Editor, the Gauntlet,
I’d like to say a few things in response to the feature written by Ruth Davenport.
As a Christian, I was more than baffled to read what Klaus Ohlhoff and Tim Nethercott, chaplains at the University of Calgary, had to say on the subject of homosexuality.
The two chaplains pointed out that "several attitudes the Bible specifies have changed," and that "the change in patriarchal attitude towards women" was a good example. Mr. Nethercott claimed that women were "relegated to a lower status" because they were "made in the image of men." Yet Genesis 2 tells us that "the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man." Nowhere does it say that the woman was made in the image of the man. Thus, women were never "relegated to a lower status." God created woman to help man, and they are equal in His eyes.
Notice that God created one man and one woman. Why did he not create two men or two women? Why didn’t Adam ask for another man for companionship? It’s not a surprise that many condemned Reverend Brent Hawkes and the United Church for the first legitimate gay marriage in Canada. Holy Matrimony is intended for one man, one woman and one God. Nothing else shall be viewed as legitimate.
As for the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas, they seem to have taken an extreme stance on the issue. No, God does not hate homosexuals, God loves every one of us. God does hate homosexuality, as much as He hates every other sin. The same should apply to Christians. Churches should not seek to exclude homosexuals, but rather bring them to Christ with love and accept their repentance.
Christianity has long been regarded as an intolerant religion, but this should only be extended to sins, not persons. Persecutions of homosexuals are just as condemnable as acts of homosexuality. I sincerely hope that the two chaplains rethink their stance on this subject, and bring no further shame to Jesus Christ the Lord. And I pray that God will restore the integrity of His church, such that we will "not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." Amen.