While
on holidays, many years ago, we were in a gift shop poking around at things.
One of my friends found a really cool baseball cap that I insisted he buy. It
cost only two dollars. A deal I thought, but no, my friend figured that at that
price it must have been made by children in a third world country. He placed
the cap back in the bin and walked away. The price of a guilty conscience was
too much.
I
suppose that we are put into this situation everyday, having to make decisions
about what we buy, what we believe, what we support, what we boycott. It’s not
easy keeping up with it all. But, the price of a guilty conscience is too much.
That’s
why it is important for the Church (our Church) to remain cautious about how we
behave in the world, by what we buy, believe, support and protest. That’s why
it is important for us to continue to do things like participating in the Pride
Parade, either as participants or spectators, to show our support of several
groups of people who are persecuted, in one way or another for no good reason.
It’s
a little disconcerting, I must say, to see the crowds lining the streets of
Charlottetown do a double-take when they see St. Paul’s Church in the Pride
Parade. It is sad that only two churches participate in the Parade, because as
along as people are persecuted, imprisoned and even sentenced to death due to
their sexuality we have a responsibility to stand with, march with and
celebrate with them until they enjoy freedom. The price of a guilty conscience
is too much.
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