‘Faith in Caesar’
Cal Thomas’ Column Right, “Religious Wing Has Too Much Faith in Caesar” (March 21), is an excellent example of the hypocrisy of Thomas and his cohorts.
First, he states that only Christians have a legitimate basis for moral behavior, the way of the Savior. Does he really believes that Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, etc., are all amoral? This is a direct insult to moral peoples of all faiths.
Second, he claims to feel compassion toward AIDS patients while advocating a policy of discrimination toward gays. His opposition to the “gay rights lobby” makes a farce of his claim that we “must comfort AIDS patients.” Shall we comfort them by telling them their sexual orientation is evil and their disease a punishment for their deviance?
Third, his reference to a “religious crowd that said, ‘We have no king but Caesar’ ” is a clear example of anti-Semitism.
Thomas wants the U.S. to be a Christian nation. His brand of Christianity, however, leads directly to intolerance; to exclusion, anti-Semitism and misogyny. I’ll take secular humanistic morality any day. Contrary to Thomas’ claim that government cannot solve the moral problems of the nation, social and economic policies can and do influence the well-being of our citizens and their ability to make “moral” decisions.
FRANCES SEGAL
Laguna Niguel
* Thomas states that “It is not enough to fight the gay rights lobby. We must comfort AIDS patients preparing for a lonely death.” Once again the right wing in this country finds it appropriate to dismiss all homosexuals as people who have AIDS and who don’t deserve equal protection under the law.
I would like him know that I am a gay man who also happens to be an American citizen with the same rights as him. I am also healthy, happy and have many wonderful friends. He states that “We suffer not from failure of political organization or power, but from a failure of love.” I recommend that Thomas examine his own heart. Love seems to be a commodity missing from his agenda altogether.
MARK WHITE
West Hollywood