Do you need your conscience disabled in order to become a gay-hating theist, or does it just come naturally?

Question

It's interesting to see quite a lot of theists on here foaming at the mouth about homosexuals and promising them everlasting torture, and I was just wondering how they achieve this special suspension of conscience in order to be so hateful. Is it years of indoctrination from their religious cults, or bad family upbringing, or what? Whatever it is, how can we help them?

whirlingmerc: Not much respect involved in threatening someone with eternal torment for a morally neutral variation in human nature, it seems to me.

Red-dog-luke: Funnily enough, you have this exactly the wrong way round. When you give up what your conscience tells you and follow what someone else claims to be the orders of a deity, that's when you go from being a moral person to being amoral.

Arkangyle: I've seen something like that on TV. Thoroughly contemptible.

Answer 1

They attend a special anti-homosexuality boot camp in Texas, not too unlike the Hezbollah training grounds in Iran.

Answer 2

Let me say to begin with that I believe consenting adults should be free to practice homosexual relationships just the same as heterosexual couples.

That said, I'll try to give you some idea where they are coming from.

Most of us probably believe that pedophilia is wrong, even if the child 'consents'. There's no question that a 9 year old could derive physical pleasure and claim to consent to sexual activity with an adult. Yet most of us are quite happy to denounce this activity, declare the child incapable of consenting, declare the adult to be evil and disgusting, and demand that they be thrown in jail or worse. Why? Because we are convinced that the relationship IS harmful, and should be prevented, even if the participants do not see the harm. You can say that your views on homosexuality are totally different, that 'obviously' children can't consent while adults can, but its really not so different an argument - and close to the age of consent, its not so 'obvious'. What age does someone magically become capable of consent? 18? 16? 13? The age of consent used to be much lower then it is now, several hundred years ago.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that I think pedophilia is fine - I don't think that! I'm just trying to show that those who are against homosexuality probably view it in a similar way to how you (probably) view pedophilia - as something that is not okay, even if both parties claim consent. Consequently, they view it as something that should be discouraged, prevented, etc.

Answer 3

We are all born with our consciences disabled.

Yet, even though is is disabled, we still set personal standards. God has created us knowing some things...like it is wrong to steal and murder...lie and cheat. Even though we are born knowing that...we twist the standard.

We tell ourselves that stealing a pen from work really isn't stealing. We decieve ourselves by saying we worked 8 hours yet played on the internet for 2 and think that is being honest to our employers...or worse, that everyone else is doing it and I am better than them.

We tell ourselves that abortion isn't murder...because the blob of tissue isn't a baby.

No, we deceive ourselves all the time...because we know the truth but choose not to do it. We tell ourselves lies over and over so that we finially think we believe them because wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we really knew the truth. We have to make up lies and force ourselves to beleive them so we can be happy with ourselves.

That is why so many people say things like...Well, it is right for me even if you don't agree. (Which is illogical, may I add)

It is when we become Children of God...or Christians when our conscience is enabled. Then we understand that there is a standard that is true and right for everyone. It is perfect and everyone is judged by it.

Answer 4

It's very comforting for some to believe that ancient writings contain all the wisdom of the world and answers to all of life's questions. It's also very comforting for some to believe that all they need do to gain the approval of the universe's creator is follow the rules set down in those writings.

Even if those ancient writings contradict common sense, common decency, and modern conceptions of civilized behavior.

The truth is, homosexuality harms no one. To use Thomas Jefferson's words, a person's being gay "neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." To persecute those who have done no harm is immoral. To deny them basic civil rights is unfair and undemocratic.

Answer 5

Many falsely believe that homosexuality is the sole reason that God destroyed Sohdam & Gommorah.

GENESIS 18:20

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

Answer 6

Bullies of any ilk are usually sissies who have learned to direct peoples attention away from their own weak character, to another person who seems to be acceptable as a public victim. Gay's are the current scape-goat.

Unfortunately, gays seem to enjoy dominance submission games. That's not healthy for them, or the people arround them.

Answer 7

Its a two way street

it works both ways. You respect them, they respect your right to invest your life rightly or wrongly and be accountable to God for your personal life choices. Do you consider your words the kind of respect you are seeking

Answer 8

The righteous indignation overcomes any pangs of conscience. If god asked them to they would kill them themselves.

Answer 9

yeah don't listen to anyone else that tells you that God hates anybody. They are wrong.