Idk why, but I really wanted to write out this journal. Feel free to disagree with me on any points. I'm on auto-pilot and half-awake, but I just wanted to write this out.

I had a good discussion with my friend yesterday on the way that people seem to bandy about the terms being Open and Close Minded online. It feels as if its at the point where being Open Minded is exclusively good and Close Minded is exclusively bad. And that is incorrect. Neither are good nor bad. They are both things that people should be. As an example. Child molestation is wrong. I am opposed to that. I will forever be close minded about that subject, and that will not change. Being open minded towards something means you're open to the idea of acceptance, and close minded means that you're unwilling to accept something. Both of those are okay. It is okay to not accept some things.

My friends thoughts on the matter are that people hide behind the terms of Open and Closed Mindedness, wanting you to accept groups and things they like, and reject those that they don't. These terms are thrown around and the original point is lost.

Complete tolerance will NEVER be achieved because that is something that people can't do. We can be open to a lot of things, but we cannot be open to everything. We will have conflicting viewpoints, differing opinions, varied life experiences that lead us all down different roads of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

And that brings me to my next point. What people are attempting to strive for is NOT an acceptance of everything, but rather, and understanding of other things and other people. You can achieve an understanding without supporting it yourself. For example, my friend Alex is not a furry, will never be a furry, and doesn't want to get into the fandom or be immersed in it in any way. However, he acknowledges that me and Jon are furries. We joke around. We hang out. He's okay with us talking about it and mentioning various thing about furries and the fandom. He has an understanding that that is just the people that we are, even if he's not involved in it or a furry himself.

I suppose the thing that lead me to type this out was seeing some very hateful posts online towards people that believe in God and are Christians. It makes me very sad to see Christians be hateful and hurtful towards others, but it makes me equally sad when I see people trashing Christianity and calling its believers "Stupid" and "Out of line."
I'm gay. I don't go to Church like I should. I have a boyfriend, and these things are in contradiction to what I should be doing according to my Faith. But I'm happy for my religion and belief. Why? Because there is a lot of good in it, and I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. I refuse to let a few people change my belief in a doctrine and gospel that I know to be good and about helping other people. I lived this for two years straight. I know exactly how good it can be. People may have hurt me going to Church, and I need time to heal from that, but my belief is firm. I hope some day to return. I will always be gay. But I still hold to my faith, as well.

The last point I wanted to cover, just to clear up some misunderstandings for those that may not know, is when people say they're "praying to God for you" or they "thank God that you were able to recover in the hospital" while under the care of doctors and such. I've seen some people take offense to this. That these people praying aren't giving proper thanks where it should be handed out. But I don't think it's something to get upset about.
Growing up with religion, I have always thanked God for things. My animals, my family and friends, my talent in drawing. I'm still putting forth the effort with my art and my drawing, but that doesn't mean that God can't help me out. Inspire me with an idea, point me in the write direction. The effort I'm putting into it is mine, but God still helps me. I see the same thing when people are "praying for others." If someone is in the hospital, it most certainly is the talented doctors and nurses that gave up so much of their life and time to learn their skill and trade--it is them that saved that person. And these people should be thanked and honored for what they've done. But thanking God is not an insult. It's a firm belief held that a guiding and helpful Spirit can point the doctors and guide their hands, to help them even more.

And that's all I have to say. I hope that no one is upset by the journal. I wrote it to get my thoughts out. Again, feel free to agree or disagree with me. But I hope that I may have helped someone.