I remember “Mister Rogers neighborhood” from when my children were young. It was a very comforting show, very calming…I remember Mister Rogers would slowly put on his cardigan at the beginning of every show…He was a soothing presence, never threatening just a quiet loving person…
\nHe passed away last February and his memorial service was last week. It was a large gathering of friends and family, both famous and ordinary who came together to share their love for this man.
\nI read the newspaper reports on it and it seems to have been a beautiful and touching ceremony. What upset me was the fact that there were protesters outside.<\/p>\n
“A group of about a half dozen members of an anti-gay organization gathered to protest what they called Rogers’ failure to condemn homosexuality. The group held signs expressing their hatred of gays and, while standing on a torn American flag, their hatred of America.”<\/p>\n
First of all protesting a memorial service is totally no class, no matter who passed away. Second, attacking someone for “FAILING to condemn” homosexuality makes no sense: the man was a children show host not a judge! Thirdly, and this is personal, expressing such hatred for fellow human beings, no matter what their personal choices are, is hard for me to understand. I have a hard time grasping why some groups are so aggressive in expressing their beliefs and forcing others to share them. I can respect that someone has beliefs and practices that differ from mine…I am not threatened by it, why can’t others do the same? If a group is convinced they are the only “right” ones…why attack others? Be happy that heaven will not be overcrowded…and leave well enough alone…If I had very strong religious beliefs and wanted to convert the world to them…I would use positive marketing techniques to do so…attacking does not sound like the way to go…<\/p>\n
I know this sounds naive…I also know that this is only a very small part of the debate on tolerance and on rising conservatism …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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