Same-sex appeal is not love
President Obama's evolution into support of "same-sex marriage" is deeply troubling to me. A little poem goes: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes ... oops. I guess it doesn't work that way anymore. We've evolved.
Marriage was never intended to simply supply a legitimate context for sexual relationships (or for hospital visitation rights, insurance purposes, etc.). Marriage is designed to be a context to build the next generation. It is a contract between a man and woman for procreative boundaries that give legitimate names and guidance to the next generation.
Same-sex attraction is not love, it is lust. I love my mother, and would give my life for her, but that doesn't mean I am sexually attracted to her. Sexual attraction defined as love is a confusion of the term love, just as same-sex marriage is a confusion of the term marriage.
A homosexual relationship by any other name is still what it is! It will do what it does. Calling it marriage will not make it normal, moral or beneficial. That will only stretch the meaning of marriage into oblivion. Isn't that what's happening?
GREG NANCE, Signal Mountain
Evolution occurs within creation
It was a surprise to read the letter appearing in Sunday's paper (May 13) that spoke of evolution and creation as both worthy of scientific teaching. Voices defending creationism as legitimate science rarely appear in print. Indeed, there seems to be an effort to define creationism as religious superstition and evolution as legitimate science.
The science of evolution and creationism are legitimate absent any debate over religious belief, whether that belief is atheism or an intelligent creator (God). The extent to which evolution has occurred, whether change within species or transpecie evolution, which is only a theory, is a subject for evolutionists and creationists to study using scientific methods. For that study to be thorough it should include relevant claims within religious doctrine as well as doctrine that deny religion has any legitimate voice on the subject.
Science, through the second law of thermodynamics, has shown the universe could not exist absent a creation point in time, suggesting involvement by a creator unbound by physical laws that bind the creation. Evolution is a process occurring within the creation (universe). It cannot answer the question of how the universe came to exist or how life and any subsequent evolution began.
DAN C. JOHNSON
'Sexual preference' is an obsolete term
The term "sexual preference" used in a May 11 Free Press editorial is obsolete. Professionals have been using "sexual orientation" as the accepted term for decades now. "Sexual preference" implies a choice, when in fact sexual orientation is not.
The Free Press editors purposely chose to use this archaic phrase to describe one's sexuality as being a choice. Most if not all of the studies show that there is no such thing as a sexual preference, but that people are born with a sexual orientation. There is a consensus among medical and psychological professionals that sexual orientation is not a choice or learned behavior. Gay men and women are offended by the use of "sexual preference" in modern times because it implies that we have a choice in the gender that we are attracted to when we absolutely do not.
It seems that the Free Press editors often use words or phrases, such as "ObamaCare" and "sexual preference," to purposely upset the liberal readers of this otherwise fine newspaper. When I read the editorial last week I had to check the date on the paper. I thought it might say 1970.
GREGG DENEWETH
Obama taking people's money
My wife and I just turned 65 and signed up on a Medicare supplement plan. We bought a Medicare Part D prescription plan and a dental plan. I then read there were 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day and that Medicare would be in trouble a few years down the road.
Now we find out Obama would take $530 billion from seniors on Medicare to pay for ObamaCare. He is taking money that people have paid into Medicare, taking it out of Medicare and subsidizing the care for people who have never paid into Medicare. They have the audacity to tell us it won't affect Medicare.
They took $530 billion away from seniors on Medicare to start a whole new government program for other people. Now they will have unelected bureaucrats deciding who gets what care and how much the government will pay for it.
Obama ran on hope and change. Well, I sure hope we change presidents, because if we don't I'm afraid that the seniors who have worked hard all of their lives, paid their taxes and tried to do the right thing will lose their health care by the sorriest president in the history of this nation.
WAYNE LONG, Jasper, Tenn.
Add these reasons to oppose Obama
May's reasons not to vote for Obama:
In October 2010, the Obama administration said it had nothing to do with the firing of Shirley Sherrod and that the Agriculture Department fired her. That was a lie.
Obama said Republicans killed the Keystone Pipeline. On March 7, Obama called all Democrats to vote against the pipeline, but 12 Democrats still voted for it. But it still did not pass. So, Obama is responsible (right).
Obama complains about giving $4 billion to oil companies in tax benefits, but gives $2 billion to Brazil to explore for oil and then tells them we will buy their oil. Why would we do that when we can produce our own oil?
Obama closed down drilling in the Gulf that cost thousands of jobs. Now China is drilling 60 miles off the Florida coast.
Eric Holder is withholding documents about "fast and furious" from congressional investigators who have asked for them. Why is the president doing nothing about it?
Obama said the stimulus plan would create jobs and keep unemployment below 8 percent. The actual unemployment rate is now well over 10 percent, and I feel its probably closer to 20 percent.
TOM FRICKE, Spring City, Tenn.
Religions forbid homosexuality
Whether current President Obama is Christian or Muslim, I don't know. However, I do know that both religions specifically forbid homosexuality. Yep, I said it! No matter how politically/socially incorrect, the Judeo-Christian Bible and the Quran plainly state that the homosexual lifestyle is an abomination against God himself. But if you discount, or simply do not believe, the holy laws, then this statement means nothing to you. I understand your position.
Nonetheless, the Protestant Christian, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim fellowships are encouraged to vote against Obama, not only on this issue, but on abortion (a soft term for murder) and his misunderstanding of Second Amendment rights, as well.
JEFFREY COX, Dalton, Ga.
Here's what Democrats do
Who are the Democrats? What are their standards and expectations?
Democrats believe the purpose of government is to take money away from Republicans and give it to them.
Republicans are concerned about how much they must pay to the government, while Democrats are concerned about how much they can "draw" from the government.
HUDSON PARKER, Murfreesboro, Tenn.