From all the letters that have been posted arguing the rights of gay marriage, I see a LOT of which are religion-based. While we do have the right to our own religion and beliefs, this should NOT be using something a MAN wrote thousands of years ago to determine laws now.
The reason I say this (and a LOT of Christians seem to conveniently use only CERTAIN passages of the Bible for their own arguments), is because there is a LOT in the Bible that has not been practiced for generations. If we were to follow the Bible, we couldn't eat shellfish (of any kind), we would have to purchase our wives from their fathers, the local "lord" would have to "deflower" the wife before the wedding night, and if said wife was not a virgin at that time - she would have to be stoned to death. Did I mention that all those trips to PriceChopper and Hannaford for groceries are forbidden, as (according to the Bible) man has to kill his own food. Also, those poly blends everyone enjoys wearing would be immoral as well. Need I say any more?
I think people need to just take a step back and look at their own lives before saying ANYTHING regarding ANY person or group of people. I can guarantee their lives aren't as pretty as they paint them to be.
With that being said, the proposed law for gay marriage rights should be considered not by religious standards or beliefs, but by common sense. I say this because there are so MANY religions in the world today, and ALL of them seem to preach non-acceptance of the other religions. Also, people should be looking at this "challenge" with an open mind and heart, and not with their own hatred and prejudice, which seems to be a majority of the people that are writting in claiming this to be "immoral."
It is YOU that needs prayer! To use the Bible for your own hatred and propaganda is ridiculous! You want some REAL knowledge of the Bible? I've studied Theology using FACTS and here is what I have learned:
First of all, the Bible (as great as it is) was written by MAN, hundreds of years AFTER Jesus. Ideas and knowledge were transferred from person to person VERBALLY in those times, and it has been PROVEN many times that certain leaders ADDED to the Bible as their own personal propaganda (ie: King James I added the passage pertaining to man laying with man because the public was upset that he was having relations with men and young boys, then continued his "quests" with men in private). Since knowledge was mostly verbal in those times, much of it changed from person to person. This was proven when scholars found documents from several of the Disciples. While the main message was the same through all of their writings, a LOT of the sayings were VERY different. How is it several men that sat with Jesus during his speeches could have different versions? This just goes to show you that ANYTHING could have been said then, and what was actually recorded is something entirely different.
Second of all, the Bible is a mixture of MANY religions including Wiccan, Paganism, etc. Up until the 1970's the Catholic Church used the triquetra to symbolize the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Do you KNOW where the triquetra comes from? It is a symbol derived from Paganism that symbolizes the continuing life cycle.
Third, Jesus taught tolerance and understanding - along with love for EVERYONE. This included prostitutes, beggars, criminals, etc. Also, his following was made of of the SAME kind of people that he preached to. I also think a famous saying should be directed to you, JJR031: "May the man without sin throw the first stone."
So I ask you this: Is your life THAT perfect? Are you sin-free? By sin-free, I mean - because the Bible says so: you cannot eat shellfish (of any kind), you HAVE to purchase your wife from her father, the local lord MUST "de-flower" your wife on the wedding night (and if she was NOT a virgin, she HAD to be stoned to death), and the poly blends you are wearing are a no-no, as well. Need I go on?
Before ANYONE says ANYTHING about a person or group of people, I think they need to take a long, hard look into their own lives, because I can guarantee that their lives aren't as pretty as they paint them to be.
"But, after much dismay and disruption, the Berger Commission plan seems to be working for Schenectady."
This was NOT what the Berger Commission mandated! The Berger Commission mandated that Bellevue close and that Ellis and St. Clare's Hospitals consolidate services under ONE governing body. So, I ask this: when did Bellevue close? All I have seen is the pulling of political strings to rename a hospital and close one that wasn't even mandated by the Berger Commission.
Another question I have is: Since Ellis Hospital is NOT following the mandate, should they be held responsible? Should they be charged with violating a STATE mandate? Something tells me there is going to be more political "string-pulling," while officials at Ellis Hospital make everything look all "peachy keen."
