A Letter From Jesus to the Pastor Who Preached Shooting and Stoning Helpers of the Transgender

Dear Pastor,

The very first thing I want to express is that I love you.

I hope that goes without saying, as I love all without exception, which is the point of this letter to you.

And I am intentionally not adding a name beyond “Pastor” as what I address here applies to the preachings of so many who refer to themselves as “clergy” and “pastors”. To state only one name would not be appropriate nor adequate.

I am writing regarding a sermon where you proclaimed that parents willing to help their transgender children with medical support “should be shot in the back of the head and then strung up on a bridge”, and that senators and representatives who support transgender people “should be stoned to death”.

Before I provide feedback on how this actually does not represent me and my teachings, given this feedback may feel contentious to you, it’s important you know that I love you regardless.

Unconditionally. Regardless of what you say or do.

I share this truth as it is the very heart of my feedback to you: Love without condition.

You see, as the sun shines on the earth and on all manner of beings without condition or exclusion — the oak, the antelope, the rocks, the torturers, the tortured, the cholla cacti, the creek mud, the wealthy, the poor, the tree, the chainsaw, the lion, the vultures, the anti-trans pastors, the trans and all queer, fern spores, and landfills — so shines my love onto the world and every one of its beings. You are therefore loved by me, and what follows does not mean I do not love you. Although perhaps stinging at times, my hope is that it helps you love yourself with the same magnitude as I do, as when you allow that, all this will naturally resolve.

This pertains directly to your sermon, as you were guiding others toward what was actually conditional, not unconditional love. And therefore you were actually representing you, not I.

You state being a believer of what is called “scripture” and frequently quote it, so for us to have an agreed-upon context, I will use scripture as reference today, even though the total me may be a little more expansive.

First, some scripture as it pertains to what I wrote above about my nature, that our task is to love unconditionally, using the sun as metaphor:

Matthew 5:44–45: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

I started there because it is central to all my feedback on the sermon in question where you said certain people “should be shot in the back of the head and then strung up on a bridge”, and “should be stoned to death”.

When I see humans expressing such things, I understand they are divine beings having a human experience and in this case a learning one. They are doing their best with the level of loving to which they currently have access. They are yet to pass through the mind’s illusion of separateness from me and from everything, and the mental fabrication of duality — good/bad, right/wrong, righteous/evil, etc., which begets inevitably the judgment of “others”. In passing through this sisyphean cycle of fear, anger, hatred, one day they will wake up to the truth of the loving they are and everything is. That we are all just leaves on the same beautiful tree. And so I respect the sovereignty and timing of every human’s experience through it, and surround them with loving to move into whenever they choose.

And in the case of your sermon, my response needs to be more, well, direct and immediate. Because the context you created, and the stated source of it all, was, well, me. The actions you proposed were not really aligned with my truth as conveyed in the book you keep holding up and referencing. And so for the sake of accuracy, you being a pastor, and also for a world that truly needs it right now, I will be illuminating where my teachings are quite different than could ever be relayed as, “should be shot in the back of the head and then strung up on a bridge”.

One caveat: in full transparency, the group you targeted here, those children of the Divine (as you know, we all are) who identify as transgender, I confess I have a particular affinity and compassion toward. After all, we have a lot in common: We were born into a human body, we became aware that what we felt inside was different than seen outside, at first we fought it and held it in ourselves causing immense inner suffering, we then surrendered and accepted it, we bravely proclaimed it to the world, we were rejected and scorned, we were asked many times to retract our truth and authenticity, when we refused and bravely stood in our truth we were brutalized and killed because of it.

So naturally, you can see, as is said in your world, we are kind of “homies”.

And I also have an affinity and compassion for their supportive parents, as I remember the strength it gave me to see my mother as one of the only ones remaining with me at my execution which could not have been easy for a mom.

All that said, let’s get to the first and most obvious conflict in truth. On shooting and stoning people. I felt I was fairly clear and direct on that.

From the scripture your world calls, John 8:7:

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone…”

Now, I know the very literal (quite prevalent on the planet currently) might say, “Jesus said ‘stone’! He didn’t say ‘bullet’! Bullets must be fine! So let’s go with bullets in the heads of supportive parents of the transgender!”

No.

No. No. No.

We all know that while “stone” literally applied to the situation at hand, and frankly, Pastor, “stoning” is what you actually proposed for executing senators, I was using a metaphor. The purpose to express that unless we are sinless, and no one is (even, and most importantly, pastors), we are not qualified to pass judgment or hurt anyone. Period.

