Walt Pulkinen, in his letter to the editor (July 14) questions Gov. John Baldacci and state Sen. John Nutting, asking “What biblical principle they used to justify signing and/or supporting the gay marriage bill.”

Pulkinen somehow fails to understand that this country is not a theocracy. That means its guidelines do not come from any one religion’s tenets, but from many beliefs of many faiths and many laws of ethics.

If Pulkinen seeks strict adherence to religious law, he should look at Iran, where sacred law is put into practice with total exactitude. There, since 1999, 4,000 gay citizens have been executed just for being gay, in exact agreement with the Bible’s dictate, “They must be put to death.”

That same biblical death sentence is demanded of unclean brides, disobedient children, and any man who refuses to impregnate his widowed sister-in-law.

I am proud to say that here in America, here in Maine, people pledge allegiance to life, liberty and the pursuit happiness for all citizens, not just the people that one religious view decides are deserving.

I have a simple question of Pulkinen: Was Adolf Hitler wrong about killing millions of Jews, but right about killing thousands of homosexuals? The Bible would tell us so. I wonder if Pulkinen would agree.

James Shaffer, Greene


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.