Live and let live, without fear

Re: 'Without God, everything is permissible’ by Johann Christoph Arnold - Senior Pastor, Bruderhof Church Communities. Pastor Arnold states: “Ironically, gay rights activists who claim to speak for tolerance and compassion are now becoming very intolerant of anyone who opposes their lifestyle. This fear-mongering is silencing thousands of people,” and “Remember that our country was founded on freedom of speech and religion. Will these freedoms still be practiced when our children become adults?” Pastor Arnold is accusing gay activists of being intolerant for defending themselves against the very kind of intolerance he himself is expressing. He seems to be implying that they are somehow jeopardizing freedom of speech and religion for future generations. This is the kind of “fear-mongering” that leads to bigotry and hate crimes against gay people. We would expect a comment like this from Pat Robertson or Fred Phelps, but we’re a bit surprised to hear it coming from a member of the Bruderhof. We stand corrected. Enjoying separation of church and state, we are free to practice whatever religious or philosophical beliefs we choose. What we don’t have a right to do is impose those beliefs upon others. In a free society, marriage laws should be based upon equality, fairness, tolerance, and love, not upon religious and philosophical dogma. Live and let live. George and Anne Weber Warwick