted quote quoted might make sense after all.

 

Phillip Hong, a resident within suburban Toronto, is a constant tourist. Check out the interesting experiences of his journeys on The Travelling Briefcase.