To the Editor:

I have read in the Old Testament portion of the Bible that sexual relations between men is forbidden, but I don’t recall that the same thing is forbidden to women. I would appreciate someone pointing out where I can find that. I also don’t recall Jesus himself saying anything at all about homosexuals, though it does appear in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which was written by Paul and does not quote Jesus, and there is significant disagreement of the precise translation of the term used (in fact, there is some question on the exact term in the original Greek).

Also, I know that wearing of garments of mixed fibers (like cotton/polyester) and the eating of shellfish, pork, and meat and dairy products in the same meal or from the same plates is forbidden. These are sins, too, according to the Old Testament. Almost all the members of my family (who profess a wide variety of religious beliefs) commit these sins, except for one of my brothers who happens to be a Conservative Jew.

Are you suggesting that members of the clergy have to all believe the same thing and act in exactly the same way? That has never been the case for as long as there have been beliefs that can be considered religious.

Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself, adding that all the rest of the commandments and law was based on these two.

Penelope Hernandez, Waddington