MD Vote on Question 6 - Gay Marriage

[Jack]

Theres always going to be friction between christians and gays, the worst part about that though, is it isnt actually very christian to say "Your going to burn in hell for being gay." infact, judging someones lifestyle is as much of a sin as being gay, becuase what most christians fail to see in modern times is that no person is worse than another, i hear my dad says all the time "Christianity is the only club you can join these days where you dont have to follow the rules." because soo many people say "im a christian." and then act in a way that says the oposite.
Christians do cop a lot of flack now days, but thats because theyre thorwing the first punch, when they should be embracing people who sin because they are sinners themselves and know that according to their beleifs everyone is in need of forgiveness.
i have a belief in god, jesus, heaven and stuff, but i wouldnt call myself a Christian, Christian means follower of christ or christ like, and like me, not many people these days that believe in christianity deserve to call themselves christians, because theyre actions prove otherwise, espicially when it comes to their treatment of homosexuals.
i didnt really want to get all religious, but it would seem that thanks to christians not knowing how to act christian, non christians find it hard to like them.

i feel the need to defend christianity, not for myself because as i said, im no christian, but because of people like my family that deserve to be called christians, which is why i jumped on D's comment when it wasnt necesary.

going back to my first post TD, i wasn't saying christians invented marriage, i was saying that in countries like britain and subsequently the US and Aus, the marriage system is based on the christian idea of marriage, but i then went to say that since marriage is no longer solely a church affair its rules like "homosexuals cant marry" shouldnt have any effect on the laws.

i dont know if this helped at all, or whether it makes sense, but i gave it a go.

 

[The Moment]

+1 Jack.
Out of likes. You read my mind exactly.

Most Christians take the stance of God on earth. They believe that it is their job to judge people, their actions, and their hearts. It's not. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, a human does not have room to judge another. No one person has superiority over another. That's what I'm trying to full understand. Growing up in the Bible Belt exposed me to the lack of understanding that Christians really have. We need to realize that we are not judges of other, but we do need to embrace others, whatever their lifestyle.

Something that came up in Church earlier this month was a claim to hypocrisy among Christians. While being in the Bible Belt, you are supposed to be assimilated to the same school of thought, lots of people don't realize that the outer "sins" are just as convicting as the inner "sins". According to Church doctrine, all sin is the same. Pornography is a sin, and so is homosexuality according to the Church. Hypocrisy abounds regarding this subject. So-called "Christians" on the outside are "gay-bashers" and yet go home and are porn addicts. It just disgusts me that people can be so vehement about homosexuality being the worst possible thing, while they go and commit the same kind of sin. Just straight hypocrisy.

And I think that's what turns people off about Christianity. As Jack said, Christians feel as if they don't have to follow the rules because God will redeem them. This kind of mentality shows that Christians come off as arrogant and snobby because they can do whatever the hell they want and have no repercussions.

All that is to say, I would love to see consistency among Christian circles. The Church needs to take a stance one way or the other.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[DamageINC]

Moment, you set a fine example for your religion. I wish there were more like you. And Jack as well. Posted this before seeing other posts were made. I don't have any problem with anyones beliefs, my problem with religion is when they try and shove it down your throat and dictate how someone should live based on their beliefs. If i had a problem with people believing in god or the like when i don't.......well i'd be no better than the people i was putting down.

 

[Nikon]

Unfortunately that is the truth with way to many Christians these days. When a Christian gets that "holier than thou" attitude, I want to punch them in the face. They need to realize that they are just as bad as a sinner as anyone else and when they say that gays deserve to burn in hell just because they are gay, they deserve it just as much. I believe that Homosexuality is a sin, but its no worse than lying, and in God's eyes, lying is no worse than even murder. (Rev, 21:8 ) If they would actually read the Bible they would know that, without Christ, they are no better than the worst of sinners.

Another thing that is wrong with some Christians these days, is that some tend to believe that if someone is gay, then God won't accept them. God would have accepted even Hitler if he would have asked. If anything, there is nothing worse than denying Christ to someone just because they are gay. And don't get me started on those Westboro type people.

 

[TheDude]

Right. Judging someone for their sins is taking the role of God. God doesn't like that too much, lol.

I think Christianity when practiced well is a very good thing. I was raised a Lutheran.

Christianity should breed acceptance and love, and condemn judgement and hate.

 

[AVC]

So.... what about the other 5000 words i typed?

I didn't read most of them...

