Letters to the editor Lake chief

Church and state

To the editor:

Within the United States, there is the concept of separation of church and state. The white men that created this concept alongside the concept of the United States did so in order to prevent Christianity from effectively ruling the then-new country. While at times the United States was not led in this manner, this is one of the most important ideas the United States holds today.

This means that conservative Christian ideology cannot be forced upon atheists, pagans, and people belonging under the LGBTQA+ umbrella via law, and the same people cannot force their religious beliefs onto Christians.

Between the covers of the Bible, there is nothing explicitly stated against homosexual people, only lines that some believe imply a certain meaning, which others say mean something else. Ambiguity in law and religious text has been used time and again to hurt someone that we don’t like or are afraid of.

The possibility exists that Roman emperor Justinian I declared the specific yet vague meaning to the word “sodomy” as a way to harm political opponents by making this law against “sodomy” have divine attributes. Was this a good thing to do? No, it was a jerk move then and it’s a jerk move now. Legislating laws based on religion idealization rather than truth and logic is improper, ridiculous, and entirely unfair to the accused “sinner.”

When you tell Logan Waner and other people belonging to the LGBTQA+ umbrella to become cisgender heterosexuals or “God will punish you,” you are being emotionally abusive. Thinking that “praying the gay away,” shock therapy, and preventing us from getting any sort of mental or physical aid helps us actually makes us have higher depression and suicide rates.

The diseases come from the idea of “abstinence only” heterosexual sex education, which helps absolutely no one and further increases the chances of obtaining STDs and HIV for non-heterosexual people.

Respect existence or expect resistance.

Melinda Dome
Marion