said of Ted Haggard "A man who proudly proclaimed his piety and railed against homosexual behavior..." So tell us Paul, or any of you who make similar claims, how long did you sit under this mans preaching, since you seem to know its contents in-depth? Oh, so you've read or heard some sound bites from a website, and now you're an expert on the entire body of his teaching. Did he happen to say something like "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death"?

If find it quite curious that people are ever so willing to vilify the messenger, but rarely the message. You see, he did not say that. No current day preacher said that. No, rather the previous line in quotations is taken verbatim from Leviticus 20:13. You want to say something? You want to vilify? If you want to be accurate you better say that the bible is a hateful document, if you despise the statements found therein. Again, curious as to how few actually do that.

To those who's "day has been made" by the destruction of not only this mans life, but his children, his wife, and his congregation, to those who are smiling with glee that this man will have to tell his crushed family that he is a liar and a phony, to those who would just love it if he shoved a screwdriver through his heart I say "LOVE AND TOLERANCE, BABY!" What hypocrites you are. Just like those nasty church people.

Poco

I only respond because I have heard this very poor argument before "Jesus never addressed _____ " (fill in the blank). I will not address whether or not Jesus actually agrees with God. If that is not a given, then arguing anything else concerning his philosophy would be pointless. That said, and with the general understanding that Jesus does indeed agree with God, consider this, from the same book of Leviticus: "The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites:..." God then goes on to say several things that are displeasing to Him, including, from the same passage in verse 13 "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

In Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus said:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Jesus also makes the assertion that He and His Father are one, so it would appear that Jesus did indeed address homosexuality.

Poco

That Salon thinks this is a republican issue. This is not a republican or democrat issue. This is a people issue. The vast majority of people are deeply disturbed that a few judges can overturn a law that was directly implemented by the people. The people are, therefore amending their state constitutions to ensure that a few judges do not redefine marriage. Is there something wrong with that? Weren't we all on board when the Chi-Lites sang "For God's sake we got to give more power to the people"? What has happened to all the "people power" people on the left? If people power is good for liberal thinking folks, isn't it good for everyone? Be fair, now.

Poco

Thank you for the kind words. Now if you want to experience some real hatred, read the responses to my posts :) I do not offer biblical proof that anything is right or wrong. I do say that our history is rooted in the bible, and that the bible does indeed say thus and such. Many people tend to not only misinterpret the bible (which is a subjective issue) but they also tend to misquote it and it's central characters, God and Jesus. It is to these kinds of posts I feel compelled to respond.

Many people also vilify the messenger, but stop short of vilifying the source of their message. I often wonder why this is. You do know that most "preachers" can back up most of what they preach directly from the bible. They may emphasize some places more than others, but generally speaking, if they are part of any respectable organization, they are under the scrutiny of there congregants and will not stray far from the literal meaning. This is particularly true of the most hated of preachers, the fundamentalists. Like it or not, they are particularly concerned that they do not misquote or misrepresent what they believe to be the literal Word of God. Even guys like Richard Dawkins will confirm this (yes, Richard Dawkins, not Focus on the Family).

My life effort is to learn, internalize and practice the teachings of Jesus. If I have said anything hateful, please point it out. If I have said something that offends or that you disagree with, remeber that his is somewhat of a philosophical forum, and that those kind of things are to be expected. Or would you rather I shut up and just shake my head in agreement with you? What a boring world that would make, no?

Poco