Posted on 05/24/2007 4:59:50 PM PDT by f150sound
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Thursday that his opposition to same-sex marriage should not be interpreted as intolerance of gays, who served in his administration when he was Massachusetts governor.
In a brief interview with The Associated Press, Romney elaborated on comments he made during a campaign event dubbed "Ask Mitt Anything" in which an audience member questioned whether pastors should preach that homosexuality is a sin. Romney said the government shouldn't tell pastors what they can say.
Afterward, Romney said he would not preach the same message.
"I don't think that a person who's running for a secular position as I am should talk about or engage in discussions of what they in their personal faith or their personal beliefs is immoral or not immoral," the former governor said in the AP interview.
I also would add this to the fray...I find it extremely interesting that Romney’s been pretty open and straightforward, both in words and actions, that he is against discrimination—even against gays—is staunchly against judicial activism, and is against gay marriage, yet the Mass Resistance people and certain posters here on FR are more than willing to continue providing the reader with falacies and half-truths (such as the ones I pointed out to you) about Romney’s judicial appointments in order to portray him as part of some vast gay advocacy agenda.
To that, I would simply ask who the real deceivers are here.
And it is evaporating daily.
It's currently the loudest, and by spreading aids, the most expensive. Once the gays are fully established, they will turn and begin a fierce persecution of Christians.
Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich?
Seems most conservatives can tell the difference between the sin and the sinner.
Seems most conservatives can oppose gay marriage and special rights for gays, but still oppose hatred and discrimination against gays.
For instance, Reagan, Newt and Romney have all have shown that they are not anti-gay.
Best-selling conservative author Dinesh D'Souza writes in his biography of Reagan, Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader, a biography highly praised by Rush Limbaugh, Wall Street Journal editor Robert Bartley and P.J. O'Roarke. D'Souza writes, "Reagan's views on homosexuality were not entirely compatible with those of his evangelical Christian supporters or with those of the gay rights community. Before he became President, he once confessed his belief that homosexuality is a 'tragic illness'...Yet, as we might expect, Reagan knew lots of gays in Hollywood, and he and his wife socialized with people who were avowedly homosexual. Reagan did not support state-sponsored discrimination against homosexuals as a group." Reagan Not Anti-gay.
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Reagan, Newt and Romney all oppose gay marriage, but they find it counter-productive to discriminate or act hateful towards gays.
Here's an old interview with Newt where he expresses approval for the same tolerance that Mitt and Reagan endorsed.
Newt Gingrich (G):
L: Do you believe that homosexuality is a sin?
G: I think you have to. But, I also believe that all of us are sinners.
L: Well, but some folk’s do work a little harder at their sin than others, don’t they?
G: Yeah, but I’m just saying that I don’t want to be judgmental about others. I think that the —-
L: But we are talking about homosexuality. Scripture is very clear —- it’s an abomination to God.
G: That’s right. And that’s why I just agreed with you. I think that if you believe in the Bible, then it’s fairly clear. But, I’m not prepared to render judgment to individuals.
~Snip~ L: Well, my thinking was something like that if people are homosexuals, that tells us something about their character and we care about the character —-
G: I don’t agree with that.
L: Oh, I see. Why do you think God calls it an abomination if it says nothing about their character?
G: I think there are many good and kind and decent people who may also be homosexuals.
L: Really?
G: Yes.
L. My goodness.
G: And you live in a very narrow world if you’ve never met one.
~~Snip~~
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Just because you oppose discrimination does not mean you are for special rights for the gays or support a pro-homosexual agenda. Ask Ann Coulter.
” “Reagan’s views on homosexuality were not entirely compatible with those of his evangelical Christian supporters or with those of the gay rights community. Before he became President, he once confessed his belief that homosexuality is a ‘tragic illness’...Yet, as we might expect, Reagan knew lots of gays in Hollywood, and he and his wife socialized with people who were avowedly homosexual. “
That describes me and most conservatives and Christians.
I have, and have had since my teen years, many homosexual and lesbian friends. I have been the experiment guy for lesbians and been best friends with homosexual men, and among the closet friends of more than one lesbian, but these are the types of people that are simply homosexual, they are not members of the “Gay Power” movement.
Like Reagan and his friends, these people know my politics and views, but there are parts of our personal lives that we don’t confront each other with in the normal course of our friendship.
Masculine gays respect the straight space of their straight friends, just as lesbians often respect certain men.
Effeminate gays, well just about everyone enjoys them, my experience is that most people are fine with “Gays”, it is the “Gay Power” movement that brings out the necessary resistance to the “tragic illness”, and it’s self destructive drive that can bring down the greater culture.
If Reagan came out against that bill to ban homosexual teachers in California, well, I would like to see the details (of the bill), but the main point is that it does not put Reagan in the column of supporting the Gay Power agenda.
HE’S part of the cultural decay as far as I am concerned.
I have it on good authority that you have some information that states gays don’t exactly allow AGE to be a barrier to molestation. Could you e-mail me some links on that or post it here for the terminally confused by choice.
Some people just don’t want to see the “gay agenda”.
It’s sickening.
I AM ANTI-GAY!
It’s perversion.
I don’t like perversion.
Perversion is WRONG.
To not have the courage to state this is sickening and cowardly.
The Lord loves all of his children even if he is not pleased with their actions!
It is people like you who don’t allow for healing to take place you always want to keep things in a turmoil.
Thank the Lord that SSA was not one of your trials here on earth!
you know nothing!
LOL!
I repeat:
I AM ANTI-GAY!
It’s perversion.
I don’t like perversion.
Perversion is WRONG.
To not have the courage to state this is sickening and cowardly.
And add:
YOU don’t speak for me and show YOU know NOTHING!
I also don’t sympathize with perversion.
Yes there are those with agenda like in California.
California State Senate Passes Transsexual-Bisexual-Homosexual Indoctrination Bill
All through the 80's we had NEA agenda in the schools who was seducing for the last 20 years many of young boys & girls today many are bi sexual or confused.
Remember what Clinton did for oral sex and our young people also the condoning of masturbation etc.
We have inherited this break down and indifference!
Many parents failed to guard their children so many today are crippled spiritually.
Which should not be lump in with the hard core abomination?
Many commit suicide because they feel there is no hope!
To condemn a people in one swoop as a public official is irresponsible.
We should all be thankful that this is not our refiner’s fire in life, and have mercy on those who have the trial and trying to over come it!
IMHO
Those freaks that dress up in gay pride parades are just the most extreme members of the gay community. They probably dont even represent 1% of it. Howeverwhenever there is a thread about homos you get pictures of them posted as if they are representative of gays in general. Most gays do not fit stereotypes, are masculine, dress normally and generally conform to gender norms apart from their sexual behavior. Most pretty much keep to themselves are modest people and dont push their sexuality on others. I dont think its right that a whole group of people should be judged by how the most extreme members in the group act. Homosexual activists make up only a tiny percentage of all gays, a lot dont even agree with the agenda or want gay marriage. I dont think just being a homosexual makes someone immoral either because we are all sinners and homosexuality is no worse of a sin than any other and yes it is a sin. It is the behavior though that is the sin and not the mere attraction and it is the mere attraction which makes someone a homosexual. They can be a homosexual and have never of commited a homosexual act in their life.
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