Some things are innate, not a choice

I am responding to Kathy Hood's letter published on, of all days, St. Valentine's Day.

You must be an Old Testament Christian - homophobic and angry, just like God of the Old Testament. God of the New Testament is a loving God who, in the form of Jesus, welcomed the marginalized (like adulterers, prostitutes, tax collectors, the poor and, probably, homosexuals). However, Jesus never, not once, mentioned homosexuals. At least it wasn't recorded in the New Testament.

But, you're not alone. The Ku Klux Klan burned crosses in front of the homes of blacks to frighten and intimidate, and if that didn't work they lynched them or worse. Now if that's the kind of Christian you are, shame on you. If I'm wrong, you have my apology.

Sure, every group has its aberrants, including homosexuals, Christians, liberals, conservatives, etc. But, mainstream homosexuals are not “recruiting” children or abusing them. One thing you fail to recognize is that homosexuality is innate, not a choice. I'll bet you didn't choose to be heterosexual, you were just born that way.

As a Catholic, I'm ashamed of the way homosexual pedophile priests abused children. I'm also ashamed of the way my church handled the issue by trying to cover it up. But homosexuals are no different than any other group of people, running the gamut from good to not so good.

Oh, and yes, I'm a liberal. It was a choice, I wasn't born this way. You ought to try it sometime.

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint