To the editor:

Recent letters printed here quoting Scriptures denouncing homosexuality disturbed me. I strongly support one’s right to opinion and beliefs, yet selecting specific verses justifying intolerance belies a religious double standard.

Anyone can use biblical cut-and-paste to support any position, while omitting contradictory verses. Deuteronomy 17:12 states anyone rejecting the words of a priest must be killed. Leviticus 20:9 says a child that curses their parents should be killed. Chronicles 15:12-13 orders the death of all who do not seek the Lord.

I don’t infer that those opposed to same-sex partnerships advocate murdering homosexuals, subscribe to mass-murdering followers of other faiths, or believe in capital punishment for sassy kids. I’m saying that such narrow interpretations in such a manner have had dark and horrific consequences.

Selective use of religious writings is as old as the religions themselves. That practice led to the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Holocaust. Those of any faith, who twist the written Word in such a manner, do a disservice to their religion. It’s a thinly veiled excuse for bigotry to quote Scriptures justifying such persecution, while absolving themselves of wrong because it is so written. No matter how you try to spin it, it’s bigotry. It’s discrimination, and it’s wrong.

Then again, it’s just my opinion.

Steve Craven,

Lawrence