How do you know I lack compassion? How do you know I lack empathy? How do you know that I have an unquestioning faith? Do you know anything about me?

Unless you can answer your claims clearly you are the bigot.

How do you know so much about me? How am I guilty of trusting in bigotry of mortal men? How do you know I have unquestioning faith? Do you know someone who has bore the brunt of my forgetfulness?

I wonder if you have asked any of the people whom I helped and still help stay clean from drugs? How about my SpEd students whom I teach? How about the prisoners that I visit? Have they told you I lack compassion and empathy? I only offer these little windows into my life because as far as I understand bigotry it has to do with holding an opinion about something or someone in spite of facts to the contrary.

Obviously, I have areas in which I can mature in both intellectually and morally but how do you know these areas? If you can’t answer these questions then it is obvious that you are the bigot since you assume your opinions are fact in face of facts to the contrary.

Bitterness never results in obtaining the goal that it truly seeks and that is a true lesson from history.

Daniel

The issue of being tax exempt is a fair one. I personally don’t disagree with you about tax exemption. If the state no longer feels this break is in the best interest of society as a whole the it should be revoked. But to revoke it because they won’t change their view point in something seems a bit extreme.

I do want to say, though, that I think you underestimate me as a person. I was not making an equal comparison between “people” but between practices that are not deemed ‘right’ from the perspective of the god found in the Bible. Surely you could understand that? Your comment makes it appear as if I am a bigot for having an opinion opposite of yours. I made it clear I oppose neither homosexuality or civil unions being allowed by the government. So, please, be fair in your representation of the opposing view. Even though I am not sure what I said that you disagree with except I trust in a god and you don’t.

Thanks,

You wrote:

“until recently, marriage has never been defined as between two people of the same gender, and there really is no reason to change that now”.

The fact is, marriage is defined as whatever a culture chooses to define it. Polygamy, exchange of goods, whatever a culture says it is, it always has been. “Marriage” is more of a descriptive term than a prescriptive term in that regard.

Now “Christian” marriage has traditionally been between one man and one (usually quite subservient) woman, but the “Christian” definition of marriage should not define the rules of a secular nation of laws, which had the wisdom of establishing a system that can change the definition of certain social arrangements and entities through the legislature and protected by the courts, be it the value of a human (at one point 3/5 for some) or what constitutes a marriage.

bc

J

susan, do you really think it is ever legal to beat or murder anyone? and do you think that endorsing gay marriage addresses those issues? you are probably correct that churches that preach that homosexuality is a sin will have their tax exempt status removed. obviously you think that’s a good thing. what other litmus tests should we apply to church preaching and tax exempt status? who will be the church doctrine police at the IRS, and whom do you trust to assess that?