"Christians Have Rights Too!"

Hatred is such a waste of time and oxygen, and yet there are still those who perpetuate it as if they cannot survive without it.

Case in point.

A church in Lamar, Colo., that I attended once was recently hit with hatred via technology. Someone hacked in to their programmable LED  sign to spew nothing but pure hatred. In place of the announcements, etc., that may have originally and rightfully been there, someone utilized their technology prowess to replace it with a swastika symbol and words of pure evil.

The swastika is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few African and American cultures; however, it is more well known as the symbol of the German Nazi party and all the evil that came with that group.

Along with the symbol, they added some verbiage that I will not totally repeat here as it is so foul no one should ever have to hear or read it. Let's just suffice it to say one of the horrible statements was directed at a particular race of people.

Another statement read, "for bible study, go %$@& yourself."

Thankfully, the changes to the sign were seen fairly quickly, reported to authorities and fixed. But the problem behind them still exists. There is still so much hatred in this world and for what? What could it possibly do for those exhibiting it? I know it is hurtful to those receiving it.

I will never understand how some people can be so vile in their actions. And Christianity is one of those areas which gets hit almost on the daily.

If you do not believe in God, I respect your right to not do so. However, why is it if you don't believe, that you cannot respect others who do believe? Are you afraid they may be right?

Fear is most likely one of the components behind actions like this. There is also hatred and evil, but I do honestly believe there is some element of fear there as well. So yes, I am calling acts like this cowardly, although I'm sure they believe they are pretty big.

I've always said if you don't believe in the story that goes along with Christmas - just enjoy the decorations which go with the season. They are, after all, to you, just decorations.

The person or persons responsible for this will, I hope, be brought to justice. I believe they should at least be charged with vandalism and very possibly a hate crime. It appears authorities were called and will be investigating what happened. I hope they are able to discover who was behind it.

To the people of the church in Lamar - I am sorry you were subjected to this hateful act. To anyone who has had to deal with racism - again, I am sorry for that. Please know not everyone feels or acts that way.

To Christians - I know the bible says to "turn the other cheek", but I also feel God does not want us to stand by and allow this type of behavior to go unpunished. Too many times the Christian faith has been under attack and Christians have forgiven and remained silent.

Please note I'm not encouraging anyone to act in a way that is unacceptable, but I am saying it's time we say out loud and more frequently - I believe in God. I will pray for you, I forgive you, but there are consequences for your actions. Christians have rights too. And pressing charges is not unchristian like - it is the thing to do.

It is also a lesson to learn that although technology is and can be a wonderful thing - it can also be a dangerous thing. Everyone should be vigilant, especially if it's technology attributed to you, in making sure it is not being used in the wrong and inappropriate way.