-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! When is religious doctrine bigotry? Legislator castigated for telling teens homosexuality is an 'abomination' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- By Julie Foster © 2001 WorldNetDaily.com A flurry of negative editorials and resignation demands are circulating in Florida, where a Christian legislator has been characterized as a bigot because he expressed his belief that homosexuality is a sin. A group of homosexual high-school boys lobbied Rep. Allen Trovillion, R-Winter Park, on April 9, encouraging the legislator to support anti-harassment measures protecting homosexuals. The meeting was part of a youth lobby day, during which high-school students from across the state visit the Capitol to lobby for homosexual rights. The event is organized annually by Equality Florida, "a statewide education and advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation and ensuring equal rights for all people," according to the group's website. Trovillion, who turns 75 next week, met with four of the students. He told the young men that existing laws already protect them, and that their lifestyle prevents them from entering heaven. Republican Florida State Rep. Allen Trovillion Responding to negative press the following day, Trovillion issued a prepared statement saying the Tampa Tribune painted a false picture of his meeting with the students. "We had what I thought was an open, meaningful debate," he said. "I made it very clear to them that I don't believe discrimination or abuse should be tolerated in any form or for any reason, but that we already have laws on the books to protect everyone. If a student is picked on or beat up at school, it doesn't matter whether it's because they're gay, because they're too short or too tall or because they're wearing the wrong kind of shoes. There are rules to protect the victim and they should be enforced. Abuse and discrimination are wrong for any reason, and we don't need special laws just for one special group." But 17-year-old Chris Vasquez, who attended the meeting, said news accounts accurately depicted the meeting, which was attended by an intern reporter on assignment for the Tribune. That intern, University of South Florida student Ann-Marie Manchise, wrote the page-one article that ran the day after the meeting. In an April 14 editorial, the Tribune wrote, "Trovillion, a 74-year-old World War II veteran who has obviously read the Bible, or parts of it, was warning the teenagers about engaging in behavior that Holy Scriptures describe as an 'abomination.' He no doubt feels strongly about the subject and felt it his duty to so instruct the students. But he would have been wiser to exercise a certain humility. After all, the Bible is very explicit about prideful people who presume to foretell the judgment of God," the editorial continued. "And under the circumstances, it seems to us, Trovillion's remarks were altogether impertinent." Likewise, Orlando Sentinel columnist Myriam Marquez attempted a theology lesson in her April 13 column. Beginning with an account of the Christian message of salvation -- that "Jesus Christ was crucified so that we sinners would be saved for the Kingdom of Heaven" -- Marquez asked, "But are gays also God's children? Will God forgive their sins -- whatever those might be -- if they seek forgiveness? Will they be saved?" Saying the questions had been "nagging" her since Trovillion's remarks to the students, the columnist continued: "The legislator told the students that he's against discrimination but that his Christian beliefs also prevent him from supporting legislation to single out gay students as a protected class. 'The Scripture says that no homosexual will see the Kingdom of God, and I can't put it much straighter than that,' Trovillion said. "Oh, dear. We get into trouble when we quote Scripture as the final word. Sometimes, one section in the Bible conflicts with something written in a previous section. Scholars often note that God seems more unforgiving in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. What worries me about Trovillion's response to the students is that he believes, 'You have to suffer the consequences of your actions.' What does that mean, exactly?" Marquez quotes John 3:16, which says believers in Christ shall not perish but have eternal life. "Might that mean gays who believe in Christ are saved but Jews, Buddhists and other non-Christians are doomed?" the columnist wrote. "In fact, many Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, now accept that non-Christians will get a chance for an afterlife." She also says her favorite Bible story is when Jesus addresses a crowd prepared to stone an adulterous woman. According to Moses' law, the woman should have been killed, but Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The crowd dispersed, Scripture says, and the woman lived. Dr. Tim Dailey, a cultural studies expert at the Family Research Council, pointed out an omission from Marquez's Biblical narrative. "I found it interesting that Ms. Marquez criticized appealing to Scripture as the 'final word,' yet she herself appealed to Scripture several times in support of her own views. However, she omitted the key words in one of her biblical quotes. In citing the words of Jesus to the woman caught in adultery, Ms. Marquez left out Jesus' admonition to the woman: 'Go and sin no more.' We can surely agree that Jesus is concerned about his followers showing humility and love towards all people. But nowhere did he condone sin. The overwhelming testimony of the Bible and church history and tradition is that homosexual behavior is sinful, and as such, unacceptable behavior for Christians." Dailey's doctoral dissertation, which focused on homosexuality's incompatibility with Scripture, was the basis for his FRC publication, "The Bible and Homosexuality." Regarding his biblical citations in the meeting, Trovillion stated, "I talked about the Bible, and so did they. We had very frank discussion and shared our different views. I am a Christian and told them I believe they're headed down the wrong path in life and, just like anyone else who sins, they will have to answer for their actions. However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy all the rights, privileges and protections that the rest of us enjoy and are guaranteed to all of us in the Constitution." In response to Trovillion's remarks, U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, and Peter Deutsch, D-Hollywood, as well as various homosexual-rights advocates demanded an apology from the state legislator. Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Doug Head also demanded apologies from other state elected officials. But the response from Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, supported his colleague's right to free speech. "I admire Rep. Trovillion for expressing his viewpoints in a very candid way," said Feeney, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Feeney said he was concerned that people with faith-based points of view are more often criticized than other people. 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