The Rev clearly believes in freedom of speech, unless of course he disagrees with what has been said. Typical! Thanks for perpetuating the stereo-type of the hypocritical christian.

"By printing that cartoon, you...gave legitimacy to those who hold that belief." Hmmm...are you proclaiming that the beliefs of people who disagree with you aren't legitimate? Wow. As a Christian myself, I would never malign your beliefs, but I cannot approve of your thinking that your views must certainly be shared by all the good Christian folk out here. It's that kind of indignant self-righteousness that turns people away from the modern Christian church. Mr. Smith is right to question your insistence on Biblical values when you decide which values set forth in the Bible are worth clinging to and which can be ignored (i.e. polygamy, slavery, oppression of women,etc.). And Greg, I find it interesting that you said "Christian Bible." The Jewish part is much longer than the Christian part. And Jesus himself never commented on homosexuality that we know of.

I am frequently offended by Mona Charen's columns, but I won't take the LDN to task for publishing them. And I can't say that I haven't learned from her. You will notice that most (all?) of the syndicated columnists published in the LDN are conservative Republicans, so my impression is that our paper does pander to the right wing. So please don't "malign" them when they publish a different point of view. We need to see varied opinions so that we might learn from each other, for no mortal has all the answers. Reverend, I believe your daughter's impassioned testimony about what a good man you are. I beg that you also consider the possibility that there are plenty of good Christian people in LaGrange of all ages who don't see things exactly as you do and yes, lean to the left. Thanks for reading.

Dear Reader,

I know just as soon as I let you know that the Reverend that wrote this letter is my Daddy that I will loose most of you because you are going to stop reading but he is infact my Daddy. I have stood idly by and watched people attack and belittle him for standing up for his beliefs for many years now and have said nothing because I did not want to stoop to the level of some of you that have done the attacking, but this time, I will not stand by and watch my Daddy be attacked for standing up for what he believes.

I understand that people have differences of opinion. I am not so naive to believe that everyone is going to agree and that is fine but when you attack my Daddy for his beliefs and for standing up for his beliefs then that is where I have a problem!

I have been the oldest daughter of Aaron and Marianne McCollough for 35 years, so I have first hand knowledge of this man that so many are so eager to attack.

My Daddy has been a preacher for as long as I can remember. My opinion is that he is one of the best I know, but more importantly he has been a man of God all my life and there is a difference. You see there are many preachers who get up and preach about God and religion but my Daddy eats, lives, breathes, and sleeps as a man of God, that is the difference. My Daddy is the same in a pulpit as he is out of a pulpit. I understand that what he believes and preaches will not make him win a popularity contest with some but he does live what he preaches.

I have been there when people have mocked him, made fun of him and put him down for his beliefs but I have also been there when some of those same people who hurt him and caused him pain have needed him and without fail he has went. I have been there when as a child he would get phone calls in the middle of the night because some family was having a crisis and needed him to come and pray and help them figure out what to do, and without hesitation he would go. I have watched him be hurt by " religious people ". I have watched as people have made death threats against him for standing up for his beliefs and still he carries on because he was called by God to be a man of God, and not just some preacher.

I can see why some people are disheartened by religion. Religious people can hurt you worse than anyone. Religious people are who crucified Jesus but there is a huge difference in having a religious experience and having a relationship with God. I know you think and believe that God is a delusional superstition but I can assure, that is not the truth. You see I too have a personal relationship with God. He is my everything!! If I did not have him, I would have nothing!! I cannot understand how people would choose not to have him. Does having a relationship with God mean that life will always be a bed of roses, no it does not! Life still happens, people still get sick, jobs still go wrong, people will still die in your life, friends and family will still hurt you and betray you, but God helps you to make it through. He makes facing life just a little easier. It was my Daddy who introduced me to God but I have my own first hand knowledge of this God that will never leave me or forsake me. You can call it a superstition, you can say I am delusional or brainwashed or whatever you want to say but I know what I have experienced. I have not had it all perfect and rosey. I have had pains and heartaches that not many people will ever know. In just the last 8 months, I have lost 3 loved ones to death, one of those was my husband's two year old nephew, who was perfectly healthy three days before he got sick and died, and have dealt with issues with my own child and for the last 6 years, I have watched as my sister has battled an unknown illness. You see life is not rosey but until you experience those moments in the middle of the night that all hope seems lost and then you begin to feel this presence that just seems to wrap its arms around you and say I am here then you do not have any idea of the relationship with God that I have, not the religion.

My Daddy is not perfect, no one is but he is one awesome man. He is true to what he believes! He is a man of integrity, he says what he means and if he tells you he is going to do something then you can believe he is. I am blessed beyond measure to have had that kind of influence in my life. I have never seen my Daddy take a drink, I have never seen my Daddy raise a hand in anger to my Momma, I have never heard my Daddy say a curse word, and I have never seen a moment in my life when my Daddy was not there when he was needed the most. He may not be popular for his beliefs, he may even still receive ridicule and rejection but he does not let that change what his number one mission in life is and that is to be the man of God that God called him to be.

Heather Pasley

In response to the Offended, Disbelieving And Befuddled Rev. McCollough, who admittedly does not know the demographics of LaGrange Daily News subscribers but readily speculates that all of us are offended by a cartoon exposing the dictatorial greasy chicken sandwich maker for what he is, I will note that I am not offended by the exercise of free speech by this, or any other newspaper. As long as this remains a free country, free speech certainly is okay with me.

Should we be offended when a preacher proclaims that everyone in this community must adhere to his set of delusional superstitions? Thank goodness our society does not follow bronze-age biblical values of which so many preachers seem to be so proud. Preachers either forget that biblical values include slavery, rape, incest, mass murder, cannibalism, infanticide, and systematic oppression of women, or they have never actually read that dreadful book.

I am pleased that the LaGrange Daily News is not afraid to publish political cartoons and is also not afraid to stand up to a sheriff who threatens a supporter of another candidate. Let us remember that the free press has a long history of supporting democracy, but religions do not!

Mike Smith

Where to begin with your letter? Would it be in the presumption that the goal of the paper is to reflect the preconceived ideas of the readership, or to inform the readership of other points of view for consideration? How about the notion of support for gay rights is an "extreme" position, when according to a July 2012 Pew Research Center poll, 48% of Americans support the right of marriage for gay and lesbian couples, vs. 44% opposed? Perhaps I could point out that support of gay rights does not "malign" your values, as you are free to hold whatever values you wish? That freedom, however, does not grant you the privilege of imposing your values on everyone else. I am extremely tolerant of your beliefs in opposition to gay marriage or other gay rights. The question is, are you tolerant of my beliefs and that apparently of 48% of the rest of the country?

Dear Reverend:

As you point out, this is the LaGrange Daily News, and not the LaGrange Daily Baptist Newsletter. A newspaper, as the Fourth Estate, is in fact the exact appropriate venue for a comic, or article or letter to express a diversity of perspectives. To call for censorship of diversity of perspective is counter to our values as a nation.

And, I might add, not even the opinion of ALL religions. While Baptist may hold one opinion, Episcopalians recently approve marriage equality, as have Unitarians (the religion of many Founding Fathers). There are even surveys showing religious youth, including Baptist youth, who have more tolerance and are disheartened by religion in politics, turning from the church.

All this to say there is a diversity of perspective - even in Troup County, Georgia - an a healthy respect for that should be reflected in its media.