Did you know I am a judgmental, bigoted heathen!!

     Do you remember going to the Library in school?  All those books! All those choices!  How to choose just one?  The librarian trying to teach us "Don't judge a book by its cover!"   
Well how else were we supposed to choose with all of those beautiful books within our grasp?  Years later I'll be honest if the book jacket or title catches my eye I'll grab it first.  But does that mean I don't like the other books?  Am I judging the other books unfairly?

     Quick what do you picture in your mind when you think purple and yellow/gold?  If you are a sports fan maybe you are thinking the LA Lakers, the Minnesota Vikings or the LSU Tigers.  For gardeners perhaps pansies, tulips and crocuses were your first image.  Ask a child to put those colors together and they may respond with Tinkerbelle, Sponge Bob or possibly an array of Muppets.  However I am fairly confident that next to no one (outside of my community) could honestly say the first image they thought of was a church.

     That's correct a church.  Not the nursery or preschool room inside but the outside of a church painted purple and yellow.  Well that is what the congregation of The Resurrection Life Christian Center painted their church when they purchased it a few weeks ago.  The church is on the corner of two county roads.  The other three corners host two gas stations and another church.  There has been such commotion over their color choices that the local news has been out to see what's going on.  One of the residential neighbors was quoted as having called the newly painted church "visual terrorism" (REALLY???).  The County Commissioner's Office has received calls asking whether or not there was an ordinance in place to stop painting buildings certain colors; there isn't. Thank Heavens how scary if there were laws like that!

    The FB chatter around this was incredible.  Borrowing a phrase from my son: The purple church debate was blowing up FB.  It seems that if you didn't like the church's color choice you were being judgmental, bigoted and/or unchristian!!  Purple and yellow/gold are the colors of Royalty. The pastor of the church said his church has always used these colors inside to represent the Royalty of God and now they wanted to share them outside.  He understands that these aren't everyone's favorite colors and that's ok. What I don't understand is how my disliking something turned me into a judgmental, bigoted heathen!

     I will admit right out I don't like the church being painted purple and yellow.  It used to be white and reminded me of an old country church.  It desperately needed repairs and its new owners have seen to that.  The church now makes me think of O2BKids and Barney.  However just as I have no idea what happens in the church across the street from it I don't know what goes on here either. Honestly as long as they're not breaking any laws, I don't really care.  I'm quite confident that their members are very nice and dedicated to their faith.  Do I completely agree with everything that they believe in?  The answer is probably not.  Isn’t that the purpose of denominations; we all attend the church of our faith because there we can find what we do believe in.  Chances are I share a lot of the same basic principles with both these churches but there's a reason you can find over one hundred different churches in our community. 

     Too quick today when we disagree with someone the word judgmental comes into play.  To be judgmental according to AskJeeves,com means
~you are inclined to make decisions and judgments especially on moral or personal issues. It is an attitude characterised by making judgments about other people's conduct. 
Then I also found this quoted on many websites (though I couldn't find an attribute sorry):
~Judgmental is not stating an opinion or even labeling something as "good" or "bad". Being judgmental is when based on one quality of someone or something you conclude about his whole nature, about all his other qualities. You judge his wholeness based on one aspect.

     So tell me when stating an opinion started meaning the same thing as judgmental. Guess what; it doesn't.  This is a problem today I think because we have all become so encased in our own belief system whether it is political, religious, or ethical that we have lost sight of what it means to simply agree to disagree.  Maybe it is because I have a minor in Political Science but I enjoy spirited debates.  More often than not I will wind up learning something I didn't know.  If I don't agree with your point of view I am not judging you I'm simply not agreeing. Somehow this is getting lost with most of our communicating occurring online.  I have seen friendships ruined when online debates turn judgmental and then inevitably personal.
I do not like to see earrings anywhere but in the lobe.  Do I judge every girl I see with an auricle, conch or helix piercing one as some sort of loser?  Considering Paige (aka my blonde “daughter”) has more than one I can assure you I don't.

    Bigot is another word being so misused today.  I am not a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief or opinion.  I simply don't like the church colors.  Am I creating petitions to make them change their colors? No Would I sign such a petition? No To be completely honest I've actually found that it serves a personal purpose as I can use it as a landmark when giving directions.  Turn at the purple church~ how many people can say that?

    So guess what?  I still don't like the colors purple and yellow together on the outside of a church.  I am not a bigot.  I am not judgmental and I finally am not a heathen.  I simply have an opinion and I voiced it. 
   In honor of  Resurrection Christ Life Center today my blog will wear the royal color purple (the yellow just aint happening) 

     Walt Whitman said "Be curious not judgmental."