I am responding to the letter to the editor in the Sunday June 25 newspaper entitled "Nevadans don't need to spread more hate," written by Shirley Swafford of Carson City.
I signed that petition for the protection of marriage, and I don't "hate" anybody. Ms. Swafford, pull out that dictionary again and please look up "marriage" 1.a. "The state of being husband and wife; Wedlock. b. The legal union of a man to a woman as husband and wife." (The American Heritage Dictionary)
I believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, all of it, not just the parts I like. That is not a popular stand in this day and age in America, but that's OK. I'll stand for truth rather than what is politically popular.
Shirley, you quoted a "phrase" out of the Bible. "Love thy neighbor." Actually it is a commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Love is more than that warm fuzzy feeling you get. It's the willingness to correct and point out harmful actions. If your child licked his or her fingers and then attempted to insert them into a live light socket, you would take swift and decisive action to correct that behavior. That's love.
We as Christians would be remiss in our duty as Christians if we allowed this "behavior" or "lifestyle" to go on unchallenged. It is because we love our fellow man (or woman) that we sign petitions protecting the sanctity of marriage.
Hatred, intolerance, bigotry, these are words that don't belong in a reasonable debate or disagreement. It would be very simple to turn them back on you, Shirley, but I will not do this. I will say that in my opinion you are sadly misinformed and misguided. Applying these words to at least 121,499 Nevadans is not very ... nice.
STEPHEN HOWARD
Carson City
