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Edited on Mon Jul-19-04 03:26 PM by Greedy Oil Puritan
(Note: I have had things published that are both longer and of lower quality than this piece.)
The Real Agenda of Cavalry Baptist: Hate
Upon reading Pastor Tom Newton’s homophobic rant (“The Real Agenda of Pride Cornwall: Acceptance”, July 16), I was filled with shock, with dismay, and with disgust, stemming from the fact that anyone, let alone a community leader, would have the nerve to produce such hate-laden venom. Especially galling is that Pastor Newton makes not one reference to the ideals of love, mercy, and compassion, all of which are central tenets of a Christian worldview and of a Christian criticism of behaviour perceived as sinful. With that said, two salient points in Pastor Newton’s letter remain to be addressed: First, his comparison of Pride Cornwall members (and by extension, GLBT individuals in general) to other groups that rightfully feel society’s scorn, and second, his broader and more dangerous point that individuals and groups ought not to be accepted by society should they not adhere to a rigid moral and doctrinal code.
Pastor Newton wrongly assumes that society’s scorn on thieves, spouse abusers, and alcohol abusers is rooted in the inflexible moral code of fundamentalist Christianity, thus concluding that GLBT individuals deserve the same treatment. The reality, however, is that thieves are condemned for their misappropriation of another’s gains (which for this purpose will be assumed to be rightful), spouse abusers for the physical and emotional harm suffered by their victim (and should there be children produced by the relationship, to a third-party and to society as a whole), and alcohol abusers for the short-term (the oft-deadly consequences of drunk driving) and the long-term (the destruction of both individuals and families resulting from alcoholism) consequences of their addiction. The commonality of this scorn thus lies in its pragmatism: All three of these groups cause harm to people, to property, and to society in a manner that is far more tangible than fear-mongering stories of Hellfire and brimstone could ever be. Obviously, one’s sexual orientation and gender identity does none of these things.
More chilling, however, is Pastor Newton’s argument that those who refuse to accept the blindly fundamentalist Christianity of he and his sect (arrogantly referred to as God’s moral order or other similarly pretentious metaphors) ought not to be accepted by society. Pastor Newton’s worldview, should it ever be implemented in Canadian society, would have dangerous implications not only for GLBT individuals and their friends and allies, but also for the vast majority of Canadians, including many who share his views on homosexuality and on same-sex relationships but otherwise have different value systems and religious beliefs. Similar totalitarian worldviews, over the past century, have dominated the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Duplessis’ Quebec, and parts of the southern United States prior to civil rights and racial integration. In every one of these cases the consequences for virtually anyone, particularly those societies’ most vulnerable individuals and groups, have been devastating. Regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, and political ideology, I and the vast majority of Canadians will ensure that Pastor Newton’s dictatorial worldview will never become Canada’s worst nightmare.
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