Excerpts from the November 5th edition follow. The headers for each letter were provided by the paper.
Abuse of pastoral power
"...The news report that I watched explained that a local pastor encouraged church members to write to the paper in opposition. How did our community become so misguided....?
...Encouraging a congregation to speak out against a private issue like this is an abuse of pastoral power..."
Ouch. That had to have left a mark.
There were two letters from Columbia (the city in Missouri). The first:
Stick to Your Guns
"....I hope that you stick to your guns over this issue and hopefully let people know that with all the hate, wars, and genocide going on in the world, there is nothing wrong with two people declaring their love and commitment to each other publicly..."
The second:
Shouldn't Throw Stones
"...First of all, I'm a conservative and I see no wrong in publishing an announcement showing two people who are making such a commitment to each other...
...Shame on them for throwing stones when they should not...!"
Okay, that one definitely left a mark.
A letter from Florida (the state, but I haven't checked if there's a city by that name in Missouri):
Love is a Christian Concept
"...The commitment of these two men to each other in no way harms the family or other marriage relationships..."
A succinct letter:
It's Time to Open Minds
"....I know this is a very conservative area we live in and it was a risky decision but it's about time our community opens their eyes and minds...!"
In [the November 6th] paper:
Attitude is not Christian
"...My pastor, who is definitely NOT gay, has never said anything negative about gay people or their lifestyle. He believes that only God has the right to judge anyone. I can hardly believe that these people who have been writing to you [in opposition] or pulling their ads from your paper call themselves Christians...!"
Another letter:
Are We to Judge Others?
"...What a controversy we have just because two gentlemen want to share their celebration of love with us.
Are we to judge others?
We're asked not to...
...'They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.'"
A pastor from a nearby town weighs in:
Looking For A Scapegoat
"...The real causes of failure in relationships are mostly financial, lack of commitment, unfaithfulness, inappropriate exposure of children to our culture, and inadequate teaching by parents, teachers and pastors.
Instead of accepting responsibility for our many failures, it is much easier to look for a scapegoat to condemn which eases our guilty consciences..."
And, finally, a short letter from someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
Focus is on Wrong Thing
"...It's sad that the fundamentalists get all bent out of shape over something so harmless yet say nothing about Bush ruining our country and destroying the Constitution."
Remember that phrase: "...ink by the barrel." I must admit after reading today's paper, for one brief instant, the thought crossed mind that the paper might be piling on and that those folks who were so offended by the original announcement have probably had enough public chastisement. Nah.
Pass the popcorn.
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It just keeps getting better.
The letters policy of the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal, as published periodically in a prominent box on its opinion pages, states in part:
...Letters which appear to be a personal vendetta against an individual or a business cannot be published. Nor can those that are vindictive, sarcastic, derisive or libelous...
That doesn't leave much, does it? Then again, a newspaper can choose what they want to print, policy or no policy.
Four more letters to the editor in support of the publication of the announcement were printed in [the November 7th] edition.
Excerpts from the November 7th edition follow. The headers for each letter were provided by the paper.
The first letter:
Stand On Side Of Equality
"...The announcement made in your paper represents love, acceptance, compassion and equality. Anyone who stands against those virtues most surely represents hate. If the chance came for someone to gain understanding so that that they could then make peace with others, why wouldn't they take that chance...?"
A letter from San Francisco, California:
In Defense Of Diversity
"...It often takes courage to stand up to discrimination, prejudice, and animosity - like which was recently expressed by some readers...
...I am ashamed, troubled, and saddened to read some of the letters you've received over this, and as offensive as they are, I believe they also serve a purpose..."
A letter from Columbus, Indiana:
In Line With Values
"...While I don't feel that the main role of a newspaper is to promote values, I do find that recognizing the lifetime commitment of two people is in line with the traditional family values I learned every Sunday in church in Warrensburg..."
And finally, a letter from a Warrensburg resident:
Tired Of Narrow Minds
"...I am sick and tired of people writing in and saying the community this and the community that...I go to church every Sunday and have since I was very young and the God I was raised to know doesn't teach us hate and prejudice, so it is hard for me to read articles from so called religious people expressing their hatred and prejudice...Threatening the newspaper, saying you will pull your subscription isn't gonna get you nowhere, it just shows how immature and ignorant you are..."
It's been a while since a letter to the editor criticizing the paper for the announcement has appeared. You know, the supportive counteraction of the rest of our community just might have something to do with that.
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This has got to be the longest continuous stretch of letters to the editor on any subject that I've seen in the seventeen years I've lived in the community.
It's like watching a prize fight where the untalented challenger continues to doggedly walk into the punches of the seasoned champion. You'd expect the former would figure out that it just might be time to take a dive. But, no.
The church strikes back.
Four more letters to the editor were printed in [the November 8th] edition of the paper. Three of the letters in defense of the church and pastor. One letter was in support of the paper.
Excerpts from the November 8th edition follow. The headers for each letter were provided by the paper. The paper's circulation figures must be going through the roof.
The cult of victimization doesn't wear well on anybody, least of all bullies and self-righteous fools. "Who, me?" they ask.
Church Does Help Needy
"...As I have read the various letters concerning the same sex union announcements in the paper, one of my concerns has been that some would seek to attack and vilify those with differing viewpoints..."
Like the newspaper? Or the two individuals in the announcement? What did the latter do to anyone?
I wonder if this letter is referring to language like "...This decision indicates a lack of respect for family values and a lack of concern for the unnatural lifestyle..." or maybe "...Your bold decision to promote this lifestyle is a flagrant attack on the traditional family God has instituted for us..." The language in these certainly appear to be calls to confrontation, eh?
Yeah, the cult of the put upon bully as victim doesn't wear well at all.
In Support of Pastor
Dear Warrensburg and Columbia and New England and Florida, etc.....
I think "etc." stands for San Francisco. You know, code for "those people".
Church Does Offer Help
"The topic of homosexuality is a relational issue that all too quickly becomes a charged political issue. The recent same sex engagement announcement photo has set this in motion in our town. My church all of a sudden is labeled bigoted, hateful etc. because individuals voiced disapproval of the engagement announcement...
...I have some background in helping individuals who struggle with same-sex attraction..."
Tell me again who set what "in motion...." "...because individuals voiced disapproval..." Now, that's an understatement if I've ever read one.
I do believe this individual letter writer offered "the cure."
Stupidity may be inherited, but ignorance is a personal choice.
And, a final letter from the reality based community:
Issue Is An Opportunity
"...Then I got it!
This is about some people's inability to accept others different from themselves. It is about ignorance, intolerance and hatred. (That's the obvious part.) More important it is about the urgent need for sensible, tolerant, loving people around the world to stand together and speak out for a different way of thinking. It is about promoting peace and making a better world for all...."
Amen.
I heard a rumor that the paper is printing every letter it gets on the subject.