17 states actually have hate laws protecting gays, do you know how this affects people? It means you can actually go to jail for a hate crime if you beat a gay person instead of just going for assault. It also means that people, such as myself, can't be denied jobs solely based on our sexuality. Now that's in 17 states. In the other 33 states, it's perfectly legal to tell a person they can't have a job if you think they are gay, and you can say/do whatever the hell you want to them based on their sexuality so long as it doesn't fall under something such as assault. Bullshit in my opinion because you can't do that to straight people!

In certain industries. Non gay people can be (and I think rightly) denied employment, based on appearances or behaviours. In some cases, discrimination is OK, IMO.

Gay marriage? Who cares? Not me, go right ahead. It would certainly sort out a lot of ownership/legal issues.

The big question?? Who takes the surname? The dominant one? IDK.

Equal rights should mean equal though. Having separate "assault" laws for gays (or insert other minority group here) isn't that discriminatory in itself?

Can't people just live their lives without shoving their lifestyle down your throat? Example. The bible bashers knock on my door two days ago. Now, IDC if you worship God, Budda, the Devil, whatever. But just do it in the privacy of your own home.

 

[Take]

I heard you could have sex with animals (prob agains their will) in more states than you could marry someone of the same gender. If I was a state gov, I would be ashamed.

 

[TheDude]

Having sex with animals in most states, even where it's not explicitly illegal (i.e. making having sex with a Cow a category 1 offense or something), would be viewed as animal abuse by most courts. There aren't too many specific laws about the specifics of having sex with specific animals. However, because getting married requires documented Civic Action by the State, changing the workings of that inherently takes legislation, which is why that statistic exists.

So while on the surface it would seem extremely embarrassing to be an American in light of your statement, Take, it's really not what it seems.

I think we should be embarrassed because of the outcry against gay marriage, as it is so similar to the civil rights movements of the 60's that it is shocking. Basically, the people who are voting "no" on gay marriage today are probably for the most part the children of the people who voted "no" on racial equality in the 60's, and they simply cannot see themselves in an objective light.

So that simple fact should be embarrassing in itself.

 

[Titoezz]

Thats a really nice thread you got there would be ashamed if it got ruined

 

[TheDude]

Maryland has officially legalized Gay Marriage. Go America!

 

[Titoezz]

Is now Marryland

 

[Nikon]

Let the law suites against churches and religious organizations who refuse to perform marriages against their will, regardless of what the law might say, commence!

 

[517Houston]

OMFG what's next?? Blacks marrying whites? Jews marrying Christians? Goats marrying sheep? Will the insanity ever end?

 

[Nikon]

Yes, because thats exactly what I was refering to 517... Churches have lost their tax exempt status over these law suites, been ordered to pay heavy fines in "damages", even forced to close their doors unless they complied. In all the states so far that have legalized gay marriage, these things have happened regardless of what the law says.

 

[Titoezz]

And just slowly let gooooooo of the religion.

eeeeverything's gonna be aaaaaaaaaallright now, nikon.

 

[TheDude]

Let the law suites against churches and religious organizations who refuse to perform marriages against their will, regardless of what the law might say, commence!

MB read the law before saying what it can and can't protect against. It's pretty explicit in what it says. What's really going on here in the debates is merely progressive civil rights vs. fear and dogma and bigotry.


However, will gay people who are legally married get pissed at churches who refuse to marry them? I am willing to bet that they will. But the Government is no longer taking the side of the Church and backing them up from mere criticism. If a church wants to refuse to marry gays, let them deal with the criticism they receive from the community. If a church isn't even willing to stand up for its own beliefs, what does that say? Let the actions of all social organizations that effect the community be transparent and out in the open for the community to see. That is all this means for Churches.

 

[VoX]

I know this is OLD.. But our country is not founded on a religion. So, I have no idea why we would argue anything to do with Churches and Law.. Outside of the fact that they DO marriages there..

Also, we do not define our English language by what the Bible says.. As the Bible was translated x amount of times, and could have been changed any time to fit different meanings.. So, it is easy to take the New International Version, or the King James Version, lightly.

The United States is not affiliated with any religion. Therefore, why the fuck are these religions brought up in every debate when it comes to a "moral" issue? (I blame the misleading Politicians who say this is a Christian country... Stupid McCain)

 

[Ethan]

I don't know. I beleive that the US was founded on Christian principals.

As people became connect with each other, those principals started going away in order to satisfy everyone in this free country.

Being Christian, you can imagine what this stuff does. Hopefully, it will just pass. If not now, then it will soon. It's not worth the fight.

 

[Rival]

I don't think we should ever bring religion into anything. It starts flame wars just as good as politics.

 

[517Houston]

They cannot "force" a religion/church to do gay marriages or anything that goes against that churches beliefs