Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.
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I know, I'm posting yet another letter telling Christians how they should believe. I'm publishing this one because it makes some new assertions. Read on...
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Many have spoken against the ordinance in the name of Christianity. They certainly don't represent my interpretation of Christianity (Well, at least Ms. Hull has the honesty to admit that it's her interpretation, a refreshing dose of reality. At least for the moment, because she certainly believes that her interpretation is the only correct one.)
– or what we, as Christians, are called to do, by Christ, himself. (Ok, so Ms. Hull will now tell us the gospel truth. Here we go.)
From the documentation we have in the gospels, (You know, that book no one should take literally...)
Jesus spent much of his time with – and lifting up – the marginalized in his community. (By marginalized, does Ms. Hull mean the sick, the poor, and the hungry? What does she mean by "lifting up?" Was Jesus' ministry really restricted to "his community?" These questions are important, yet she leaves them undefined. They are merely amorphous feel-good buzzwords upon which she builds her argument.)
At the last supper, He gave us two new commandments to add to – and supersede – (Supersede? I don't think so. But since the assertion is undocumented, it's hard to know what the source of her interpretation is.)
the previous 10: To gather together on a frequent basis in his name, (I was unable to locate this "new commandment.")
and to love one another as he loved us. (I'll provide the actual quote, since she misrepresents its contents: Jn. 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” In other words, the Christian community is commanded to love each other as an example to the world.)
How then, can maintaining a community in which discrimination is allowed against one sector of the marginalized (LGBT) be considered following this final commandment? (See, she draws an incorrect conclusion that quoted new commandment means we should love to non-Christians. It doesn't.
But another passage does. Here's the correct relevant reference: Lk. 6:27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you." This is from the Sermon on the Mount, not the Last Supper. So can we ask, if we can't trust her in this, why should we trust anything else she says?
Beyond that, notice the unwarranted conclusions she jumps to. 1) LGBT are marginalized, 2) the commandment to love is being violated, and 3) discrimination is unloving. These are all non seqiturs.)
For those who claim, "there is no discrimination here," I admonish you to sit down with several members of the LGBT community and invite their stories. (I'm sure there are real stories out there. But we can only accept these claims on face value. We have no way of knowing if LGBT claims are real. Can we really trust the veracity of these claims when we know that these activists will make things up?
LGBTs don't seem to realize that forcing people to agree with them will bear little fruit and simply increase animosity. The great majority of people don't care who you sleep with. But they do care when their disagreement is labeled hate, their personal choices are labeled discrimination, and their right to assembly is dictated by government. LGBTs should not be surprised that their extreme rhetoric has consequences.)
For those who fear abuse of children in bathrooms by transgendered folks, I encourage you to base your opinions on fact – can you actually find any scientific studies that validate this risk? (Spokespersons from our own Haven and MSU's VOICE Center have clearly discredited this concern in this forum – and both organizations specialize in sexual harassment, assault, and violence against women, among other things.)
As Christians – and community members – we are called to lift up the marginalized members of society until marginalization no longer exists. (A truly odd sentence. And a false one. First, "we" doesn't me you and me, it means government. Ms. Hull is not calling for individuals to help people. She is solely concerned with bringing the coercive power of government to bear on the situation.
Second, this does not build relationships, understanding, tolerance, or good will, it tears them down by the force of law. There is nothing Christian about such an act.
Third, it isn't possible to eliminate "marginalization," partly because we don't live in a perfect world, but mostly because there is a vested interest in the "marginalized community to perpetuate their complaint no matter how much capitulation there is. The goal of LGBTs is not fairness or equality, it is to wipe out all disagreement and opposition to their agenda, right up to and including Christian doctrine. They intend to silence all dissent, and it will not stop because there is a lot of money at stake.)
I, for one, plan to do just that. And I hope others, in the name of whatever religion you do – or do not – practice, will see past your fear of the unknown, and do the same. (Yes, of course. Any opposition to the LGBT agenda can only be fear. Principled opposition doesn't exist. People who disagree are simply ignorant. The only sensible thing a Christian can do is agree. Anything else is hateful and bigoted.)
Kimmelin Hull, Bozeman
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