Cookie Johnson, wife of NBA legend Magic Johnson recently opened up about coming to terms with her gay son EJ. According to a story on the Jasmine Brand, Cookie explains it has always been difficult for her to reconcile her son’s lifestyle with her Christian faith. She says:
So I had to pray about it and this was one of those moments where I had to go directly to God and I prayed and the answer I got back was love. And he said, you know, ‘I give you all great gifts and the greatest of that gift is love.’ And so, that’s when I knew I could love my son and support him on who he was and I was okay with it. I made peace with God with it. So I’m good.
That’s the interesting thing about religion and people doing things in the name of God. From all of my study of the Christian religion, one of the basic tenets is love. You’ve all heard the phrase “God is love.” If that is the case it shouldn’t be too difficult for Cookie to accept and love her son, if she is strong in her Christian faith. This is not me condemning religion, or Cookie as a mother, just offering a critique.
What I believe it comes down to is us as people rejecting and fearing what we deem unfamiliar. But just because it is unfamiliar doesn’t mean it’s evil, wrong or to be feared. Take a moment to consider when you are approached with the unfamiliar, what your reaction is like. Odds are your reaction to the “unfamiliar” says a lot more about you than whatever the “unfamiliar” is.