Who's next?
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The citizens of North Carolina have taken it upon themselves to use the constitution of North Carolina as a means to shred the Constitution of the United States.
North Carolina, along with other Southeastern states, has taken it upon itself to deny the gay and lesbian citizens of the United States their due liberty and freedom as provided to all citizens of the United States by the Constitution of the United States.
Who will be next? Jews, blacks, Latinos, Muslims, Japanese, Chinese, Germans? Let us not stop there. What religion do you not believe in? What ethnic group do you hate? Pick the religion or ethnic group of your choice and purge from them the basic rights given to them by our forefathers and signers of the Constitution of the United States.
The churches that lined themselves up in support of this amendment have denied and turned their backs on the teachings of Jesus and his example of loving all sinners. Only one has walked this earth sin-free. Church teachings say we are to try and be like him.
We are all sinners in God's eyes. Which one of us shall we go after next?
JAY GRUNDMEYER
Advance
Claiming to be Christians
I think it's time to stop letting hypocrites get away with claiming to be the "only true Christians."
Those who are for an increased military budget but against food stamps are not true Christians and have no right to claim that name. Those who are for imposing their religious values by force on people who do not believe as they do are not true Christians and have no right to claim that name.
Read the Gospels: Jesus didn't go around screening the people he fed and healed; he didn't worry about being taken advantage of; he just gave.
He was also opposed to a government religion. "My kingdom is not of this earth," he said. "Be in the world, but not of the world," he said. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's," he said. In black and white, that pretty much rules out any kind of "Christian nation" for a true follower of Jesus.
He stood against the religious establishment of his day — the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees who acted so holy while condemning others. Would Jesus join a conservative, "traditional" church today? After reading the Gospels, it's hard to imagine him doing so.
Today's "true Christians" make a mockery of Christianity. I refuse to allow them a claim to the name. I will, from this day forth, simply refer to hypocritical Christians as "hypocrites."
REBECCA MINOR
Winston-Salem
The correspondents' dinner
I don't think the writer of the May 9 letter "Narcissistic union," complaining about the "Hollywood-style gala" of the annual White House Correspondents' Association's dinner, quite gets it.
The reason for the dinner is to show "no hard feelings" for all the typical animosity between the press and the president. This is like a one-evening cease fire; no embarrassing questions, lots of jokes at politicians' expense, barbs along the lines of what one might find in a comedy roast.
And it's a banquet. It's supposed to be fun. Why not bring some glittery celebrities?
Have no fear, dear letter writer; everyone went back to fighting the next day.
HARRY B. FISCHER
Winston-Salem
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1,2: Clearly, the amendment is headed to the state courts for them to wrangle out the meanings of this mess, then to the federal court for its adherence to the US Constitution. At least the courts will be looking at the amendment from a secular legal view as opposed to a religious viewpoint. It is not the govt's job to uphold religious doctrine. Religion should remain a strictly private matter.
LTE 3: Mr. Fischer gets it! The banquet is nothing more than what Mr. Fischer describes.