After viewing a sermon on cable TV, given by a young but vibrant priest, we decided to share our thoughts.

The priest spoke of a movement in the United States to make it a hate crime for people to speak out against homosexuality. He believed it would put any clergyman, including himself, in danger of going to prison if they talked against homosexuality, or if they refused to wed homosexuals.

If we remember correctly, open displays of homosexuality was a crime in all states of this country until about 10 years ago, when a case from Texas was brought before a liberal Supreme Court and the ruling overturned state laws against homosexual sodomy as a crime.

We believe homosexuality should have been kept in the closet. The ruling was certainly a giant step toward destroying the moral fabric of this country.

But what is a hate crime?

A well-known man in Lewiston has spoken out against homosexuality, an insidious evil against the family. Several years ago, his home was threatened by bomb threats from homosexuals. A hate crime?

Evidentally not.

Recently, the Catholic Church in California agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars because some priests were accused of acts of homosexuality with some of their flock.

Were those hate crimes? Why did they have to pay a penalty?

Others can get away with it but not the Catholic Church.

We wonder if anyone else finds that as stupid as we do.

Charles and Diane Doyon, Lewiston