Letter to the Editor
Sometimes people who don't THINK just piss me off more than I can say. I couldn't sleep, so I got up at 5:30 to write this:
To the Editor:
I regret to inform you that a correction should be made for the June 23 issue of The Southeastern: The title of Kate Harvey’s column was misprinted; instead of “Incoercible Independent,” it should have read “Christian Coalition Conservative.”
Ms. Harvey does not present readers with anything that can be interpreted as a strong or educated argument. Trite religious reasoning is not consistent with sound political argument. In fact, most of what she offers up as proof is inaccurate, at best, if not completely ridiculous.
She claims that the Bible “states that homosexuality is wrong” and that “if God says it, it is true.” These statements reflect the empty, blind recitations of an unexplored faith. Does Ms. Harvey not recall that, historically, the Bible, in all its sanctity and absolute truth, has been used to defend all manner of hatred, bigotry, intolerance, and violence? If I’m not mistaken, it was a series of men who wrote the Bible, men from particular cultural ideologies that colored their ideas of who God considered worthy. 100 years ago, Kat Harvey would have never been allowed to offer up her opinion for us to read unless she created a male pseudonym for herself - even in the good ol’ USA. She wouldn’t have been able to vote, either. And God help her if she wasn’t white.
I find it difficult to believe that “most of the values that were used in the making of our Constitution” were based on Biblical reference, since most of the men who authored the Constitution and fathered our nation were, in fact, NOT practicing Christians. The overwhelming majority of them were deists, not theists. Our nation is not a Christian nation, though this misconception has been propagated through popular media, much like the idea that homosexuality is something to be regarded as an illness that could spread. Do you really think there is any danger of a significant percentage of the population suddenly shifting sexual orientation to the point that we are in danger of extinction? That’s a bit juvenile and unrealistic. Homosexuality is not simply a disease or a bad decision. Today’s homosexuals enjoy daily exposure to bigotry, hatred, misunderstanding, and prejudice. It’s no small wonder that a high percentage of homosexuals turn to drugs, alcohol, or suicide to soften the sting.
The question of gay marriage is a civil rights issue, not a sign of the apocalypse. We are not asking whether God thinks it is right for people of the same sex to wed; we are asking whether gays are worthy and capable of maintaining this sacred union. We’ve asked similar questions before: “Are women worthy and capable of earning wages comparable to men for their work?”, “Are Blacks and other minorities worthy and capable of maintaining first-class citizenship?” etc. Last time I checked, it was not fair, correct, or legal to confuse politics with religious doctrine in this country.
Wake up, Kat, this is not 1896 or 1945! We are living in a land that was founded on the highest ideals of freedom, and so much pain and bloodshed (within our own borders!) has gone into guaranteeing those freedoms for ALL of the people who live in this country. You have the right to voice your opinion right alongside everyone else, but that freedom comes with the understood responsibility that you will THINK about it first. Ignorance and intolerance, contrary to popular practice, have NEVER been Christian values. And while “sin is a choice that should not be made,” so is hypocrisy.
As a parting shot, check your grammar and syntax before publication next time; the plural possessive pronoun “their” should only be used to modify plural nouns (ex: their lives, not their life).
Peace Be With You,
Rebecca Westbrook
Senior ELED/SPED Major
To the Editor:
I regret to inform you that a correction should be made for the June 23 issue of The Southeastern: The title of Kate Harvey’s column was misprinted; instead of “Incoercible Independent,” it should have read “Christian Coalition Conservative.”
Ms. Harvey does not present readers with anything that can be interpreted as a strong or educated argument. Trite religious reasoning is not consistent with sound political argument. In fact, most of what she offers up as proof is inaccurate, at best, if not completely ridiculous.
She claims that the Bible “states that homosexuality is wrong” and that “if God says it, it is true.” These statements reflect the empty, blind recitations of an unexplored faith. Does Ms. Harvey not recall that, historically, the Bible, in all its sanctity and absolute truth, has been used to defend all manner of hatred, bigotry, intolerance, and violence? If I’m not mistaken, it was a series of men who wrote the Bible, men from particular cultural ideologies that colored their ideas of who God considered worthy. 100 years ago, Kat Harvey would have never been allowed to offer up her opinion for us to read unless she created a male pseudonym for herself - even in the good ol’ USA. She wouldn’t have been able to vote, either. And God help her if she wasn’t white.
I find it difficult to believe that “most of the values that were used in the making of our Constitution” were based on Biblical reference, since most of the men who authored the Constitution and fathered our nation were, in fact, NOT practicing Christians. The overwhelming majority of them were deists, not theists. Our nation is not a Christian nation, though this misconception has been propagated through popular media, much like the idea that homosexuality is something to be regarded as an illness that could spread. Do you really think there is any danger of a significant percentage of the population suddenly shifting sexual orientation to the point that we are in danger of extinction? That’s a bit juvenile and unrealistic. Homosexuality is not simply a disease or a bad decision. Today’s homosexuals enjoy daily exposure to bigotry, hatred, misunderstanding, and prejudice. It’s no small wonder that a high percentage of homosexuals turn to drugs, alcohol, or suicide to soften the sting.
The question of gay marriage is a civil rights issue, not a sign of the apocalypse. We are not asking whether God thinks it is right for people of the same sex to wed; we are asking whether gays are worthy and capable of maintaining this sacred union. We’ve asked similar questions before: “Are women worthy and capable of earning wages comparable to men for their work?”, “Are Blacks and other minorities worthy and capable of maintaining first-class citizenship?” etc. Last time I checked, it was not fair, correct, or legal to confuse politics with religious doctrine in this country.
Wake up, Kat, this is not 1896 or 1945! We are living in a land that was founded on the highest ideals of freedom, and so much pain and bloodshed (within our own borders!) has gone into guaranteeing those freedoms for ALL of the people who live in this country. You have the right to voice your opinion right alongside everyone else, but that freedom comes with the understood responsibility that you will THINK about it first. Ignorance and intolerance, contrary to popular practice, have NEVER been Christian values. And while “sin is a choice that should not be made,” so is hypocrisy.
As a parting shot, check your grammar and syntax before publication next time; the plural possessive pronoun “their” should only be used to modify plural nouns (ex: their lives, not their life).
Peace Be With You,
Rebecca Westbrook
Senior ELED/SPED Major