I realize another thread has already been created about this at one point, but I was reminded of this fact tonight when I was watching an episode of Intervention.
In case you aren’t familiar with the show, it is a documentary style program about getting people off of drug. Tonight, it was about a one-time Olympic athlete who turned to crystal meth. It mentioned she felt very lonely at one point. She then got involved in the lesbian scene in Nebraska (she is a lesbian). Afterwards, it interviewed her family about her homosexuality. They were completely intolerant, hated that part of her, etc. They believe God puts homosexuals on the same level as adulterers, liars, thieves, murderers, etc.
I couldn’t help but think that if her family wasn’t so intolerant of her homosexuality, she wouldn’t have turned to meth in the first place. Of course, it’s impossible to say, but living in constant guilt, hatred, intolerance, etc., especially from one’s family, can’t be easy.
I guess it’s easy to say that the Bible has plenty of scripture preaching to be non-judgmental, but it has an overabundance of justification for abhorring it homosexuality. This is demonstrated by the millions of people around the world who hate homosexuality for exactly that reason: the Bible says it’s a monstrosity many times over.
Just one of the many detriments to this religious belief system.
I don’t hate homosexuals. I don’t agree with that lifestyle. It’s non-productive for the continuation of mankind. The Bible does state that relations between a man and a woman are what is considered to be the normal family unit and that God abhors any other type. It’s not up to mankind to judge others for their leanings in other than a man and woman relationship, that is God’s department. People are however allowed to disagree with lifestyles they deem incongruent with their upbringing and culture. This is done with no outward animosity towards those different sexual beliefs.
What I should have said is: This ‘should be’ done with no outward animosity towards those different sexual beliefs. For after all, we are all God’s children and we all sin.
Well personally I don’t like homosexuality, I think it is unnatural because if the human race was supposed to be homosexual there wouldn’t have been men and women and if we all were homosexual we would have been extinct a long time ago.
But even tho I think it is unnatural I respect those who gave chosen to live as homosexual because I expect them to respect my lifestyle. I don’t think that the bible can be used to condemn people. The bible was not written by God or Jesus it was written 100 years after Jesus’ death, and it only contains 4 out of 30 evangels. The bible is to me not the word of God… it is the words of approximated 100 person’s interpretation of what they have heard of Jesus.
If people wants to be homosexuals then let them I say, as long the don’t harm anybody or does any real damage then why not just let them. Christians shouldn’t stand with the bible in the their hands and judge, let God be the judge of the Christians laws, if he thinks its wrong he can send them to hell. We have no right what so ever to make earth a living hell to homosexuals just because it stands in a book.
And Christianity breeds Atheists, so it’s really one big never ending cycle.
I would say that while Christianity is a large cause of homophobia, it is not the only one. People are naturally predisposed to dislike that which they view as different.
I have no problem with homosexuality, and see no reason why anyone would mind it.
I think that there is evidence for both theses . . . but I’m not sure what they have to do with Christian theology/philosophy. Christianity in a social context . . . well, I think there might be a discussion to be had there.
People will find any excuse to be superior or dislike someone else. If it is not homosexual or religion or anti religion or political, it would be how you wear your shoes or even more applicable to this day and age, How you wear your pants. Personally baggy pants do not bother me I find them rather amusing… especially when those youngsters try to run… and the underwear showing? Now that is funny. It sort of glorifies the repairman’s rear crack issue
“Well personally I don’t like homosexuality, I think it is unnatural because if the human race was supposed to be homosexual there wouldn’t have been men and women and if we all were homosexual we would have been extinct a long time ago.”
Similarly, if man was meant to fly he would have wings. And we are not extinct, so that is no argument against homosexuality.
Perhaps homosexuality was invented as a ‘fly in the ointment’, to rattle the cages of the pious. Because of homosexuality and the pressure (for want of a better word) it has put on society, society as a whole has become more compassionate, tolerant and accommodation, towards homosexuals and other minorities.
Before anyone points out the obvious idiocy of this statement, I mean sex for pleasure. Mankind could all be homosexual for pleasure, but have sex with women to fufill the need to procreate. Any argument based on the fact that homosexuality is not natural is doomed to failure. Anything people can do with their bodies is perfectly natural.
I respect your opinion that the Bible is not God’s word but in my opinion it is very evident that God divinely inspired every one of the authors of the Bible given how many prophesies of the bible have been fulfilled and are still unfolding. Homosexuality is not the biggest sin in the world. The Word of God makes in pretty clear that sin is sin, so there is nothing special about homosexuality; it is just as much sin as fornication, adultery, murder, lying, drunkenness etc. The only sin that the Bible says is above all sins is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. So the Christians who condemn homosexuals are not getting it from God’s word because the Bible does not say homosexuality any more of a sin than any other. So people who condemn homos are usually committing sexual sins themselves, like fornication. Jesus said before you point out the speck in your brother’s eye, first take the log out of your own eye.
In the Bible when the woman who was caught in adultery was about to be stoned to death, Jesus said let he who is without sin cast the first stone. So let he who is perfect and without sin cast the first stone at a homosexual.
God hates ALL sin but Christians are called to love and pray for all people, including homos.
Two things, I’m not sure that the Bible says it’s a monstrosity all that many times, or goes so far as to say it’s monstrous at all. I’m pretty sure that it says it is a sin (though I’m no theologian), which I think is different in connotation from a monstrosity. I’m also fairly sure that it is mentioned at most in 10 or so verses out of 30,000 or so in the entire document. That’s something like .03% of the Bible. I wouldn’t qualify that as an overabundance. Adultery on the other hand gets much more air time biblically, but adulterers usually don’t turn to Crystal Meth because they are afraid to confront their families. Dishonesty gets a ton of verses dedicated to it, but most people who tell lies aren’t shunned by their families. I daresay that homosexuality’s bad rap isn’t related to religion in its base form so much as culture and society, perhaps some base biological issue, but I’m no sociologist/biologist either, so I’ll leave it to better minds than mine.
I’m also not sure how this is a detriment to Christianity. Either Christianity is true, in which case the sinfulness of homosexuality becomes merely a fact and neither a detriment nor an asset, or Christianity is false in which case the fact that it is false is probably much more detrimental to the religion than its particular stance on a subject.
Are you trying to discover the truth of Christianity or just spouting rhetoric that you hope people will buy into on an emotional basis?
You have established your own moral system, and a poor one at that. Why is homosexuality okay and using an amphetamine wrong? Many could turn that around: Homosexuality is wrong under any circumstance, whereas amphetamine use is okay, or even recommended, within certain limits and under certain circumstances. See my pilot on meth thread for further elaboration.
The bible is not alone on that issue. Check out Plato’s Laws:
Homosexuals are fine so is anyone that does drugs. We are all soverign entities in the real world. We should all get our collective asses out of the fantasy world we live in currently. Just my oppinion carry on with the argument.
Using an amphetamine isn’t “wrong,” but the health consequences can be severe. I wouldn’t hate somebody for using them. And don’t bring up AIDS unless you also want to bring up Africans.
I wonder if Plato knew there were homosexual animals that are found in nature? Hrmm…probably not. Apparently you didn’t know either! Surprise!
The bible might be written with divine inspiration but if we look at the 4 gospels the newest are friendlier towards the Romans. It is a historical fact that Pilates was a very violent person and later he lost his position because of this, he wouldn’t have had any problems with the torture of Jesus. But somehow in the newest gospel Pilates was said to be a respectable man who had to crucify Jesus because of Jewish demands. Even though the authors of the bible was under divine inspiration I still think that politic have twisted the facts in it.
When all this is said I really like you view on the Christian contentment of homosexuals. You are right when you say:†God hates ALL sin but Christians are called to love and pray for all people, including homos.†Well spoken =D>
