Mark Hanson, president of a local organization called "Cops for Christ," displays an incredibly un-Christian attitude in his venomous denunciations of gays.
In a letter to the editor earlier this year, he explained his position with a phrase from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which states: "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)
However, these "Cops for Christ" do not appear to be so interested in following these other commands set forth in Leviticus:
"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19:27)
"...and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:7)
"...do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material." (Leviticus 19:19)
"Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales; that shall be an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:12)
So, if you believe that gay people, by their very existence, are an "abomination" and surely headed to hell, what about you? Do you eat pork? How about shellfish? If you're a farmer, do you plant more than one kind a seed in a field? Is your shirt made of two different kinds of cloth? Do you have a beard?
This selective interpretation of Leviticus (which also lays out rules for purchasing slaves) reveals the letter-writer as merely a homophobe who uses the Old Testament to justify his bigotry.
Jesus Christ taught us to love our fellow men, not to demonize them. A true Christian would pay more attention to the teachings of Jesus, and less to the standards of conduct and personal hygiene that were codified for a desert-based religious community more than 3,000 years ago.
David Fleitz
Royal Oak, Mich.
Formerly of Bowling Green