Buster the Rabbit vs. Paul the Apostle

The Washington Post had a thread on its blog titled "Buster gets an Education." This refers to the cartoon character, Buster the Bunny Rabbit, who appears on PBS as he tours the country showing the young children in his audience the various activities which occur in the many places he visits. A purpose of the show is to promote tolerance of the different people we have in our country, so families with a wide range of religious, ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds are included.

An episode was filmed in Vermont. As is usual, before discussing the topic, which was all about maple syrup, the family involved was introduced, including the parents which consisted of "two moms."

In the WP discussion, the Apostle Paul's statement about homosexuals inevitably came up. This is my response:

modright,

With all due respect to Paul for his fine work spreading the Gospel, should we base the way we live our lives today as if we haven't learned anything in the nearly two thousand years since these epistles were written?

In various places the Bible promotes slavery, genocide, rape and killing babies. Yet today these actions are universally condemned as immoral.

Just a few years ago, the Southern Baptist Convention declared that its 150 year support of slavery and the segregation that followed was wrong. They apologized for the way they had treated people of color and asked for forgiveness.

Today we know that at least five percent of any population is gay, that being gay is an innate quality not of one's choosing, that those who are gay could never "love" someone of the opposite sex the way straight people do.

Do we accept these others as part of God's marvelous creation? Do we provide them with the dignity and respect that Christ demanded when He told us to love our neighbors? Do we thwart the devil's attempt to divide us over our differences and become one again with each other and the God who created all of us?

Many years from now, churches will apologize for the hurtful way they treated those who are gay and ask for forgiveness. Will you accept the universal nature of Christ's teachings and help lead the way or will you carry the corrupting effects of your prejudices to the grave? The choice is up to you. May the love that God has shown us through His Son help you follow His example.