Margo's heart is a perfect example of one the size of bean. She constantly makes derogatory remarks about people who know that homosexuality is a sin. Yes, I am one of those Christians, I read my Bible, and I know what God says in it. I don't question God; I don't argue with God; I accept that He is the Creator and He has His reasons for saying that man shall not lie with man as he does with a woman. Even a person with a brain the size of a pin head (much less a bean) can understand what that means. The Creator can make commands that Margo doesn't understand and (gasp) doesn't agree with. That's why He's the Creator and not Margo. When she creates a universe and humans, she can set the rules. But his one's already taken.

Re: Pam
That is YOUR belief, it is NOT a FACT.
Faith is belief in things that cannot be proved. So fine if you want to hang on to your prejudice and homophobia, if it's part of your faith, then have at it, but nobody, NOBODY! else is required to accept or mirror your fear and hate.

And just to add some spice to the stew - God didn't write the Bible - men did. Many men over many generations. Some were inspired, some wise, some just recording deeds and codes according to tradition. If the writer believes that every word (after all the translations!) in the Bible is God's word, why does God seem unconcerned about Lot's daughters getting him drunk, sleeping with him, and deliberately becoming pregnant by him? (Genesis 19: 30-38)

take that bible thumper

LW1: People change, friendships fade, and that's (unfortunately) life. Try to get out of the wedding party invitation gracefully.

LW2: Congrats on having the courage to come out. I've been there and I know this is really hard to do. My family eventually came to terms with it all, and (probably) so will yours, just give them time. Remember that your news is probably a huge shock for them and they might need time to adjust.

Oh, and to all the right-wing Bible beaters who come on here claiming to speak for "GOD" - get a life.

"Sometimes extremely religious people (often evangelical fundamentalists) feel this is what the Lord commands, though it's hard for many of us to imagine God-given instructions to hate." This sentence itself reveals a certain amount of bigotry against Christians, and I have to say, I'm getting pretty tired of it. I'm not going to dispute that there are "haters" out there who hide behind the Bible....but there are also a lot of other people who confuse the statements "Homosexual behavior is immoral" and "It's OK to hate homosexuals." The two sentences are not equal. The first appears in the Bible in at least three different places, though I am quick to point out that it's neither more nor less sinful than heterosexual adultery and fornication. Hating people for any reason is also forbidden. I'm not even going to get caught up in this nonsense about whether or not the Bible really is the Word of God; I have seen enough evidence that it is.

Re: moon...And nobody is required to "mirror" your anti-Christian bigotry and prejudice, either. You're radiating plenty of it here.

Re: Maggie Lawrence. Because those things occurred before the Ten Commandments and other elements of the Mosaic Laws were handed down, that's why. If you had actually read Genesis AND Exodus instead of just quoting one little piece of the first book, you'd know this.

I don't consider myself a Christian, but I have read the Bible from cover to cover. Christianity is based on the words of Jesus in the New Testament, and he never spoke about homosexuality. He said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," "Judge not, lest ye be judged," and "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." Case closed.

Certainly God wrote the Bible. There are a few instances where Paul says he himself is making a statement--not God. Clearly everything else he wrote came directly from God or he would not make that distinction. If God didn't write it, it's just a good book. Gone With the Wind is a good book, but no one is going to build their lives around it as millions have done, and continue to do. And yes, homosexuality IS mentioned in the New Testament. Anyone who would say it is not, obviously has not read the Bible and is speaking of things s/he knows nothing about. Read Romans 1. I will agree that homosexuality is no worse than heterosexual promiscuity. But Margo's column was not about heterosexual promiscuity. If and when she writes a column describing persons who oppose that as having little or no brains, I will write my comments about that issue, too.

Let me respond to a couple of other comments too: of course this is my opinion. What other opinion can I give besides my own? But it is based upon God's Word. Have you ever noticed that anytime someone wants to challenge a Christian's opinion, they haul out the "Judge not . . . " verse. Even if they don't know another Scripture, they know that one. Well, that Scripture is speaking of the secret inner part of a person that only God sees and knows. We are not to attempt to make judgment as to whether or not a person is a Christian. But when we speak out against a person's outward behavior, we are not passing judgment: the Word has already done that. The Word says homosexuality is a sin--not I. Furthermore, it is asinine to conclude God's admonition against judging one another means we cannot condemn any action of another person. Pedophilia? Child abuse? Murder? Another argument they nearly always make is that Christians hate homosexuals, and that is simply not true. I am certain my path crosses that of homosexuals every day and there is never a speck of trouble. I don't tell them what goes on behind my closed doors, and they don't tell me theirs. Only when it compromises my rights and beliefs is it an issue. For instance, I will not knowingly rent to a homosexual couple just as I would not to a cohabiting heterosexual couple. If it is two men or two women, I will assume they are just roommates and there will be no problem. But if they say something like, "We hope to marry some day . . . ", I can't allow them to move into my rental.

Matt: I HAVE read all of Genesis and Exodus - and plenty more besides. Pam does not distinguish between the chapters before or after the Mosaic law, she seems to believe they are all equally God's word. That was my point. Is getting your father drunk and having sex with him abhorrent to God? I think so, but if God wrote it, He didn't seem to find it necessary to comment.

Pam: If you refuse to rent to the people you mentioned, you could be charged with discrimination and end up being sued. Is that what you want?

You have proven yourself to be an example of a typical Christian hypocrite. By the way, no one said that there were no verses about homosexuality in the New Testament. All that was said was that Christianity is based on the words of Jesus in the New Testament. The rest was written by ordinary humans, not by Jesus or his wife, Mary Magdalene.

Pam: If you refuse to rent to the people you mentioned, you could be charged with discrimination and end up being sued. Is that what you want?

You have proven yourself to be an example of a typical Christian hypocrite. By the way, no one said that there were no verses about homosexuality in the New Testament. All that was said was that Christianity is based on the words of Jesus in the New Testament. The rest was written by ordinary humans, not by Jesus or his wife, Mary Magdalene.

Re: Pam
Aw, someone else who has "read the Bible" and "knows" what it says. Except, you know, that most of the Bible has been lost to translation and historical context.