A misplaced target for righteous zeal

A misplaced target for righteous zeal

After reading John D. Stec’s polemic “When will the attack on the family end?” (Sept. 5 commentary), I wish to pose him several questions.

How do same-sex wedded unions harm anyone? Heterosexual couples still have legal rights to marry, reproduce and raise children. No one, not even an imaginary “gay lobby,” threatens those rights.

Does Stec understand that the definition of a “natural” family varies from culture to culture and has changed since the dawn of humanity?

Does he grasp that gender equality and androgyny are not synonyms?

When studying the Bible, did Stec notice the acceptance of polygamy in the Hebrew Scriptures? King Solomon reportedly had 300 wives and 700 concubines. His tomcat proclivities never bothered Yahweh (God) until Solomon’s lovers turned both his head and heart toward other deities.

Regarding parentage cited on a legal birth certificate, what credible name could the Virgin Mary have listed as the father of her child?

Why does Stec use his religion to focus righteous indignation exclusively on the perceived evil of homosexuality? Surely Stec could better employ his faith by combating poverty and injustice.

The Bible Stec thumps with smug pomposity encourages humility and mercy.

Stec exhibits neither virtue.

CATHIE COOK
ROANOKE

World needs a global system of justice

As long as we look out primarily for ourselves, we look to aggression for resolving conflicts between people, big and small.

When we look out for everyone, as most traditions — both sacred and secular — encourage us to do, then we are forced to engage more than a nominal fraction of our resources in diplomacy.

I am encouraged that so far our country has not acted unilaterally to strike Syria. It is good that we are debating this publicly and in Congress.

Why don’t we have a global justice system that is all-inclusive, authorized to act on behalf of all humanity to identify, detain and hold accountable those responsible for crimes against humanity?

We have become a global community, with shared concerns economically, politically and environmentally. We have become interconnected in unprecedented numbers and modes.

We endeavor to apply a justice-for-all model here in our country.

Doesn’t it follow that it would serve the world better to apply this model globally?

SANDY MUMAW
RINER

Vote for Jackson for lieutenant governor

Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia, E.W. Jackson, recently received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association.

Jackson served three years and was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. He then graduated with a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard Law School and attending Harvard Divinity School, he became a Baptist minister.

Jackson practiced small business law for 15 years in Boston. Since returning to his ancestral home in Virginia, he has taught graduate courses in business and commercial law at Strayer University in Virginia Beach.

His vision is to improve education through parental choice, strengthen the economy and create jobs through economic liberty, reduce the cost of health care by stopping Obamacare, and help business grow and hire by reducing taxes and regulations.

Jackson is well qualified to be our next lieutenant governor. Please vote for him on Nov. 5.

BARBARA N. O’SHIELDS
LEXINGTON

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