Pilgrim
Puritanboard Commissioner
http://timbayly.worldmagblog.com/timbayly/archives/023459.html
Here's perhaps the best part:
Here's perhaps the best part:
But Mr. Haggard understands the nature of our national compact as it now stands and is quick to relegate the eternal binding law of God to the status of a private conviction of his own. Is there any other way to understand his velvet equivocation, "we believe within the church that sexuality should be only between a married man and a woman?"
We're so used to such equivocations that they pass us by unnoticed, but it's time to stop and take a closer look. To bring the matter into focus, it's unimaginable that any father in the faith would ever have spoken in this way in addressing the pagan culture in which he lived. Imagine, for instance, such words on the lips of John Knox or John Calvin or Augustine or Edwards or Luther--or, for that matter, the Apostle Paul or Jesus:
I think the church should have rules about some things. For instance, we believe within the church that sexuality should be only between a married man and a woman. But I would never want that inculcated by the Laws of the Roman Empire. There are many things that I teach in the synagogue that I would never want integrated into civil law. What two consenting adults do in a bedroom is not really under Ceasar's purview.
To which a reasonable pagan might well respond:
So these are your thoughts and beliefs, huh? Who cares? You have your beliefs, I have mine. And one of my beliefs is that you should shut up about yours, dude, because I find them offensive. Go back to church, close your doors, and leave me alone. Then maybe I'll leave you alone with your disease. But then again, maybe I won't. What about all those gay kids sitting in your Sunday school classes being oppressed by your bigoted homophobic nonsense and being set up by what you teach them for heartbreak, at a minimum; and possibly even suicide?
You know, I did say that I'd let you have your religion in private but I've changed my mind. Now I'm going to make sure you're never alone. You have your personal and very private beliefs, huh? Well those personal and private beliefs are tearing the hearts out of little children forced to have you as their parents and pastors and Sunday school teachers and brothers and sisters and Pioneer Club and vacation Bible school and Young Life and Youth for Christ and Good News Bible club leaders. So now, all bets are off. You're not going to have your religion in public or in private, and I'm going to make damned sure you're never alone, you bigoted breeder.
