Editor's Note: Featured comments are the most thoughtful or eloquently stated comments from our Facebook page and crestviewbulletin.com and do not necessarily reflect the newspaper management's views.

What would Jesus do

Would Jesus stand on the streets, yelling all of the things that he didn't condone (or specifically perform, in this case) in order to get people to believe, or would he show people love and encouragement on their spiritual journey? 

Whitney Barrow

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'Go and sin no more'

Yes, Jesus showed love, but He never compromised the truth. He still called (people) out on their sin — because of His love.

Remember: Jesus always told them to go and sin no more.

Erica Mason

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Read the Bible

Common sense tells me if we all agreed with the gay agenda, then we would become extinct because we would not reproduce and we'd die off, which is exactly Satan's plan (to wipe out the Jews and the Christians).

It's nothing new — read the Bible. This has been going on for generations.

Kerry Wood

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Speech comes with consequences

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequence. If (Pastor White) is okay with the fact that his sign has most likely lost him patrons, potential patrons, and respect from some members of the community — and possibly caused his patrons to have lost respect from some of the community — then keep on keeping on.

Kat Welty

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Sign preaches inequality

More intolerance and letting religious views stop equality.

Robert Rohlfing

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Gay marriage violates Constitution In the specific case of gay marriage, we have federal government (in this case, a federal judge) that is ruling on something that is not — not — within his constitutional purview.

Please read your Constitution, specifically the 9th and 10th Amendments. Remember, marriage certificates are issued by states (they are not federally issued certificates) because we didn’t give that power to the federal government, which means we and the states have that power.

Because of that, it is clear that this ruling is illegal and not — not — to be followed.

Rob English

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Municipal elections get little attention

I find it amusing how we're all up in arms over what a church posted (versus) who's running this town!

Jon Bell

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Just make flights affordable

I just wish we could fly in and out of here at affordable prices. I don't care if they call (Northwest Florida Regional Airport) the airfield. If prices aren't great, then who cares.

Kelly Hayes

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Speech comes with consequences, just make flights affordable

ABC's "What Would You Do?" is a hidden camera show that puts unsuspecting people in unusual, seemingly unethical or illegal situations, and monitors their reactions.

Scenarios have included teenagers beating a homeless man on the sidewalk; children vandalizing a car; a boss sexually harassing a waitress in front of her customers; and a transgender woman revealing she once was a man to a customer who taunts her.

Whenever I watch the show — which John Quinones hosts as part of ABC's "Primetime" series — I sometimes turn away.

Think about it: How utterly, terribly wrong things could go, as some unsuspecting people might not be the let's-hug-and-laugh-about-it type after the host reveals that they've been duped.

Or worse, what if they react illegally themselves upon witnessing apparent discrimination, property damage or whatever the case may be? (How many people can keep their cool after watching a homeless man being beaten?) It sometimes seems like the program builds unnecessary tension by fabricating scenarios statistically unlikely to occur in broad daylight, in crowded areas, just so we can sit back and enjoy the train wreck.   

Of course, I wonder whether a news show should create essentially false situations to score ratings, yet I find the spectacle of watching a different set of case studies on human compassion fascinating.

It's no surprise the show has lasted almost seven years; its theme taps into a question I think we all wonder about: what would we do in a given situation we'd never encountered?

Well, my test came Tuesday morning.

While driving to work, I took a shortcut from McCaskill Street and, while signaling to turn onto Hickory Avenue, a woman, perhaps in her late 30s, walked up to my car.

She said she was tired from walking and asked for a ride to her car, which was waiting at Pep Boys.

Having studied the woman's body language and read numerous books on making snap judgments to assess situations — I highly recommend Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" to learn more about that — I believed this was a time for charity.

Despite being on tight press deadlines, I let the woman in my car, but rolled down all the windows.

It's good to ask questions in these situations, and no journalist is short on questions.

The woman — let's call her "Marge," — said she lives in Crestview, graduated from Crestview High School and was a former Homecoming queen. (She even gave the year, but I won't divulge that here.) She answered my questions naturally, and I couldn't sense deception. So I started to feel at ease.

But her story changed a few times.

For instance, instead of going immediately to Pep Boys, she asked me to take her to the gas station for some oil, and to withdraw $15 in cash for gas.

Then, instead of going to Pep Boys, she asked me to keep driving past the auto repair shop and take her directly home.

Throughout the various detours on our trip, she commented on my car. "It's so nice," she said. There were moments when I questioned her motives, but I also thought how sad it is that we often turn away so many people who legitimately need help, fearing they're up to no good.

In this case, it was odd, but I trusted in God. I've never picked up a hitchhiker before, but was reminded of an old Tommy Shane Steiner song:

The lyrics go like this: "Maybe she's an angel/ Sent here from Heaven/ And she's making certain you're doing your best/ To take the time to help one another/ Brother, are you going to pass that test."

And then, as we pulled up to her house, I heard the rest of the song:

"You can go on with your day to day/ Trying to forget what you saw in her face/ Knowing deep down it could have been her saving grace/ What if she's an angel."

Here's hoping I helped her, and here's hoping I passed the test.

Have you encountered a similar situation? What did you do? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Testing compassion on Hickory Avenue

It's amazing how much has changed since 1967.

I was watching "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" Monday night on TCM, and couldn't believe the dialogue.

When John Wayde Prentice Jr., a black doctor portrayed by Sidney Poitier, introduces his white fiancée, Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine Houghton) to his parents — John and Mary Prentice Sr. (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards, respectively) — they appear stunned.

"I can explain," John Wayde says — as if he must justify falling in love.

Throughout the film, viewers wonder whether they and Joey's father, newspaper publisher Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) will accept this coupling.

Despite leading a liberal household that touts racial equality— Matt refers to black housekeeper Matilda "Tillie" Binks (Isabel Sanford) as a member of the family — it's a different situation when he realizes the challenges his daughter and potential son-in-law would face in a prejudiced world.

However, Joey's mother, Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn), and Mary provide much of the film's moral compass, recognizing that this man and this woman found love, which is all that matters.

All the concern about interracial marriage may puzzle today's viewer. Sure, some interracial couples still get second glances, but this seems like a non-issue for most people.

Today's viewer also may be shocked when Matt asks his potential son-in-law about Joey's expectations for any children they may have.

"She feels that every single one of our children will be president of the United States; that they'll all have colorful administrations," John Wayde says. "Frankly, I think your daughter is a bit optimistic; I'd settle for secretary of state."

The likelihood of a black president, even in Hollywood, seemed remote, yet Joey was right. Whether you approve of his policies— that's another discussion all together — this country elected Barack Obama while he was in his 40s, the same age range that the Prentices' children would be, in 2008.

The strides this country's made toward racial equality are credited to brave men and women like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks; they stood up — or sat down, in civil disobedience — for what's right in hopes of a better tomorrow. Some were beaten and bloodied; others gave their lives to change this country's thinking about something as simple —  but, inexplicably, divisive —  as skin color.  

It's important to remember these trailblazers' sacrifice. A number of Crestview residents marched in peace on Saturday to do just that; others gathered for an MLK march on Monday in Fort Walton Beach and throughout other locations in Northwest Florida and the country.

That's a fitting action, particularly for the civil rights movement.

And it calls to mind another movie that will become a classic: "Selma."

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Classic film offers black history lessons