Concerned about church's stance on gays

A week or so ago I read about a small Baptist Church who was expelled for accepting two gay members and later baptizing them. This is why I have little use of "the church" in my life today. I figure I have pleanty of negative forces in my life that in one way or another put me down for being gay, without going elsewhere to get it.

This was a letter to the editor of a paper that I thought was well written and reflects my views well:

Dear Editor:

After reading an article on page A4 of Friday's paper, I am very confused and more than a bit concerned. The article states that the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina expelled a small church for accepting two gay members and later baptizing them. In essence, the church's representatives invalidated a baptismal. I have two comments on this action.

My first comment is a personal opinion. I do not think that any human - priest, preacher, minister, brother, or whatever - has the right to say an individual cannot accept Jesus Christ as their Savior because they consider that person's lifestyle a sin. Seeking salvation, in my opinion, is a God-given right and no man should have the right or power to stand in judgment of another and state that they are not worthy of seeking the Lord. When an individual, or a group of people, take the power upon themselves to proclaim that someone is unfit or unworthy to seek salvation, I think that individual or group is verging on the edge of blasphemy. When a group of people have the power to decide whether an individual's quest for salvation is valid or not, then that group ceases to be a church and becomes a club.

My second comment is an observation. The article stated that they expelled the church because accepting the gay individuals would show that they approved of homosexuality, and they stated that their decision was based on "traditional interpretation of Scripture." Now I am no verse-quoter and feel free to correct me if am wrong: Does it not say in the Bible that a man or a woman is free to marry again if their spouse has died? And does the Bible not say that if a man or woman divorces and remarries, then they are committing adultery and living in sin? I would think that a second, third or fourth marriage under these circumstances would be considered a "lifestyle." Yet the church seems to embrace those who have committed "adultery" while expelling those it considers an "abomination." Of course, I understand that the divorced group is much larger and their tithes keep the churches afloat. It appears to me that if we adhered to all these rules, our church groups would become smaller and smaller.

Rules and regulations, and equality and fairness, must be a selective process. I guess, the confusing times in which we live, what is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander.