Editor:
Re: Intolerance not akin to bullying, June 1 letters; Homosexuality is not a ‘choice,’ June 8 letters.
I want to thank those who responded to letter-writer Mike Schouten’s for illustrating the difference between humanist and Christian responses to bullying.
People naturally prefer those who are like themselves and hate those who are not. This hatred is expressed as rudeness, bullying or worse, depending on the depth of our hatred.
The humanist embraces our natural inclination, as we see in those who criticized Peace Arch News editor Lance Peverley for printing Schouten’s letter (Fair comment in an often unfair world, June 3 column). Because Schouten refuses to conform to their pattern for society, these critics would have him shunned and denied voice and standing. Theirs is the mentality of the playground princess who commands her clique to give the cold shoulder to the girl who doesn’t dress the way she has dictated.
This is evident also in the responses to Schouten’s letter. The correspondents assume that when the Christian does not wholeheartedly embrace something, we must hate it, because they themselves hate that which they do not embrace.
The humanist does not want certain groups to be hated so they say that, while it is not wrong to hate those who are different, there is no need to hate these favoured groups because they are not really different.
This is the mode used, for example, by homosexual activists; all their efforts are focused on convincing us they are no different than anyone else. This is the indoctrination of which Schouten spoke.
The Christian response to bullying is substantively different, it is a Christian response. To find our commonality we do not look at ourselves, but to God and our estrangement from Him. This focus means we do not need to give ascent to their lifestyle in order to genuinely love them as a neighbour.
Adam van den Hoven, Surrey
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First and foremost, homosexuality is not a choice of lifestyle.
What is natural for one may not be natural for another.
Homosexuals are hardly bullies but merely trying to live their lives the way they were born.
May it be suggested that letter-writer Mike Schouten, and his ilk, educate themselves on this matter.
Religious bigots, of all persuasions, have to be stopped; perpetuating throughout the ages intolerance towards race, creed, colour and sexuality. And may it be further proposed – live, let live and pray that God will forgive you for being a pseudo-Christian.
Kathy O’Keefe-Morrice, Surrey
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God created man and woman and they fit each other very naturally.
But the Bible tells us some people wanted to change and abandon natural and become unnatural.
Read Romans 1:25-26: “They changed the truth of God for a lie… Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.”
According to our Creator, homosexual lifestyle is unnatural and it is a shameful lust.
Luckily, it is a choice.
L. Myyra, White Rock
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When I read Mr. Schouten’s letter my first instinct was “great… let’s start another useless debate.”
I only use the word “useless” because homosexuality has been around since the beginning of time and will be around till the end of time… get over it.
We have much bigger issues that need our attention. Our kids are killing each other, drugs are being pushed in our schools and on our playgrounds, sex is everywhere. STDs and abortion are fall-out symptoms. Not to forget about the violent crime rate.
Can any one of us sleep safely at night without a major lockdown and a state-of-the-art alarm system? Mainstream entertainment media glorifies sex, violence and inebriation, and we all sit and say “why is our society falling to pieces?”
Honestly, I really don’t care what anyone does in their bedrooms – I just wish it was all back in the bedroom.
I’d like to see everyone remember what respect for community and each other actually means and practise it, and finally I’d like to see us all focus our energy to working together to protect our communities.
Do I have the answer? No, but maybe if we all focus in one direction, collectively, we just might find an answer, or at the very least, a place to start.
Stacey Marton, Surrey
