transition for change

I'm settling in after transferring from Presbyterian College to Warren Wilson College. It's an interesting transition, but I believe an improvement. The question of faith has been present for me since I've been here. I left a place where it's harder to say "I'm gay" than it is to say "I'm Christian" to a place where I'm embraced when I say "I'm gay" and get a questioning look when I say "I'm Christian." I hope everyone can see what's messed up with that. So which is better? Being around people with my same faith that judge me for who I am, or being around people that act like Jesus but aren't fans of Christianity? Christians are judged and looked down upon for various reasons, and lately I've felt that's valid. Men are more often the leaders of a congregation than women. Youth aren't always given a fair opportunity. The Presbyterian Church doesn't allow homosexuals to be ordained across the board. Baptist churches insist homosexuality is a sin and condemn people to hell. People are excluded from a faith that the most important lesson is to love. Love. That's it. The exact opposite of exclusion. We are called to live as Jesus lived before us. Doesn't that mean seeing a person as a person and not a label? I know more atheists that act like Christians should than I do Christians that do. I've slowly been reading a book that includes personal accounts from folks that like Jesus but don't like the Church. They dislike the hierarchy and hypocrisy. And I don't really blame them. I feel like the Church today doesn't follow what the church itself teaches. There's a lot in the Bible we can delve into, and study and question and debate over. But what's so hard to understand about "Love your neighbor"?