It's tricky, because so many Gays embrace their... uh, Gay-ness, if you will, as a large part of their identity. For better or worse, they're promoting that difference and making it a prominent part of who they are. I realize some of this is in defiance of the norm, but it still goes to show that part of the "difference" is self-imposed.
Well they have a disagreement with you on the nature of sin. Gays are either A) Not Christian or B) Christian. They group of gays that fall under the part B) Christian have a fundamental disagreement with you on the nature of sin. They believe that being gay is an inherent part of their being, it was the way that God made them, since God made them that way they should not struggle against their nature. Instead they should embrace their nature, embrace their humanity and their own dignity, and through that dignity find a way to establish a relationship with God, a divine being that is infinite. It is through their own humanity that they can learn how to establish a relationship with something beyond themselves.
Many theologians argue that this is one reason that God made himself both man and God with his son Jesus Christ. It is through his son that we learn how to establish a relationship with the son and the father, it is through his son that we learn on the proper way to live.
Having a honest disagreement on how one views himself should not be a reason to devolve into an US vs Them arrangement. An honest disagreement on a world view doesn't even escalate to the area of "enemy" and yet Jesus said we should love our enemies. The world that Jesus lived in had hundreds of groups who had different world views of God, some were Roman, some were Jews, some were the other religions of the Mediterranean. Yet Jesus taught cooperation with all. His most potent parables were even about different branches of Judaism bickering over trivial details yet missing the bigger picture.
Unfortunately, Gays aren't the only people being bullied or committing suicide. Kids are vicious, regardless, but we should do what we can to stop bullying. (as it's cowardly and harmful)
Yes we should do whatever we can to stop bullying. But the reasons of a higher rate of suicide with Gays are showing we obviously aren't doing enough. When a rate of something is over 100% compared to the general population than that shows either two things:
1) There is something fundamentally different about the two populations (this is possible)
2) That the environment treats the two populations differently (which is what I find far more likely based on my experiences).
Love the Sinner
- 13/10/2010 04:07:28 PM
1181 Views
I have to think about that for a while.
- 13/10/2010 04:30:56 PM
714 Views
Suicide is significantly higher in young gay populations
- 13/10/2010 05:36:01 PM
653 Views
That is not what I think requires thought
- 13/10/2010 05:56:06 PM
658 Views
Nossy I ain't a mind reader, no matter how I try 
or how much I would do Jean Grey
- 13/10/2010 06:06:42 PM
787 Views
or how much I would do Jean Grey
- 13/10/2010 06:06:42 PM
787 Views
ok now show that it caused by what Christian beliefs *NM*
- 13/10/2010 06:50:32 PM
341 Views
I don't think it's the belief's themselves
- 14/10/2010 12:20:01 AM
697 Views
The churches who encourage people to bully gays should be condemned
- 14/10/2010 06:43:06 PM
688 Views
Ah, that Ghandi quote sure does get around. (which is funny, since he wasn't a Christian) 
- 13/10/2010 05:07:42 PM
774 Views
- 13/10/2010 05:07:42 PM
774 Views
I'm not sure that is true
- 13/10/2010 05:16:30 PM
659 Views
When's the last time you heard the quote attributed to anyone else?
- 13/10/2010 08:34:10 PM
635 Views
- 13/10/2010 08:34:10 PM
635 Views
That many people don't know the correct origin doesn't change it though
- 13/10/2010 09:31:13 PM
786 Views
I think you are missing his point
- 13/10/2010 05:45:45 PM
740 Views
Question (and this one actually is asking for information 
)...
- 13/10/2010 06:42:17 PM
573 Views
)...
- 13/10/2010 06:42:17 PM
573 Views
I have seen gays be bullied before
- 13/10/2010 07:02:35 PM
766 Views
You just didn't listen to a thing I said *NM*
- 13/10/2010 07:09:29 PM
302 Views
why do you believe that? Because I don't agree with what you said?
- 13/10/2010 07:30:27 PM
686 Views
I said you aren't listening to a thing I said, for you didn't respond to anything that I wrote
- 13/10/2010 07:52:50 PM
667 Views
you are not interested in talking to anyone who doesn't agree with you
- 13/10/2010 09:01:03 PM
657 Views
I think there's truth in this as well.
- 13/10/2010 07:55:00 PM
710 Views
churches tend to refelect society as much if not more then they influence it
- 14/10/2010 07:15:35 PM
682 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point
- 13/10/2010 08:30:42 PM
742 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point
- 13/10/2010 09:55:52 PM
749 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point
- 14/10/2010 03:49:14 PM
734 Views
Actually you can very much debate whether homosexuality is a sin on a textual level
- 14/10/2010 05:49:22 PM
767 Views
Re: Actually you can very much debate whether homosexuality is a sin on a textual level
- 14/10/2010 08:52:24 PM
776 Views
Do you know greek or hebrew?
- 14/10/2010 08:57:32 PM
635 Views
I know a few words here and there, but not really. Do you?
- 14/10/2010 10:46:36 PM
761 Views
There's a good case on both sides (try Strong's Concordance, if you haven't, btw. )
- 15/10/2010 05:09:21 AM
1179 Views
You're kind of sidestepping a large part of his point
- 13/10/2010 05:51:53 PM
784 Views
so should Christians abandon other religious conviction to stop bullying?
- 13/10/2010 07:39:54 PM
684 Views
Many good points there; I think I'll let you play Defender of the Faith for a bit.
- 14/10/2010 08:50:23 AM
778 Views
- 14/10/2010 08:50:23 AM
778 Views
I think he is jackass that does not believe other's can have apoint of view
- 13/10/2010 06:48:12 PM
678 Views
That's right, bullying would go away if we didn't have Christians to make moral judgements on things
- 13/10/2010 08:11:27 PM
767 Views
I mostly agree
- 13/10/2010 08:19:00 PM
834 Views
most of the bullies I remember from school were not known for their regular church attendance
- 14/10/2010 07:24:06 PM
647 Views
Let me see if I can understand where we agree, it is hard to do with all the Sarcasm 
- 13/10/2010 08:48:38 PM
719 Views
- 13/10/2010 08:48:38 PM
719 Views
Meh. He's not entirely incorrect. But not all Christians are anti-gay.
- 13/10/2010 08:43:04 PM
740 Views
It is better to be a Tolkein than a Token
- 13/10/2010 08:52:09 PM
712 Views
- 13/10/2010 08:52:09 PM
712 Views
If I were a Tolkien liberal Christian, wouldn't that make me an American Roman Catholic? 
*NM*
- 13/10/2010 09:18:57 PM
280 Views
*NM*
- 13/10/2010 09:18:57 PM
280 Views
Interesting
- 13/10/2010 08:56:46 PM
999 Views
His first three sentences were totally unecessary. The rest is conspiracy-laden nonsense.
- 14/10/2010 12:37:06 AM
764 Views
Re:
- 14/10/2010 03:06:36 AM
752 Views
I think Chora has dibs on that bumper sticker.
- 14/10/2010 09:35:02 AM
816 Views
Re:
- 14/10/2010 11:50:04 PM
760 Views
It's nothing at all like cultural relativism.
- 15/10/2010 01:16:10 AM
661 Views
I don't think there is any question...
- 14/10/2010 04:42:45 AM
712 Views
A lot of Christian doctrine states that people cannot know who is worthy of God and it's not up to
- 14/10/2010 05:41:19 AM
709 Views
I think he's reading a lot of things into that letter that aren't there.
- 14/10/2010 08:22:13 AM
662 Views