🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov16.182846.6058@tamsun.tamu.edu>, wjh0265@tamsun.tamu.edu (William Hobson) writes:
|> I echo Stan's words - just because I disagree with the Gay Rights Movements 
|> agenda, it does not mean I have "hatred" in my heart.  I am a Bible believing
|> Christian and I learn from there (the Bible) that homosexuality is wrong.
|> This does not mean that I hate homosexuals - quite the contrary, it is an
|> essential teaching that I am to love all men, not just those who agree with me.
|> I therefore resent the implication that if you disagree, you hate.  It just
|> doesn't follow!
|> 

But if you defend Stan's position, you are doing more than disagreeing.
You are saying that that you don't want gay scouts and scoutleaders
participating with your children.  That's more than disagreeing.
I disagree with Christians but I don't believe that they should
be thrown out of scouting.

I don't buy the arguments that the exclusion of gays or atheists
from scouting is based on Biblical values.

1.  There are other Biblical values which you are not so vehement
    about making the basis for exclusion. As you know, the Bible 
    teaches that it is wrong to eat shrimp, and yet I see no campaign
    to kick shrimp-eaters out of scouts.

2.  Your Christian Bible teaches that everyone is a sinner and
    you should take the plank out of your eye before taking
    the speck out of your neighbor's.  Even if you think
    gays are "sinners" you should recall that Jesus defended his
    socializing and breaking bread with sinners.  Why
    are you making an exception for gays?

My opinion is that gays are being excluded because there is
a popular prejudice, rooted in fear, against gays.  The
Biblical and other "moralistic" arguments are rationalizations
for the prejudice.  

-- 
Rob Strom, strom@watson.ibm.com, (914) 784-7641
IBM Research, 30 Saw Mill River Road, P.O. Box 704, Yorktown Heights, NY  10598