[Guest]

Open to all opinions. No bashing, please. Keep it civil.

To start it off, here's my opinion: Homosexuality is a genetically favored trait. The argument is just this simple: Man is a social animal - it is our most basic evolutionary advantage. Sex has evolved beyond procreation to become a key tool for social bonding (not just in humans but in other higher primates). The community that accepts LGBT bonding has an evolutionary advantage over the one that does not.

So what do you think?

[Izzy]

Hmm. Out of curiousity, any non-straights posting in here?

On the topic of sexual preference, do you guys judge (well, not really judge, more like prefer) based on age/gender/race/religion/whatever?

I'll get to my own sometime later.

[Guest]

I think the quote you were thinking of was "Don't lie with a man as you lie with a woman", which is actually a verse against polygamy, not homosexuality.

Really? Leviticus 20:13? I don't see how you could interpret it that way.

I think it's fair to judge people for their thoughts. If they don't act on or voice their ideas, then on some level they realize how silly they are. While thinking about doing something unforgivable is nowhere near as extreme as carrying out the action, if you're mentally, say, stoning homosexuals, I will judge you. I will question your morality. I realize I'm wrong for doing this, and like you, I can't control my feelings on the situation.

Well, as a person who would only judge you for your actions, I can't blame you for thinking that

Seriously though, there comes a point where it's silly to differentiate too much between thought and action (like putting a known but inactive paedophile in charge of a boy scout troop because it would be unfair to discriminate). Just as you can't generally expect a paedophile to keep his hands off the kiddies, you can't expect a fundie to refrain from being an a**hole. Even if they aren't acting like an a**hole right at this moment, the propensity to do so remains. It isn't realistic to suppose they will never act on what they believe. The point I was making is just that being genetically inclined to be that way (even if that were the case) is still no excuse.

Hmm. Out of curiousity, any non-straights posting in here?

* wind blows... tumbleweed rolls across forum *

On the topic of sexual preference, do you guys judge (well, not really judge, more like prefer) based on age/gender/race/religion/whatever?

There's a hell of a lot of difference between judging and preferring! Well, I must say I have preferences in all those areas (especially "whatever"), though not in a particularly exclusive way. For example I'd probably prefer atheists but certainly can't rule out being attracted to people of many religious persuasions. Phronists are hot.

[gvg]

Another news flash (Yep, I'm one of those people =)): A nurse discharged from the army because she was gay has been allowed to rejoin because the judge (the second one mind you) found DADT to be unconstitutional. Sanity 2, idiots zippo ('least until the tea party gets involved =) But I don't want to get too political)

BTW, I noticed that somebody (Izzy I think?) mentioned being gay as a genetic trait. I dunno if you already said this, but a study found cases of homosexuality in other apes like baboons. Obviously genetic.

Leviticus, btw, is bull. In fact, most scholars believe that nothing of the first five books is true (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers, if I remember anything from catechism). So, there. I think we can stop referring to myths now, right? =)

Seriously, the fact that we are discussing this shows us how prehistoric m0st of our world still is.

[Izzy]

Hah, for the longest time, I was completely convinced I would never be with someone of a religious affiliation. Not so much because of my feelings toward the religious, but just because I could never imagine it working out. I'm currently dating a Muslim whose parents moved here from Iraq sometime before he was born, go figure. We don't just awkwardly shove religion into the corner when we're around each other, either, though. Luckily, he's intelligent to realize how silly most of it is, and I'm not particularly bothered by him praying throughout the day.

The main 'whatever' I judge (I judge before I prefer ) people by is intelligence, so in that sense, I'd consider myself fairly unshallow. I'll just sum myself up with saying "I'm attracted to cool people", not too bothered by any of the traits I mentioned above. ...Including gender. *kicks tumbleweed*

*edit* I think I'll draw the line if we have completely different political views, though. Think, because this was exactly what I thought about religious people, and it's currently working out.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Izzy

[Guest]

Debatepedia is a great resource that I just stumbled upon - not just for this subject but for many others.

[gvg]

http://www.bidstrup.com/sodomy.htm

Proof. It's genetic. Case closed; give 'em the same rights as the rest of us.

[Guest]

I come into all the arguments a tad too late.

I think some have adapted to their family's opinions and have latched to only that rather to open up.

Imagine befriending someone and realizing he's a homosexual. He's exactly like you, just with a different sexual orientation.

It's those thoughts in mind of we develop and keep. It's hard to go one path and then make a 180 degree turn on it. Just like abortion, a fetus is a potential being, yet you develop a life to it, whether or not it has developed or not. Homosexuality is perfectly normal, just a sexual minority. It's consensual (unless it's rape), healthy and healthy to their environments (research has shown that children with gay parents tend to be better taken care of). Pedophilia is usually manipulation, rape because the child has not developed the maturity to keep for his own consent. Whether or not society could have developed differently whether as children would have rightful consent, we've developed like this.

I get off topic a lot, but my point is...

Good for them, let homosexuals get involved with whoever. It's their business and it's not harming anyone. Read to kill a mockingbird. Same argument, but with black people.

[Guest]

Homosexuality... There's nothing wrong with it. Point, blank, period. My biological mother is lesbian and personally i have no problem with it! i think people shold just let it go!