I was not present to witness the picketers at the Southern Pines Business Association's "Holiday Open House and Tree Lighting," but I was disturbed by the manner in which you handed those "well-intentioned but party-pooping" folks a bogey in last week's Pilot (Dec. 2).

You made it a point to mention that this group was acting within their right of free expression. Your statement was that the organizers of this event were trying to "display tolerance and inclusiveness," and I'm sure this was their honest and sincere intention. However, what I found offensive was in the closing statement when you asked, "Come to think of it, aren't those supposed to be Christian virtues?''

I would like to answer your question by saying, absolutely not. Nowhere in the Bible does it call for Christians to be tolerant and inclusive. In fact, it is quite the opposite. We are taught that there is only one right way to God and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament contains story after story about how God punishes those who choose to be tolerant of and participate in other religions and the worship of other gods.

As Christians we have watched our sacred holiday of Christmas become another pawn in the cesspool of political correctness. Tolerance and inclusiveness may be fine for the public at large, but as Christians, if we embrace this philosophy, the end result will be a watered-down form of Christianity that will be ineffective in and outside the church.

So here's a great big bogey to The Pilot for smugly dissing some Christians for defending their holiday with an incorrect assumption.

Glenn Short

Carthage