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Gays can be cured
To the editor, In response to Geoff Staples letter that was published Monday, I have to say that it is not the Christian belief that homosexuality is a sin that contributes to the atmosphere that led to Matthew Shephard's death. His murder is tragic, but it is not Christian doctrine that contributes to a motive for murder. It is nothing but hatred that contributes to this atmosphere, and hatred is not a Christian value. It is possible to believe in sin and not consumed with hatred. Mr. Staples states that contrary to scientific evidence, homosexuals are being cured by Jesus Christ. Yes, in fact, they are. This runs contrary to the notion that sexual orientation is not a choice but is some predetermined path. There is evidence that genes are involved in this choice, but this evidence does not rule out opportunity for change the same way someone with a gene for a mental disorder does not have to rule out change. Holding the Bible above our Constitution would only help this nation. I value my rights to freedom of speech because it allows me to be a Christian. However, to debase Christians for having more faith in the Bible than the Constitution is out of order. The Constitution is subject to the interpretation of the Supreme Courts, and to put faith in the Constitution involves putting faith in those who interpret it. The courts do have the power to limit speech, and are willing to. They made this evident when they dismissed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as unconstitutional. This limited the rights of anyone who considers themselves religious, Jewish, Muslim or Christian. So it seems to me that freedom of speech is still debatable to some. One thing to remember is the history of our nation when the Constitution was written. This nation was 99.8% Christian, and the Founding Fathers believed in absolutes. They also believed that if anyone would abandon these absolutes that it would be destructive to society. Furthermore, the phrase separation of church and state is not in our Constitution. It is not in the First Amendment, but resulted from a 1947 Supreme Court decision. It was taken from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. He was writing to a Baptist preacher telling him that there should be a separation of church and state because there should not be one established Christian denomination. Our nation is not a Christian Theocracy, but this is the morality that those who founded this nation based the Constitution.
Tracey Lindsey |
