The Honolulu Star-Bulletin recently published a letter from James Girves on hates crimes: "I have read recently that all crimes are about hate. Where did that silly notion come from? It seems to be the misguided spin of those against the hate crimes bill.
"But let's examine this. When a burglar steals, he does it out of greed, not hate. When a rapist rapes, it is for power, not hate. When a murderer murders it could be for envy, jealousy, greed or self-preservation, rarely purely out of hate. Hate really has no part in the vast majority of crimes."
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James Carruthers brings up a good point in his letter to the Australian: "Implicit in the Anglican Dean of Perth John Shepherd's article 'Marriage shouldn't be clergy's business' ( Opinion, 28th May ) is the notion that what sin is ( homosexuality in particular ) is not permanent, that it may in fact change. Certainly the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' was at least temporarily stayed during the last war by the Christian chaplains on both sides, as they blessed their troops and implicitly ( perhaps explicitly ) urged them to go out and kill the enemy."
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Also in the Australian, Scott Cardamatis writes about his alienation from the Catholic church on the appointment of the new homophobic Archbishop: "I was christened a Catholic and have always viewed St. Mary's Cathedral as a tremendous place of sanctity, security and retreat. When challenged by life or in time of need with the passing of a loved one, I have turned to St. Mary's for help and reflection. ... This sense of peace has departed, being replaced with a sense of hostility and judgment. Archbishop George Pell's appointment has been welcomed by many who live by a doctrine similar to his, but what of those who have moved beyond judgment and feel the need to create a wider family encompassing acceptance and tolerance. ... His appointment is a selfish indulgence of conservatism that will alienate many, and further limit the Catholic Church's ability to reach out to the community that it purports to assist."