don't we love these Christians

Shortly after that great human being G.W. Bush was reelected for a second term, a BBC reporter asked a voter in the born-again Christian's heartland what he was most celebrating. The voter replied that at least Bush would protect the institution of marriage, i.e. stop same-sex marriage. Wow! Isn't that nice and caring. The first thing this conservative Christian can come out with is this resounding 'up yours' to a large part of the American population. Nothing about love, compassion, spirituality, protecting the poor, working for peace, and the other things Jesus spoke of at length and Bush is so devoted to. But these barmy Christians really are out to get the gay guys and women. In a letter to yesterday's Delaware News Journal, Marriage is for man and woman under divine plan, we get the astonishing news that

'We redefine love according to our own lights at our own risk. The average life span for a normal American male is about 76 years. For those men practicing a disordered lifestyle, it is about 43 years.'

This letter is from the lovely, caring, compassionate G. Matt Matthews of Frankford. We can, fortunately, be clear about one thing: the Bible bans a great number of things, many of which Christians are only too happy to overlook. The few passages in the Bible that mention physical love between two men are in contexts where other issues are also under discussion, such as Jewish law, and as numerous books and articles have shown, they can be interpreted in several different ways. If some right-wing, evangelical Christians are seeking justification for their homophobia, let them discover it in their bitter, twisted, nasty, self-righteous, judgemental hearts, not in the teachings of the Bible they're so fond of quoting (when it suits them).