Once again, letter writers turn to the Bible to persuade other Mainers how to vote in November. As I read these letters, I am both angered and humbled – angered when I see “Christians” using Scripture to judge and condemn; humbled and shamed because I’m reminded by Steve Hochstadt’s recent column (Oct. 16) that Christians over the centuries have used Scripture to justify vicious acts of anti-Semitism and racism.

We live in a world where fundamentalist readings of religious tradition draw people into acts of horrific violence. Letter writers use scare tactics to try to convince us that if we vote no on Question 1 in November, marriage as we know it will end, and landlords will be crushed with lawsuits. Can’t we see these scare tactics for what they are? Do we, as a community, not remember the lives that have been lost or maimed because gays and lesbians live with burdens of prejudice and shunning?

I can only declare that the God of love by whom I try to live my life would have none of this – not the scare tactics, not the shunning, not the racist smears. When I vote on Nov. 8, my vote will be an act of faith, not just in Christ’s message of compassion and justice for all God’s creatures. It will be an act of faith that Mainers of all religious traditions, sexual orientations and political persuasions can work together to make this a more humane and understanding place.

Jane Costlow, Auburn