[QUOTE=kladner;367001]I'm good with blaming St Paul for laying the groundwork for the systems of controlling people through guilt and fear.

Throw in the Old Testament proscriptions, well spiced with Biblical Literalism, and filter it through a bunch of Talibangelists whose TV ratings and pools of [STRIKE]marks[/STRIKE] contributors depend on how much fire and brimstone they spew, and all sorts of creepy-crawlies may come out which are quite at odds with the [STRIKE]supposed[/STRIKE] reported words of Jesus. :no:[/QUOTE]

I think it's high time that those who wish to apply the old testament proscriptions selectively were made to apply all of them to themselves, and suffer the punishments as well.

[QUOTE=BudgieJane;367179]I think it's high time that those who wish to apply the old testament proscriptions selectively were made to apply all of them to themselves, and suffer the punishments as well.[/QUOTE]
Hear, hear.:smile:

Mike contributed a useful list of suggestions along those lines some time ago in this thread:
[URL]http://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=302610[/URL]

[QUOTE=gd_barnes;366834]Yeah, I'm ashamed to live here. Fortunately it's not as bad in the few urban areas of the state. Alas...the south is much worse.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/16/3293904/kansas-senate-leaders-likely-to.html[/url]

Good news from your state! Even the ultra-religious conservatives are backing down (pushed in some measure by the business community)

[QUOTE=kladner;366874]"Forget the Constitution. God's law rules."[/QUOTE]
I'm in favor of forgetting the Constitution because of the mistaken notion that lawmakers actually give a damn what it says.

And, yes, I'm off-topic yet again. Sorry. :(

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;366965]This is just religious based bigotry and hatred at its worst. Typical
Republican thinking.[/quote]
lolwut? So religious people are mostly Republican, is that what you're saying? What about all the huge black churches? Are they filled with Republicans as well?

[quote]And they claim that their religious rights are denied [i]unless[/i] they
are allowed to discriminate against others.[/quote]
How do they discriminate against them? By avoiding them and condemning their behavior? That's not discrimination, that's the expected response when you disapprove of something.

[quote]Pure horseshit. The right to practice religion does not give one the
right to discriminate against others based upon those beliefs.[/QUOTE]
Again, how is there discrimination. If you're talking about taxes, how would you feel if I got a tax write-off for ogling high school girls? That would be pretty offensive wouldn't it? But your prejudice(even though I agree with it) is somehow more valid because it isn't associated with a person's religious beliefs?

You seem to think Christians get joy from stalking and harrassing homosexuals. I can assure you this isn't true. But if someone is openly homosexual in a town where a large portion of the population disapproves, they are obviously going to get a bad vibe from the town, and this is even without any laws being broken or harrassment occuring.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;366993]What puzzles me:

Where do they get all this hatred? Jesus preached love and tolerance.[/QUOTE]
He also preached morality. Obviously, a person's behavior is going to be different if they believe a loving supernatural figure is looking out for them 24/7.

[QUOTE=BudgieJane;367179]I think it's high time that those who wish to apply the old testament proscriptions selectively were made to apply all of them to themselves, and suffer the punishments as well.[/QUOTE]
The Old Testament laws are basically history to most Christians. We apply them selectively because the spiritual landscape has changed. It would be like if China took over the United States, their laws wouldn't 100% contradict US laws, there would inevitably be things that were coincidentally similar or that the Chinese wanted to keep.

You forcing us to follow ALL OT law would be like if I forced homosexuals to lick people's buttholes, both would be based on inaccurate stereotypes.

[QUOTE=jasong;367294]The Old Testament laws are basically history to most Christians. We apply them selectively because the spiritual landscape has changed.[...][/QUOTE]
Has the spiritual landscape changed, or is it in the process of change, on the issue of acceptance of same sex relationships?

[QUOTE=Brian-E;367295]Has the spiritual landscape changed, or is it in the process of change, on the issue of acceptance of same sex relationships?[/QUOTE]
I'll find the Bible verse and I ask you to read it in context. It sounds way, WAY more harsh when it's quoted out of context. Basically, homosexuality is a sin, and should be avoided, but it doesn't automatically condemn one to hell.

1st Corinthians 6:9, 1st Corintians 6:12 is interesting as well, I recommend, at the very least, reading verses 9-12 before forming an opinion about them.

You might hate me for saying this, but I think your homosexuality and my porn addiction are similar in terms of sinfullness. I'm not condemning homosexuals and I'm sorry if it comes across that way. I'm just saying I don't think it's a good path to follow in life.

If you do decide to try to change your behavior, I recommend becoming a Christian FIRST, otherwise your efforts are just farts in the wind.

Please, Jason, stop typing for a moment and read what I asked you. I'd really like to see your opinion on the simple question I asked.

[QUOTE=jasong;367294]The Old Testament laws are basically history to most Christians. We apply them selectively because the spiritual landscape has changed. [/QUOTE]

It seems that you apply the ones you like and don't apply the ones you don't like.

[QUOTE]
It would be like if China took over the United States, their laws wouldn't 100% contradict US laws, there would inevitably be things that were coincidentally similar or that the Chinese wanted to keep.[/QUOTE]

No it wouldn't. There are numerous examples of one country taking over another in history, and adherence to OT laws hasn't had a look in.

[QUOTE]You forcing us to follow ALL OT law would be like if I forced homosexuals to lick people's buttholes, both would be based on inaccurate stereotypes.[/QUOTE]

No it wouldn't.