tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post223577126453901203..comments2023-04-28T10:53:10.258+01:00Comments on KNITMAN: COWARDLY BIGOTAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14864658805462324550noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-73496469450514513152008-07-19T17:28:00.000+01:002008-07-19T17:28:00.000+01:00Ooh Colin - you must feel the strain an awful lot,...Ooh Colin - you must feel the strain an awful lot, but you do get people talking, and hopefully thinking (I deliberately used that order!)in an exciting and stimulating way! I have been following this thread backwards and needless to say I won't be seeing Ali in her version of heaven. I will hopefully be raising a glass of excellent Claret in my version of Heaven with all the evil nasty folk who believe in a loving and unjudgemental Universe!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-66030528731424338992008-07-13T11:32:00.000+01:002008-07-13T11:32:00.000+01:00Colin - I do wish you wouldn't jump to the conclus...Colin - I do wish you wouldn't jump to the conclusion that Christians like the woman involved in this case hate homosexuals. Her position is one of conscience, based on the teachings of her faith. I am a Christian, my brother is gay, he and his partner had a civil partnership last year, which I attended and even made the celebration cake for! I love my brother and his partner - their sexuality has no bearing on that love. I do not hate homosexuals. A Christian conscience absolutely does NOT equate with hatred (in fact that's a contradiction in terms!), and the fact that this woman has stood up and been prepared to be counted makes her very much NOT a coward. I think you might need to be careful that you're not bordering on bigotry yourself, against people (like myself) who hold with the teachings of the Bible. [The online Encarta definition of a bigot is - intolerant person: somebody with strong opinions, especially on politics, religion, or ethnicity, who refuses to accept different views.]Ali the Artisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781973571343852394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-41207522852707532412008-07-12T16:03:00.000+01:002008-07-12T16:03:00.000+01:00Gail, I'm with you here. It doesn't make sense et...Gail, I'm with you here. It doesn't make sense ethically for this woman to behave this way. No one is forcing her church to marry anyone they don't believe should get married - the state is simply saying "this is a job duty you must perform." <BR/>I don't get it. If her church won't recognize the marriages anyway, what difference does it make?<BR/>I'm not putting this well, but what I guess I am trying to say is that even if one were the biggest anti-gay bigot in the Eastern Hemisphere, this behavior simply doesn't make sense. If I were a government employee and they were asking me to issue a certain widget and I was politically opposed to issuing that particular widget, it would be "tough sh*t" we live in a democracy - so suck it up. No one is asking her to participate in a torture session, or to herd people to the gas chamber. Does her faith really teach her that marrying people who believe differently than she does is the equivalent of those awful things? How sick!<BR/>Hope I'm making sense here. Am babysitting grandkids and am losing brain cells by the minute - just kidding!<BR/>JoanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-22796430644375673802008-07-11T19:19:00.000+01:002008-07-11T19:19:00.000+01:00I think, and I'll borrow from a comment that someo...I think, and I'll borrow from a comment that someone left on my blog, that they forgot the commandment, Love Thy NeighborAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-43139687844912141222008-07-11T18:34:00.000+01:002008-07-11T18:34:00.000+01:00I agree with gailr. If a person's job is to execu...I agree with gailr. If a person's job is to execute the law of the locality, then they have only two options: act in accordance with the law, or quit. I was a diplomat for the U.S. government. I was required, on a daily basis, to act in accordance with laws that were morally offensive to me. I did so, because it was my job, and when it got to be too much, I quit. But I would take it a step further. If your job is to provide a service, you must provide that service even-handedly. In the U.S., Walmart allows it's pharmacists to refuse to dispense medications to which they have a moral objection, even though the medicine is prescribed by a doctor and legal. I think this is equally reprehensible. No person should be allowed to unilaterally substitute his or her own judgment for laws that are designed to protect the rights of others.Yarnhoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06625926254864861603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14603206.post-11720853272770709292008-07-11T10:32:00.000+01:002008-07-11T10:32:00.000+01:00I can't say I'm surprised - but I feel if a person...I can't say I'm surprised - but I feel if a person is a government employee, that person is REQUIRED to follow the laws of that government. Termination of employment is appropriate for someone - it's the same as insubordination and people do get sacked for that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com