It's time to end using religion to validate bigotry

[katia]

It's time to end using religion to validate bigotry

Greenville online
By Jimmy Creech
9/30/2007

'For 29 years, I was a United Methodist pastor. I believe that compassion, fairness and respect for the dignity of all people are the most authentic and noble expressions of the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, history has many examples of religion being misused to harm others. Religious teachings based on the Bible were used to justify slavery and racial segregation, the persecution of Jewish and Roman Catholic immigrants, the denial to women of the right to vote and the denial to interracial couples of the right to marry. Today, we recognize this misuse of religion to support these injustices to be misguided and wrong'.