Hi Tom,

>There is a new show on Showtime called "Queer as Folk" that some actually are saying shows our PROGRESS in personal morality.

I know this is unlikely to make sense to you, but I'll go there anyway. I don't believe that secular morality is an indicator of the level of spirituality among the religious folk in this country. Jesus showed mercy toward the tax collectors, prostitutes, and adulterers in his day. I believe we should show tolerance and understanding to others as a matter of faith.

The Romans of that time had laws you and I would shudder at. Were you aware that the "slaves, seek not to be free" comment in the bible was made at a time when roman masters had the legal right to have sex with their slaves? Were you aware this law applied not just to heterosexual sex? I am not willing to throw out homosexuals as being some kind of sub-human species. The section in the old testament that called homosexual activity an "abomination" also used the same words about eating the meat of pigs or making a sandwich with both meat and cheese.

My image of God is not as exclusive as the image a lot of others have, and I'm aware that not everyone is going to believe the same way I do. I can live with that.

I don't see God as having a preference for one government leader over another, or for one country over another. God doesn't take sides in war, and he isn't a Republican. So no, I don't see the election as any symbol of moral decay. I see it as an election. What we'll get at the end is a president, and God will be available for assistance whether it is Gore or Bush.

I'm a registered Democrat, if you can't tell. I'm also a christian, just not the Pat Robertson variety. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! *G*