Letter to the Editor, Lewiston Morning Tribune, January, 2007
I bet that if Jesus were here today in the flesh, he'd go out of his way to hang out with gay people and befriend them. I bet he'd accept them and love them, openly and unconditionally.
I bet he'd say to those who hate themselves for being gay, "My father made you. He knows you, and he loves you." And I bet if they could see the love in his eyes, they'd believe him and be free.
I bet that instead of telling us the parable of the good Samaritan, he'd tell us the parable of the good gay person. And the Pharisees of today would be forced to say the gay person had been a true neighbor -- not them.
I bet that if a transgendered woman were dragged before him by today's Pharisees (someone like Dr. James Dobson and his Focus on the Family) demanding Jesus condemn her, I bet he'd look her in the eyes and say, "I do not condemn you." And she would cry great tears of joy, washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. I bet he'd say a few words to those self-righteous folk like, "You strain at a gnat and choke on a camel."
And I bet that if we went to church, we would not find him there. He would be found changing water into wine at a gay wedding.
Ron Thompson
Clarkston