Which brings me to the next important oversight in your sermon as it applies to my actual truth as stated in the book you use. Your sermon’s focus outwardly on the actions and choices of others as opposed to inwardly with yourself. Matthew 7:4–5. As a reminder:

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Now again, because literalness is somewhat of a trend in your vocation currently, in all faiths to be fair, I had explained I used parables for universal applicability. We all know I wasn’t referring just to eyes, specks, and logs. I was referring to anytime we focus on the supposed issues of others and blame and chastise, instead of working on and resolving our own issues (our judging, our wrong-making, our outrage, etc.). In resolving our own issues, we can see the world more clearly and know the real opportunity is not spending time in the outrage of what’s “wrong” with others, but in love and in creating what can truly serve humanity. It always seems to be the “holy men” throughout the millennia that suffer the most of this outward judging instead of their own inward healing, which is why I said it clearly to the same “holy men” back then:

Matthew 23: 26 “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Let’s keep going.

Another item that your sermon went astray on, that I felt I was fairly clear about, was this whole judging and blaming thing. As a pastor, with regards to “should be shot in the back of the head and then strung up on a bridge”, I know you must see a little issue with that statement. After all, as I believe you have quoted me at times:

Matthew 7:1–2 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.”

The real idea here is that when we are compelled to judge others it’s because we are already in deep judgment of ourselves . We falsely decide at some point, often unconsciously, there is something “wrong” with us and then project it onto the “other”, even though I have said we are all perfect expressions of the Divine, that the entire Kingdom of Heaven is in ALL of us. (Luke 17:21). So Pastor, I encourage you to identify where you are judging yourself and forgive yourself for that, so that you can be freed from judging all my other children and love them as I love you in this very moment. This is purely for your own personal happiness and self-care, Pastor, because as you have read in your scripture, I will be sure to take good care of those who’ve been judged and persecuted such as the transgender, their supportive parents, their advocates:

Matthew 5:10–12 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven…”

Another important correction in this particular area, is based on a tenet I proposed back in the day, that I’ll call, “The Biggie” — what the world has come to call “The Golden Rule”. At the time I was trying to think of the most simple failsafe code — a code that if everyone just memorized and used in every moment, the world would be absolutely fine. For instance, if you had just said it to yourself right before stating “should be shot in the back of the head and then strung up on a bridge”, you may very well have made a different choice in words:

Matthew 19:18–19:19 “Thou shalt do no murder…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Word.

:-)

Apologies — I still have fun giving myself props for that one. Even though only about .00001% of humanity is currently operating from there, it’s still, what your world might currently call “the killer OS” that if “uploaded” (I love that word for this, wish it was around during that sermon I did on that mount) would change the world into paradise overnight. Overnight.

And then there is the part about “no murder”. Pastor, you may not be aware that recent research shows that without strong parental support, almost 60% of transgender youth will try to commit suicide, but with parental support only about 4% will. So by demonizing parental support and threatening any parents considering it, you’ll in part be responsible for 15 times as many of God’s children trying to end their lives. Given many will succeed, a very important repeat of an above quote from scripture:

“Thou shalt do no murder…”

This seems so clear, and yet, in my name, you are choosing to propose it as opposed to proposing the healing power unconditional loving.

Pastor, I hope you see where I’m coming from at this point: It’s not what you said, that is your business and your own inner work to overcome (I can help you with that if you want). It’s that you said it in the context of representing me and my work and my words. You used me in order to serve a personal agenda. I wish I had a shekel for every time a “holy man” has done this. Pastor, while absolutely forgivable, there are other ways forward that will truly make a better world.

Which is my somewhat obvious segue: So you may be wondering, “Ok, if we’re not judging, shooting, or stoning others, then what would you recommend we do?”

That is not just a great question, it’s THE question.

I think what I said back during my incarnation is still pretty darn on target:

Matthew 25:40 “…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

I think this message is especially of value to the “clergy” today. Imagine what could happen in the world if all the clergy left their pulpits, speeches, and TV cameras, and had their ministries be entirely dedicated to service of society’s “least” (the poor, the homeless, the transgender youth, the incarcerated, the hungry, etc.) — my brothers and sisters — and inviting their congregations to do the same?

Speaking of ministries that truly serve “the least” of us, I was chatting with Mother Teresa the other day about all this, and she reminded me of something she said while still embodied:

“If you judge people you have no time to love them.”

Mic drop. :-)

Pastor, imagine the difference in your life, ministry, and happiness, when all the judgment inside is replaced by unconditional love. To let go and fully love your neighbor, every single one of them, without exception. And to fully love yourself, every single cell of you and both the “good” parts and the learning parts, without exception. Imagine the freedom you’ll experience and the light you’ll be able to beam out into your congregation. The same unconditional love I have toward the transgender, I have toward you. Just the same. All of you children of God, all totally unique and perfect expressions of the divine. Not one mistake as there can be no mistakes in the divine.

Simple enough.

I’m here if you need to chat.

In Loving,

Jesus