To the editor:

In a letter to the editor by Matthew McConnell on May 20 wherein he praises the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s integrity and calls him the “greatest Christian leader” since Martin Luther King Jr., McConnell exhibits the single-minded tunnel vision of many among the Moral Majority followers. As long as one fights abortion laws, his ethical and moral credentials are secure.

If I were the reverend, I would be prepared for a disappointment at the pearly gates because God’s faith requires that you may hate the sin, but you must love the sinner. How about Falwell’s belief that AIDS is God’s punishment for homosexuals and that the ACLU, lesbians, gays and abortionists were the cause of the 9/11 attack? Many people consider him to be hateful, prejudiced and lacking compassion.

Mr. McConnell praises Falwell’s fairness toward Israel, however this motive is not from a sense of justice and fairness, but because the religious conservatives believe that their long-awaited “Rapture,” as foretold in the Bible, shall not occur until Israel is secure. This man certainly did not have integrity but used his pulpit to spew hatred. What is the difference between Rev. Falwell and the Islamic fundamentalists who vow hatred and death to any people whose beliefs are different?

Richard M. Hassur,

Lawrence