Christian Right Rhetoric on Gays

It is egregious for Gene Kapp to accuse Marvin Liebman of a “misinformation campaign against Pat Robertson” (letters, Dec. 19) when it is Robertson and his cohorts who are conducting a well-orchestrated campaign of distortion against same- gender- oriented Americans. Yes, Robertson did finally give a token condemnation of anti- gay violence. But weighed against the quantities of invective by the so- called Christian right, his statement is wholly inadequate. Clearly, you cannot profess to love someone (as Robertson claims to love homosexuals) while you are telling lies about them.

The central issue in Liebman’s Dec. 6 commentary and in the Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ad is not Robertson and the Christian Broadcasting Network’s 1st Amendment rights. Clearly, Robertson has the right to say whatever he wants. What this is really about is telling the truth.

These ads show the ugliness and divisiveness being preached under the guise of Christian love. Yes, there is a genuine difference of opinion among people of faith about homosexuality. But there is no disagreement in any of the world’s major religions about “bearing false witness.”

BRUCE A. FOX

Anaheim

* As the pastor of a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church, I am writing in support of Liebman’s theory that far- right religious teachings can, and do, fan the fires of anti- gay hatred and violence. Liebman is absolutely correct when he exposes “the violence that can stem from their sancti- monious sermons on Satan and homosexuality.” What Kapp and David Fry in their letters do not understand is that even though these religious leaders do not necessarily advocate anti- gay violence, they are indirectly responsible for such heinous acts.

When these high- profile religious leaders help, in any possible way, to perpetuate the myth that gay and lesbian people are abhorrent, detestable stains on the fabric of our society, they help to fan the fires of violence by those who take vigilante action, but they are also responsible for an innumerable number of gay teen suicides. As one gay teenager left in his suicide note to his mother, “I thought that God may forgive me for taking my life, but that He could not forgive me for having one more homosexual thought.” The anti- gay rhetoric of religious leaders has created such a monster in the minds of many God- fearing gay teenagers that the mere temptation, let alone seeking to fulfill such innate desires, creates permanent, if not fatal psychological consequences.

As an open and affirming church, we see the aftermath of such devastating psychological damage. When it comes to homosexuality, only those religious leaders have something to fear on Judgment Day.

THE REV. MARK ELIAS, Pastor

Calvary Open Door Tabernacle, Orange