Tommy Mann

Yes, I do eat shellfish. Thank you for asking. And to answer your next few questions, I also wear mixed fabric, I do not have a beard, and I thoroughly enjoy bacon. I’m making these answers public because they keep coming up, usually as anonymous comments on my blog. It is the classic atheist defense. Thinking they know the Bible because some liberal professor or friend has pointed out a passage in Leviticus, they use these commands to justify their atheism, or more likely, their desire to not have to follow the rules of a Lord. If a blog mentions homosexuality, I can set my watch by the response: So you pick and choose which verses you believe? Do you eat shellfish? True, the Old Covenant laws forbid the eating of shellfish, along with anything with a cloven hoof, thus scrapping pig from the menu. Clothing was not to be made from mixed fabrics, men could not shave the corners of their beard, and on and on. But that doesn’t matter to me for two reasons. First, e...

The purpose of this post is not to defend Phil Robertson or his comments. In fact, I don’t think that is the main objective of any of the Duck Dynasty patriarch’s supporters. What is alarming to many of us is that Phil’s rights end when homosexuals’ rights advance. I realize that the 1 st Amendment doesn’t guarantee that Phil be on a reality show; however, I think we all realize what would happen if the roles were reversed. Who is the last person to lose a job, sponsorship, or their reputation for slandering or “judging” those of us who stand for the sanctity of marriage? Every person who calls us intolerant, hateful, bigots, religious nuts, homophobic, and any of the other divisive insults is doing the same thing Phil Robertson did. Some might argue what they are doing is worse. How is that worse? Robertson only answered a question (much like Mr. Cathy from Chick-fil-A did). Would we rather Robertson lie? That might be the norm for politicians, but dishonesty should...

An Associate Pastor’s wife has made headlines for referring to the Southern Baptist Convention as “Shiite Baptists” for opposing homosexuality and the Boy Scouts’ decision to allow in homosexual scout leaders. The Associate Pastor resigned in the wake of his wife’s article (although he claims he was fired). This has naturally sparked another round of debates about how Christians are to view homosexuality. For the record, the Bible repeatedly condemns it, a fact that many in the church have decided to ignore. But how fair is it to compare Baptists to Shiite Muslims? Sure, both groups view homosexuality as a sin, but Muslims teach that homosexuals are to be executed, while Christians teach that they are to be loved. So while the media is having its field day calling Christians hate-filled homophobic bigots, don’t forget that they also champion Islam as being the religion of peace. Sure, one group kills homosexuals, and one group is called to love ...

During these Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) hearings before the Supreme Court I keep hearing how much Christians hate gay people. This was news to me since I am a Christian and I don’t hate gay people. I also go to church with over 1000 other Christians, and if any of them hate gay people, they sure haven’t told me. Before moving to South Carolina I worked at or attended several churches in Texas; prior to that I spent a decade going to church in Florida. Guess what? No one hated gay people. In fact, I don’t know any Christians who hate anybody. The very uniform of a believer is his love, and if a person does not show consistent love, then he is not actually a believer. Are there non-believers who hate gay people and claim to be Christian? Of course. But that doesn’t represent Jesus or His church. Equating  hateful sign-wavers with Christianity is like equating a kindergarten baseball team to the New York Yankees. They may claim to be playing the s...

Jesus did speak about homosexuality. He said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them MALE and FEMALE, and said, "Therefore a MAN shall leave his FATHER and his MOTHER and hold fast to his WIFE, and the two shall become one flesh (Matthew 19:4-5)." Jesus mentioned father and mother, male and female, and husband and wife being made that way from the beginning by God. It doesn't get any more clear than that. Aside from that, we don't know a fraction of what Jesus said when He was on earth. John ended his gospel by writing,  " Now  there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that  the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25)." Even still, God is the author of the Bible (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit being One)--the same Bible that declares homosexuality a sin in Leviticus 18 and 20, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians...