BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Vice President Al Gore praised Hollywood on Thursday for producing the openly lesbian TV character "Ellen," saying she forced Americans to ''look at sexual orientation in a more open light."

His remarks were reminiscent of' Vice President Dan Quayle, who denounced TV character "Murphy Brown" for having a child out of wedlock. But Gore sided with the entertainment industry on the more recent pop-culture controversy.

The title character in ABC's sitcom "Ellen'' told her friends and family last season that she was gay. The star's show, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, made her homosexuality public about the same time.

The episode in which "Ellen'' revealed her lesbianism was highly rated, although the network was hit with some protests. This month, DeGeneres angrily objected to ABC's decision to place a warning advisory on an episode in which her character playfully kissed a female pal.

In a speech to the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, Gore singled out TV shows and characters for their contribution to society. "Oscar the Grouch" taught kids valuable lessons and ''Archie Bunker" forced Americans to confront their racial and ethnic prejudices, he said.

"And, when the character Ellen came out, millions of American were forced to look at sexual orientation in a more open light," Gore said.

His aides debated until a few minutes before the speech whether to keep line in his text, unsure of the public reaction.

So we have Gore vs. God. God has said that homosexuality is unnatural, vile, unseemly, filthy, and worthy of death (Romans 1; Jude 8). Mr. Core says we should look at "sexual orientation in a more open light," meaning that we should reconsider our opposition to homosexuality. They should not have kept "the line in his text" but it did show what was in his heart!

Our president has also placated the homosexuals in many ways. But that isn't all. The Congress passed a bill last year to outlaw a certain kind of abortion called partial birth abortion. (That is where a living baby is partially delivered, then scissors or another sharp instrument is plunged into its skull and its brains sucked out.) The president vetoed the bill. One excuse he used was the testimony of a person who afterwards admitted publicly that he lied in what he said about the danger to certain mothers. Did that confession change the president? Congress passed a similar bill recently by a large majority of both houses-and the president vetoed it! There may be enough votes to override his veto.

What can we expect of those who are not properly taught anyway when they see such examples as our president and vice president? Here we have one of them endorsing the murder of innocent babies, and the other endorsing and encouraging the worst sort of immorality. They seem to think more of their political future and personal aggrandizement than they do the lives of babies and morality of a nation. Young people look and listen to such leaders and say, "See, it's all right to kill innocent people and commit fornication." And so they do!

For five years, almost daily, we see and hear scandals, accusations, charges and lies. And some of them are true! We call upon our youth to forgive those who put prosperity before morality and politics before principle and thus put such characters in high office. They did not represent millions of Americans and certainly not the teaching of God's word!