Christianity and homophobia

Originally posted by Baal Melqart Originally posted by TITAN_ Originally posted by KongMing Ugh. The Old Testament does not hate homosexuals. It hates homosexuality. And whether or not us Westerners will accept it or not, there's a difference, since the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, you may only need look to the New Testament and see that homosexuals are lumped into the category of sinners that everyone else is. If you hate homosexuality, you hate homosexuals too, there is no other way. You can't love homosexuals while hating on homosexuality  Moreover, there is a passage saying that homosexuals must be  killed.... There is no room for alternative interpretations here. The Old Testament is clear and the Old Testament is part of ALL 3 main monotheistic religions! I'm not gonna comment on the 'homosexuals must be killed' bit because I don't like to start criticising other religions and starting flame wars. What I will say is that I disagree with you 100% on your first statement which is purely false and only represents your personal take on the matter. Yes, you can hate homosexuality, even loathe it but still love homosexual individuals and respect them. Your statement is completely invalid. I hate crime, I hate murder but I don't necessarily harbour ill feelings towards murderers because I believe that they can be rehabilitated and I wish them to repent and walk on the straight path instead. Sure, homosexuals may object to me wanting them to stop acting homosexual but then that's my perogative and I have the full right to hold such a position whilst not hating homosexual individuals per se.

Originally posted by TITAN_ Originally posted by KongMing Originally posted by TITAN_ Originally posted by KongMing Ugh. The Old Testament does not hate homosexuals. It hates homosexuality. And whether or not us Westerners will accept it or not, there's a difference, since the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, you may only need look to the New Testament and see that homosexuals are lumped into the category of sinners that everyone else is. If you hate homosexuality, you hate homosexuals too, there is no other way. You can't love homosexuals while hating on homosexuality  Moreover, there is a passage saying that homosexuals must be  killed.... There is no room for alternative interpretations here. The Old Testament is clear and the Old Testament is part of ALL 3 main monotheistic religions!   You're wrong Titan. I'm a believer in Christianity, and quite grounded in it. Our example is to love as Christ loved. Just because we know the consequences of other people's actions (Or even attitudes), doesn't mean that we WANT that consequence to follow. The problem with citing the Old Testament as a hate mongering book is that it is based on preserving Israel so it will produce the Messiah so he could save all of Mankind. (That's Jesus to us, the Believers). Hence why so many harsh rules were enforced. Christianity does not really reject the Old Testament which remains as part of the new religion. The New Testament improves on the Old one, but does accept it as ...prehistory.

Mosaic Law was set into place so the Messiah could come forth from the society practicing those Laws. Jesus lives.

Yes. . . and it doesn't matter, no matter how sad or brutal how it seems. The death  of people, is sad. God says he doesn't even like to kill those who are evil.

Originally posted by TITAN_ Originally posted by KongMing Yes. . . and it doesn't matter, no matter how sad or brutal how it seems. The death  of people, is sad. God says he doesn't even like to kill those who are evil. Unfortunately, the deaths of thousands or even millions is nothing compared to the eternal agony and suffering of Hell. Without the Messiah who was brought forth from the Jewish people, the truth of the matter is the eternal destiny of everyone who has ever lived would be Hell. The death of many people through seemingly unfair laws or even misunderstandings is preferable to the entirety of Mankind going to Hell. A god who is all-loving and all-knowing, demands the death of homosexuals and those who work on a Sabbath day? I don't sense much love there. It sounds more like a Punisher.

Anyway, I wish to put an end to this debate, since I am an atheist and none of this makes any sense.

I do not condemn any faith in particular, as I said. Atheists simply do not believe in ANY faith at all. 

Apparently gay people are called "faggots" because Christians used to burn them to death. The original faggot was a piece of wood used to light the hearth

Simply from an anatomical biological perspective.

Is not the homo sexual "act" unnatural?
And as such against "gods" design.

Originally posted by Baal Melqart Originally posted by Azita Simply from an anatomical biological perspective.Is not the homo sexual "act" unnatural?And as such against "gods" design. It goes against the theory of evolution and natural selection... which are based on the capacity of species to survive through reproduction. Some species are naturally 'homosexual' such as seahorses and manatees but they are able to reproduce in this manner and survive.

Baal Melqart - Seahorses and manatees do not reproduce through same sex copulation. But regardless of that, how does homosexuality go against evolution? If humans have evolved to include it in their diversity, then it must be part of evolution, otherwise where does it come from? Not everything in life is expressly concentrated on the production of offspring (hypermobility, the appendix, hair colour, etc).

Azita- The homosexual act requires no artificial modifications to the body, so how is it unnatural? It is not done for the intention of producing children, so its failure to do so seems a pointless comment. If you mean that semen is wasted, then that means men who have sex with women but use a condom, or have sex with post-menopausal women, are performing a even more unnatural act, because the woman should 'naturally' get pregnant. Men having sex with men produces a 'natural' result - no children.

If I follow the above two posts' logic {sex is only natural/god's design if it leads to pregnancy), then rape is natural and okay as long as the victim gets pregnant.

Homosexual acts between consenting adults is no ones business to judge but their own.

Edited by Sidney - 06-Mar-2013 at 12:00