Editor,
I wish to correct this gentleman. [ESI Letters June 22]
He refers to the outdated, homophobic classification of homosexuality by the American Psychiatric Association as “a mental disorder.” Forgetting that updated research and more enlightened views occur among even psychiatrists, Mr. Keck fails to understand that this accusation was prior to 1973. Does he not know that 43 years of research and knowledge may correct this false characterization?
Further, Lay Minister Keck allows his religious conditioning to ignore the humanity of gay people and the frightening reality that guns, especially assault rifles, kill. That is what guns are designed for. To fire loudly and kill painfully.
He, like too many brain-washed coreligionists, think of God as a male, the devil as a real being, and eternal damnation to any thinking person who does not automatically Sieg Heil to their interpretation of the eternal night (aka, damnation). He thinks that the Second Amendment means allowing countless numbers of destructive weapons to be sold to just about anyone and make a whole lot of money for gun manufacturers and their representative, the NRA.
I can hardly wait for letters next week damning me for allegedly hating religious people, supporting terrorists and denying sweet and gentle men the chance to go shoot. Frankly, I just cannot understand such misguided and mean religious misinterpretations of Jesus’s teachings, and appeal to love our sisters and brothers. I think it is about power, the need to feel powerful within a public diversity that perhaps the bigotti want to destroy. It’s called fascism.
T.A. Laughlin
No damning comes from my way of thinking T.A. In response to both C. Shaw and Pastor Wallace, I continue with my thoughts. You people who quote the Bible as though doing so proves your stance without doubt have got it wrong. Stop declaring triumph as though you’ve made a clear and factual point by merely referring to the Bible; you have not. First, you selfishly assume all look to the Bible for life’s answers. We don’t. Again, we don’t. On top of that, you presuppose that your personal interpretation of a passage in order to validate your individual opinion proves something. It does not. The Bible was written 2000 years ago and the world has changed. For example, proprietary attitudes toward women have been revised, but the Bible says if two men fight and the wife of one grabs the “secrets” of the other, “then thou shalt cut off her hand” and “thine eye shall not pity her.” Deuteronomy 25:11-12 In other words, if two men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one steps in to … from the one striking him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his genitals, Then thou shalt cut off her hand, and thine eye shall not pity her. Really? And you think quoting the Bible makes for absolute truth? Many things in this ancient text are no longer relevant. Given, there are some good ideas in the Bible like how you should treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. However, some passages in the Bible are not nice. Thomas Jefferson said, “he considered the teachings of Jesus as having “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man,”[5] yet he held that the pure teachings of Jesus appeared to have been appropriated by some of Jesus’ early followers, resulting in a Bible that contained both “diamonds” of wisdom and the “dung” of ancient political agendas. This using the Bible as fact goes for learned clergy too, (including Pastor John Wallace). Suspend your gloating as you quote for example Romans 6:23: “the wages of sin is death,” and then in the case of Mr. Wallace, going on to explain that “sin earns death whether your sin is a lie, or a harsh word, or a threat, or taking a paper clip home from work, or looking at another person with lust, sin earns death. And it only takes one sin to earn eternity in hell.” (Wallace, LCC June 29, 2016). If your interpretation is true, then you will be standing next to me and my paperclip sweating profusely for your saying “harsh” words to Curtis Shaw. You see, you can’t have it both ways; that’s being a hypocrite. As Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it, “Love is love is love is love.” Chastising your fellow man or woman for loving the person they choose to love is not love no matter how many ancient Bible verses you quote. I stand on the side of goodness and love – directly next to Curtis Shaw.