A Little Tolerance, Please

Tom Leppert, the former mayor of Dallas and current Texas senatorial candidate, has recently caught a lot of flack because he marched in  gay rights parades when he was mayor. He justified his action by saying that when he was in that position it was his obligation to represent everybody.

Ted Cruz, the former Texas solicitor general, has criticized Leppert for participating in the parades, inferring that Leppert is supporting sinners.

In a letter to the editor, Joel Hale of Dallas wrote that it is a sad state of affairs in Texas when the focus of a senatorial debate is on whether homosexuality is a sin.  He further wrote, "In politics it shouldn't matter if something is considered by some to be a sin - that's a strictly religious matter. In America, freedom, human rights and justice should always be the deciding factors in lawmaking."

While some may quibble with those comments from Hale, it is hard to quibble with his statement that all parades are full of sinners, "so it is interesting to note that only sinners of the homosexual variety are being singled out."

Interesting point indeed. There has been so much furor over same-sex marriage, or civil unions, and most of the loudest voices coming from the same types of people who used to brand women with a scarlet A and burn witches at the stake.

This is not the Christianity I believe in. This is not the way Jesus would respond. He embraced the sinner and cautioned the righteous not to be so quick to toss the first stone. So why can't we find a peaceful, sensible solution to how to accept the loving, committed relationships between two men or two women?