First, by mandate - they come up with a plan WITH local and regional officials to "consolidate services," or close medical centers in other terms. The plan that was accepted by local and state officials was to CLOSE Bellevue, and consolidate services between St. Clare's and Ellis Hospital. Instead, Connelly pulls on the political strings and *poof* Bellevue Hospital is renamed to "Bellevue Woman's Care Center - A Service of Ellis Hospital." Then, from the added stress of financial woes and the consolidation process, St. Clare's is forced to surrender its license (lets not ask the Catholic Diocese WHY this happened - the richest organization in the WORLD, yet the services that matter most are canceled while higher-ups live lavish lifestyles). So my question: where exactly was this in the ORIGINAL plan from the Berger Commission? So far I have not seen what was set forth by the Commission.
Second, Ellis Hospital is constantly bragging about being in the "Top 5% of the Nation," not to mention being "for the patient." I definitely see that - closing a hospital that was centrally located for the general public, forcing women to travel to Rt. 7 in Niskayuna for services, and NOT sticking to a plan that was one of the reasons local and regional offices agreed to the consolidation.
Third, has ANYONE been to Bellevue? The conditions at Bellevue were one of the reasons to move services to the main campus. The building is old and in disrepair. One perfect example is even when there is a light drizzle of rain outside, buckets fill the halls to catch all the "leaks." Another issue is the wiring. With the install of the new Shoretel phone system, techs were told to "wing it" because the wiring was so bad.
I can definitely say that health care is Schenectady is a HUGE wake-up call and the administration at Ellis Hospital just happen to be the ringing phone.
I've worked for retail in the past and that is known as "Comp Shopping," or competitor shopping. ALL retail giants do it - I used to do it when I worked at Wal-Mart. That is why you saw the employees come in with their name badges and uniforms - they HAVE to be known. That is one of the stipulations of Comp Shopping - not to mention comp shoppers need to "sign in" when they are visiting a store.
This is a really good "eye-opener" on what "traditional" marriage would be like if we didn't have separation of Church and State. This is a little something from me to all those who want a TRUE "traditional" marriage. Watch out what you wish for!
This is a really good "eye-opener" on what "traditional" marriage would be like if we didn't have separation of Church and State. And this is a little something from me to all the people that want the TRUE "tradional" marriage. Enjoy!
I absolutely LOVE that you linked that video! Let me quote the video because it is such a true statement: "NOT ALL TRADITIONS ARE WORTH KEEPING!" I think this should be the new slogan for this fight!
Posted on July 24 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
First of all,
From all the letters that have been posted arguing the rights of gay marriage, I see a LOT of which are religion-based. While we do have the right to our own religion and beliefs, this should NOT be using something a MAN wrote thousands of years ago to determine laws now.
The reason I say this (and a LOT of Christians seem to conveniently use only CERTAIN passages of the Bible for their own arguments), is because there is a LOT in the Bible that has not been practiced for generations. If we were to follow the Bible, we couldn't eat shellfish (of any kind), we would have to purchase our wives from their fathers, the local "lord" would have to "deflower" the wife before the wedding night, and if said wife was not a virgin at that time - she would have to be stoned to death. Did I mention that all those trips to PriceChopper and Hannaford for groceries are forbidden, as (according to the Bible) man has to kill his own food. Also, those poly blends everyone enjoys wearing would be immoral as well. Need I say any more?
I think people need to just take a step back and look at their own lives before saying ANYTHING regarding ANY person or group of people. I can guarantee their lives aren't as pretty as they paint them to be.
With that being said, the proposed law for gay marriage rights should be considered not by religious standards or beliefs, but by common sense. I say this because there are so MANY religions in the world today, and ALL of them seem to preach non-acceptance of the other religions. Also, people should be looking at this "challenge" with an open mind and heart, and not with their own hatred and prejudice, which seems to be a majority of the people that are writting in claiming this to be "immoral."
On Letters to the Editor for July 5