Everyone has heard of the massacre that occurred in Orlando this past weekend, and many have taken to social media to voice their views on the tragedy that has just taken place. Many have used this as an opportunity to display their distaste for the Muslim community. On the other hand, others have used this as an opportunity to also bash the concept of Christianity. Many politicians have used this as an excuse to push for more gun control (surprise, surprise!). Meanwhile, others have used this as an opportunity to voice their disagreements with the concept of homosexuality. Well I am here to tell you that if you fall into any of the above categories then you should be ashamed, and you should probably reevaluate your way of thinking.

This is not an opportunity to openly criticize anyone’s religious beliefs, whether you are Muslim, Christian, Atheist, etc. You’re all entitled to your own beliefs no matter what God you believe in, if any at all. I’ve heard tons of people voice their distaste for the Muslim community because of this incident. Shockingly enough, it seems to be a trend for people to suddenly chime in and voice their hatred for Muslims whenever someone carries out an attack (like Orlando) in the name of Allah. On the other hand, I’ve seen people on the opposite end of the spectrum arguing that Christians are equally as guilty of hatred as Muslims are (supposedly). These are the people who need to wake up and realize that we shouldn’t be worrying about religious debates in the midst of a TRAGEDY. Look at the big picture. Fifty lives were lost. At least fifty others were injured. Is your religion bashing going to do ANYTHING AT ALL to help those who have been affected by this tragedy and lend support to those who need it? No? Then for the love of God please stop. There is a bigger picture, and you have chosen to turn a blind eye to it.

This is shouldn’t be an opportunity to push for gun law regulations. To every politician in America, I’m speaking directly to you. You have pulled this exact same crap with every other mass shooting that has occurred in the past five years, if not longer. It actually amazes me that you’ll only express your condolences to the families of the deceased when it benefits your political agenda. Gun control in itself is a completely different topic for another day, but I will say this: Do you think mass shooters are going to legally register their weapons and abide by your stricter gun regulations when they’re plotting to take the lives of innocents? Of course not. The only people you are limiting are the law-abiding citizens that have no intention of harming anyone unless in self defense.

And this damn sure is not an opportunity for you to voice your distaste of the LGBT community. Some of you have absolutely disgusted me with your hateful comments concerning this tragedy. Whether or not you support the concept of homosexuality is your own personal opinion that you’re perfectly entitled to. But most of you who are choosing to disagree are doing so because the Bible claims the concept of homosexuality to be wrong. Because you believe in the love of God. Because you are Christians. Again, nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is claiming to be a child of God, then having the audacity to rejoice in the deaths of innocent people all because the Bible supposedly speaks against their ways of living. Whether or not you agree with the concept of homosexuality, you are still commanded to love thy neighbor. You are not the peaceful believers that Christians SHOULD be. You are the ones who turn people away from God with your bigotry, small mindedness and hatred for others. You are literally a walking contradiction of everything that a Christian should be. Innocent lives were lost. People lost their sisters, brothers, best friends, nephews, nieces, etc. Does that mean absolutely nothing to you? How would you feel if you lost a close friend in such a horrific way, yet millions of people who never even knew them had the nerve to say that they deserved what they got? The fact that this attack was carried out at a popular gay club should be irrelevant. And if you honestly believe that your religion requires you to hate people in order to be a “true” follower, then you need to find a new religion.

No, this is an opportunity for us to come together in support of the families and friends who have lost their loved ones. People are lining up at the doors to donate blood to those who were injured in the attack. Even Chick-Fil-A workers opened their doors on Sunday to cook FREE food for those who chose to donate their own blood to people that they don’t even know. I know many of you dislike the popular food chain due to their religious beliefs, but you can’t deny that their actions concerning this tragedy speak VOLUMES. Instead of arguing over religion, gun law regulations and homosexuality, you should be grieving amongst your fellow Americans and sending your condolences to those who lost their loves ones. You shouldn’t let this be yet another opportunity for America to remain divided over petty political issues. What happened in Orlando was a tragic event that should have never happened, but it should serve as a reminder to everyone that tomorrow is never promised.