Letters to the Editor
domini
Published Letters: 1157 Editor's Choice: 79
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The Founders were Deists
[Read the article: James Dobson: Gay marriage is like slavery, only worse]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]All but two believed in God but not Christ. They believed in a clockwork universe, and did NOT accept Christ as Savior. Jefferson cut out all references to miracles in the Bible, and was famously secular; Washington and Adams as well. If you look at the Constitution, it refers to God, but never Christ. That was deliberate. It was not using the Trinitean words, it was acknowledging the Creator, but not the religion Christianity. These were men of the Enlightenment, and they stood against organized religion. These men advocated for reason and rationality, and deliberately limited the vote to educated men to prevent demagoguery by religious and other leaders. They thought that uneducated people would fall more easily for superstition and demagoguery.
An Imperfect God: Washington , His Slaves, and the Creation of America by Henry Wiencek discusses this quite well, as does Washington's papers, Jefferson's papers, the letters of Adams and Jefferson, et al. Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson by Edwin S. Gaustad does a good job of lying out Jefferson's beliefs and his fights with Madison over how to protect our religious liberty. The last thing Jefferson would have allowed was a Christian (ie Biblical) basis for the Constitution. The book also discusses how he reconciles his belief in natural rights with slavery.
Dobson's use of the British abolitionist is strange, until you realize that American abolitionists were seen as LIBERAL extremists, who also fought for suffrage and temperance. The American abolitionists actually had to endure more violent reprisals (Garrison's newspapers being burned and he, himself, beaten; the Tappen brothers' churches attacked by thugs during services; death threats in the American South, etc. American abolitionists also faced a much more hostile press (read the tabloid press coverage of the Amistad saga for a good example.
To equate gay marriage to slavery is an insult to God and humanity. People who were slaves then, and are slaves now in places like the Sudan and Yemen, face physical and psychological devastation, as well as death. Women in sexual slavery, in this coutry, Asia, Eastern Europe, etc are at risk of death, beatings, rape, etc.
Jesus commanded Christians to protect the poor. He also broke darn near every Jewish law in the book. The Pharisees approached him about breaking Sabbath, eating with tax collectors who had "Roman ways" (homosexual behavior was a part of that), prostitutes and women of ill repute, not washing hands, not obeying dietary laws. Jewish law allowed for divorce at will and polygamy at that time; Jesus said no. To claim that Jesus included homosexuality in the "sexual immorality" comment because he was a 1st Century Jew is to ignore how Jesus broke most of the laws of 1st Century Judiasm. Jesus fulfilled the Covenant, and because of that Leviticus, Deuteronomy, etc do not apply to Christians. Remember the adultress?
The more you argue religion, Gerry, the more you turn people off to Christianity. Some of us are more interested in living Christ's words than telling other people what to do. You will catch no flies with vinegar. It is clear in the Gospels that Christ had not time for Pharisees who got off on pointing to other people's sins.
I worry more about people's lives, jobs, access to education, and things that affect survival.
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Superman
[Read the article: Superman is super-gay? Lois Lane's a slut?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Superman isn't gay, that's for damn sure. Batman...I don't know. But his last Robin was female, so maybe he's bi?
As for Superman and Batman, there's a lot of HoYay there. I've been suspicious of those two since the Wazzup video. A little too close, you know!
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Ms. Bernard should shut up
[Read the article: Flooded and forgotten]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When stuff happens in her area, the residents of Crowley scream prety hard. When Rita was coming I saw a lot of her people screaming. Given that a lot of pork went to Cajuns under Edwards et al, no Cajun should be taking smack about anybody whining.
My mother's house was in the East (the other half of 9th Ward, where middle class black people live). The combination of the banks, Statehouse incompetence, FEMA incompetence, etc. Is heartbreaking. People like Bernard are the source of the problem- they never liked my city, don't like the attention it is getting now, or the trouble THEIR representatives are getting for stealing money meant for the levees for pork projects in other parts of Louisiana. Understand that a number of the rural parishes have always hated New Orleans, thinking the city and her people decadent, weak, and evil. Their residents have not held any of the state representatives responsibile for their corruption, for the Statehouse's unwillingness to clarify responsibilities in an emergency, for playing partisian games while people die.
Local people? No one has money. The churches are doing what they can. The failure of private donations and help to match the scope and scale of these natural disasters prove what sane people knew: the feeral government is necessary to help protect and rebuild. The Great Depression taught that to the WWII generation. The 80's Me Generation is learning a lesson the hard way. Ms. Bernard is proof that some people are willfully not getting the message, despite God sending it with a sledgehammer. It makes you wonder what it will take for them to see that they sound evil, indifferent, and just plain stupid when they claim local help will prevail. The evidence is in, and local help is inadequate. No amount of volume and obnoxious talk will change that. Of course if we were talking about gay marriage or abortion, local control would not even BE an option. How hypocritical.
Jesus said indifference to the pain of the poor is the worst sin, and His parables made it clear the indifferent wealthy will not be getting into heaven. Where is James Dobson now to ram that message home to his followers?