Obama Administration to seek new Assault Weapons Ban

[BgMc31]

Peace be unto you, BgMc.

You're a Christian right? I'm a bit confused about this statement of yours:



So it would be religious fanaticism to hold that homosexuality is wrong even though it is explicitly stated in the Bible that it is?

I am a Christian, but I like to think of myself as a free thinking Christian. I don't believe in everything the bible teaches, but I agree with some principles that it teaches. The Bible in IMO, or any other holy book isn't the end all be all. It's a guideline to live your life. As a human being given free will by our creator, it is my choice to be able to agree and disagree with a book written by man. And until God, Allah, Buddah, or any other higher power tells me directly what is right or wrong, I am within my right to follow the teachings of man or not.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto you, BgMc.

First, I want to say that I enjoy your posts, and so apologies in advance if this comes across as confrontational at all.

I am a Christian, but I like to think of myself as a free thinking Christian. I don't believe in everything the bible teaches, but I agree with some principles that it teaches. The Bible in IMO, or any other holy book isn't the end all be all. It's a guideline to live your life. As a human being given free will by our creator, it is my choice to be able to agree and disagree with a book written by man. And until God, Allah, Buddah, or any other higher power tells me directly what is right or wrong, I am within my right to follow the teachings of man or not.

My issue is with the underlined part above. Isn't the basis of religion that the holy book is either the direct word of God (as Muslims believe about the Quran) or at minimum inspired by God (as most Christians believe about the Bible)?

Basically what you said in the underlined part is the way I feel about virtually any other book in the world. Give me a book written by say Bill O'reilly or Ron Paul or whoever, and I would agree with parts of it and disagree with other parts of it. I mean, what I am saying is: is this not reducing the authority of a holy book to that of any other book on earth?

But I think the real issue I had with your post was not your view that homosexuality is ok: you are entitled to your view. My issue was with your categorization of anyone who holds homosexuality to be wrong to be a religious fanatic. And this is not really a question or comment but just an observation: it does seem that the Abrahamic faiths will have a tough time confronting this issue in the next generation or so when it seems like it will become politically and socially impossible to even cogitate the Biblical view towards homosexuality. Right now, we live in a time in which we can voice our views--although in a very courteous and cautious manner--but I feel like in a few generations time it will be something that will become socially taboo altogether, akin to attacking someone's race.

I'm not really going anywhere with this: only pointing out an observation that I had. I really wonder how religion itself will fare in the generations to come. I don't think your view--that religion can be 'tweaked' to become more appropriate--is very sustainable. At most religion can then be a hobby, and as such, will die out in obscurity. I think that from a purely logical and mathematical approach, religion only makes sense from an all-or-none perspective...at least with regards to Christianity and Islam, which posit themselves as nothing short of absolute truths.

[luxifer93]

Police state here we go...

Chris Rock shoulda been the first black president

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDC-XQG1ifo

[BuffedGuy]

I am a Christian, but I like to think of myself as a free thinking Christian. I don't believe in everything the bible teaches, but I agree with some principles that it teaches. The Bible in IMO, or any other holy book isn't the end all be all. It's a guideline to live your life. As a human being given free will by our creator, it is my choice to be able to agree and disagree with a book written by man. And until God, Allah, Buddah, or any other higher power tells me directly what is right or wrong, I am within my right to follow the teachings of man or not.

Cool. I posted a response to this in my "Ask a Muslim" thread. Not so much a refutation, but just our view towards this. Since I'm the Jon Kerry of this website, expect it to be long-winded.