It's None of Their Business | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Any clear statement in these divided times will draw criticism or applause from an emotional populace. I think you deserve it straight from the President's mouth. It is not a matter of "what the Bible says" as much as it is about "what Jesus said and showed."

    As one of his followers, I note he said NOTHING about homosexuality. It was clearly part of his society in his DAy as much as it is part of ours today. Jesus, instead, focused on treating neighbors in the same way we would like to be treated. Samaritans were the same "outcasts" to the point good Jews were forbidden to speak to them. Jesus befriended both a woman and a Samaritan at the well one day.

    As a youngster, I had 2 men living beside us in Atlanta with one's mother being the housekeeper. They were both somewhat effeminate. One was an arts Professor and the other worked for a major airline. Neither of them was anything other than a good neighbor. My parents, both strong Christians and totally southern, had no qualms with them and the subject of "gay" never came up in our house. We treated them with the same dignity and respect they gave us. We certainly did not peek through their windows at night.

    The bottom line was - it was none of our business. That is what I believe our President is saying.

    Before you listen to any Conservative Republican destroy the attitude of the President clearly expressed here, ask yourself how much of Jesus' spirit he is expressing as compared to what the Pharisees were trying to say about Jesus to destroy him.

    I applaud the President's affirmation of freedom to be recognized and have civil rights, no matter what any particular religion dictates to us. If we are a nation of rights and freedom, this is the proper stance. If we are a nation of fake rights, then enjoy the derision and division the Amendment on Marriage is bringing to NC within a few hours of it being voted into our State Constitution by Amendment.

    I think we could and should be big enough to realize sexuality is God's mysterious creation. He didn't make it as simple as primitive thinkers assumed. It is a continuum of male to female rather than an either/or proposition. It is a mystery - and who am I to dictate to anyone their sexuality and right to engage in a loving and meaningful relationship in privacy and freedom?

    This is a free country and I am obligated to give you room to "agree to disagree," if your please. I am just trying to be plain in my feelings and encourage you to put love and being a good neighbor treating others as you would like to be treated. If you were gay, how would you like to be treated? If you were black or an immigrant, what would you like? What if your were a Yankee living in the South? Take your pick, but prejudice and hate has no place in the America I love and respect.