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Letter: Homosexuality: A quick response to Pastor Lyall Bethel

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Published On:Friday, March 19, 2010

EDITOR, The Tribune.

SINCE Mr Bethel has made far too many assertions to respond to in this space, I'd just like to focus on one particular area that I believe is the crux of the matter.

Mr Bethel seems to have a very narrow view of what is and what is not a civil rights issue. Suffrage is just one aspect of the much larger issue of civil rights, which includes free speech, non-discrimination, religious freedom, etc. The Oxford English Dictionary defines civil rights as "the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality." Rights for gay people seem to fit very nicely within this definition. And I'm sure that Ms Thompson is well aware that the black rights movement is different from the gay rights movement in many ways, but she was correct to use it as analogy as there are important commonalities and it is an issue that most Bahamians can relate to.

Once you consider the "gay movement" as a civil rights movement, than the rest of Mr Bethel's points are irrelevant. Whether one group of people is more healthy or better at raising children than another has nothing to do with whether they should be granted the same rights. Because of unfortunate circumstances, blacks in the US are far more likely to commit crimes and have lower paying jobs than whites, but does this mean that they shouldn't vote or should go to different schools or not be allowed to marry? Of course not!

Statistics are easy to cherry-pick, and to use them to suppress a certain group of people is dispicable. How would Mr Bethel feel if his church was not allowed to perform marriages because it was found out that the divorce rate of his church was higher than other churches? Or if he was denied membership to the Coalition of Evangelical Pastors because his congregation did not give as much to charity? I'm sure he would be very quick to downplay such narrow-mindedness.

Mr Bethel is more than welcome to express his views, but he should be careful not to judge gays as a group because of views or actions of a few (often more vocal) individuals. In the same manner, I will try not to judge Bahamian Christians based on the views of a more vocal Mr Bethel.

R KNOWLES

Nassau,

March 18, 2010.

Reader Comments - 4 Total

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Posted By: tory woodside On: 3/30/2010

Title: gay foolishness

no matter how you sugar coat it man
and man or woman and woman is wrong and against GOD rules so we could pretend like we make our own rules but we dont thats just like your tellingGOD he made a mistake with your gender how dare you GOD made us not man think about sodom and gomorrah then decide if you want to go to hell or heaven

Posted By: PAUL HANNA MK11 On: 3/20/2010

Title: ERASMUS FOLLY A GREAT THINKER LIKE MYSELF

WELL DONE ERASMUS ALTHOUGH I THINK YOU DISAGREED WITH ME ONCE I KNOW IN THIS CASE WE ARE SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.DID YOU SEE THAT PRESENTER ON FRIDAY MORNINGS SUNRISE. WHAT AN OUT AND OUT AMATEUR.

Posted By: PAUL HANNA MK11 On: 3/20/2010

Title: PASTOR BETHEL IS AN IDIOT AND THE MALE SUNRISE PRESENTER

WHAT A PAIR OF IDIOTS THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS ARE.BETHEL FOR HIS UNEDUCATED LETTER BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THE MALE SUNRISE PRESENTER (I CANT RMEMBER HIS NAME)FOR HIS BYASSED COMMENTS AND I QUOTE "HEY PASTOR BETHEL I,M WITH YOU ALL THE WAY KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK"HOW CAN A TV PRESENTER GET AWAY WITH A THING LIKE THAT LIVE ON TV. IRESPECTIVE OF MY OWN VIEWS ON THE MATTER THE FOOL SHOULD FIRED.(HES NOT MUCH GOOD ANYWAY)

Posted By: Erasmsu Folly On: 3/19/2010

Title: Total Hypocritical 'Christians'

Well said. I too have struggled in vain to point out to people that this isn't a morality issue so much as it is a question of citizens rights vis a vis their government. The government should not be allowed to tell a grown person who they can or cannot date. That is what this is about. So long as the other person isn't a minor and isn't being harmed in anyway, then two consenting adults should be able to do as they please in the privacy of their own homes. These 'Christians' are far too concerned about how others live their lives and not concerned enough about all the nefarious activities these very same 'Christians' are up to each and everyday - be it sweet-hearting, cheating, lying, stealing or child molestation and/or physical abuse. Who are they to understand rights though? These are the same groups that think it is okay for a grown man to rape his wife, so long as she is his wife. I think they have lost all moral credibility, but they do warrant a vocal response and vocal outrage, because of their absolute hypocrisy! Unbelievable really!

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