New Jersey Politicians Betray Family
by KevinJanuary 20th, 2006
Ocean County Freeholders (the government of the County) have rejected the plea of a Gay police officer dying of cancer. She wanted her partner to receive her pension upon her death, as state law allows and common human decency demands:
Although the freeholders appeared moved by the three-minute video, they were not budging from their decision to not extend Hester’s pension benefits to her life partner, Stacie Andree. At least one freeholder said the board would not change its mind before Hester’s death.
“The board has said so far it is a legitimate and reasonable position we’ve taken,” Freeholder John Bartlett Jr. said after the meeting. “In my opinion, I don’t see any need to change it.”
… After nearly two hours of hearing from the public, Freeholder Director Gerry Little, who often interrupted speakers to interject comments or explanations, would not answer direct questions from Hester’s former colleague, Dane Wells.
Hester worked as a police officer for twenty-four years. She literally put her life on the line to protect people like the freeholders. She built a long lasting, stable household with another hard working member of the community. She has done everything our society asks of its members and she has played by all the rules. If it wasn’t for a quirk of biology, the freeholders would be falling over themselves to help her. But that quirk of biology is enough for the freeholders of Ocean Country to turn their backs on a dying woman. What she is matters more to them than who she is. She is not of the right kind, so they will punish her and the people she loves for having the temerity to be different than them.
And please save the arguments about what God wants. The Biblical case for singling out homosexuality, for making sure homosexuals can never, ever think of themselves as real human beings is pathetically weak. It is based on ignoring what the Bible says about Sodom, a book filled with rules that Paul says no longer have to be obeyed, and a couple of other ambiguous references to things that might be homosexuality in general but are almost certainly references to certain acts in contexts specific to Hellenic culture and religion. Scraps of paper, barely noticeable among the width and breadth of the Bible. And against those scraps stand the Gospels, pages and pages reinforcing the message of Jesus: love and respect your neighbors, treat all men with justice and mercy, worry about the state of your own soul and leave the state of your neighbors’ souls to God. If you truly believe that those scrapes are more important than the mountain of Jesus’ message then close your Bibles and lock them in your desk drawers, for they have done you no good.
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Categories: Church & State, Culture, Politics |
Kevin,
Are you saying Jesus associated with homosexuals?
Jesus associated with all kinds of people. His message was a message of redemption for all sinners. He did not accept sin as normal, but offered a way out of sin. His message was that no matter what your sin, there is hope if you turn away from your sin. As he said to the woman caught in fornication, “Go and sin no more.”
Kevin,
Fred is right. Although the Bible does not show specifically where Jesus associated with homosexuals there is no reason to say he did not. Jesus himself said Mk 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The context is Jesus hanging out with tax collectors, prostitutes and others, many of which repented of their sin and became heirs of Heaven.
You are completely off base when you say there is a biblical argument that “homosexuals can never, ever think of themselves as real human beings”. The argument is that homosexuality is sin. This ‘human being’ thing is complete hyperbole on your part.
Your answer seems to be to edit the Bible to your own liking. One could say the actual 10 commandments are but a scrap “of paper, barely noticeable among the width and breadth of the Bible”. You might be willing to throw out the words of God you do not like but I am not.
In no way shape or form does Paul say anything about not obeying rules regarding Sodom. He does say ” Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. Col 2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christ was the body…of the shadow… of the dietary laws… that God prescribed in the Old Testament. I think you are confusing this with a cogent argument for homosexuality. As a matter of fact, you will find nowhere in scripture where homosexuality is said to be ok, healthy, acceptable, “normal” or anything else close to this.
You have a works driven social faith of sorts. Giving to the poor and so on are fruits of faith and very commendable. The Bible clearly states that salvation is what is of the utmost importance. Social causes do not take us to Heaven, faith in Jesus does. The Bible covers this in great detail if one does not toss out these major areas of scripture.
Finally, you will find absolutely nothing in the Bible to support your misconception that the Bible says “worry about the state of your own soul and leave the state of your neighbors’ souls to God”. Quite contrary to this is one example of innumerable ones I can point out… The Great Commission: Mt 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. These are words of Jesus himself.
Kevin, do not try to use the Bible as a tool to support homosexuality.
Peace.
Truth:
I think you misunderstand Kevin’s admonition to worry about your own soul and leave those of others to God. There’s nothing in his statement that contradicts the Great Commission, and nothing there that precludes you from spreading the Good News; it just precludes you from doing so in a judgmental fashion. Matt 7, Luke 6, and all that.
Tgirsch,
Very good! If that was his meaning I follow what you are saying. The reference you give is not bad for an athiest.