To The Editor,It’s never really about the surface issue — what colour people are, or what religion they practice, or even who they are attracted to. It’s always really about people’s fears and hatreds and desire to have power, strong feelings emanating from the darkest parts of the human spirit. Whatever the surface issue is trotted out to be used as the fuel, discrimination against a group of people is the lowest point of the human condition. Discrimination is just so easy, so comfortable, making one group feel ever so superior and removing the need to see these others as simple human beings with strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams. Dismissed because of their colour, or their religion, or their sexual preference, or any number of other easy reasons we can come up with to justify them being treated inhumanely.And now we have the latest discrimination binge and it all sounds so familiar. Throughout history there have been a few startling similarities to how this has all gone down — similarities which are again obvious in these most recent attacks. And at the front, the Christian Church has been faithful through the ages, always standing tall alongside those in power, ready to fight whatever good fight is popular with the ruling group. And let not anyone stand in the way of these mighty institutions, for they have the Wrath of God in reserve, ready to strike a blow for this latest cause, however hateful and damaging it might be.But even I was shocked when I realised that the Anglican Church was on the dark side of this issue about homosexuality, dismissing all scientific and humane evidence, sadly the same stand they once took on the issues of slavery and then segregation. I was shocked because I was always taught that the fundamental thrust of this Anglican business, what made us different, was to take the high road, to be at the forefront when it came to moral leadership and a bravery of conscience. Instead I see that we are in for a long period of hedging on this certainly-not-complex issue, dragging out the convenient Old Testament verses and couching the simple act of old-fashioned discrimination as certainly not a personal decision of the current church leadership, but rather their duty to follow the Word of God.I suppose when it was in their interest, and not that long ago, Anglicans sat around and quoted all the Old Testament verses where slaves are admonished to do whatever their masters demanded and how Noah’s curse on Canaan set this all in motion. How cosy it all must have been, justifying why black people were destined by God to be the inferior race. How self-serving and inhumane that seems today.There is not much hope that the more fundamentalist churches will even reflect on this issue with any degree of objective scholarship. But maybe it is time for Anglicans to reflect on what they want their church to represent and be brave enough to take a stand — to demand that their Church will in fact follow the loving teachings of Jesus Christ and not let the personal prejudices of the leadership determine the course. Somehow I can’t see Jesus lining up on the dark side of this issue. Can anyone?Living-in-Paradise