THE PUBLIC MIND: PEOPLE MUST DECIDE WHO IS THE REAL GOD

To the Editor:

Although I have at this point little hope of convincing those so filled with fear of homosexuality that they passionately lash out to attack, I do want to correct the impression that I do not know my Bible.

Point 1. Jesus' greatest commandment is this, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

Point 2. If one cannot consider the homosexual to be one's neighbor, one might consider this saying of Jesus: "You have heard that it was said, ~`You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies."

Point 3. When Jesus died on the cross at the hands of those who could not bear the thought of a love this unconditional and accepting, Jesus spoke these words: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

People of Cape Girardeau, you decide who is the true God of the universe. Is it the God of wrath come to condemn and punish? Or, is it the God of infinite love hanging on a cross? I fear that what divides me from my fundamentalist brothers and sisters is nothing less than this: We do not worship the same God. As for me and my house, we seek to serve the God of love revealed in Jesus Christ.

Rev. Craig L. Nessan

Cape Girardeau~~~~~~