M1Buckeye said:
kurt vonnegut said:
This is why Christians are accused of caring more about sexual sins than other sins.
Homosexuality is unique among other sins in that it is celebrated and advocated by virtually the entirety of the western world. Christians are also very outspoken about the egregious sin of abortion. If secularists weren't ramming homosexuality down our collective throats there would be much less said about it. When secularists begin celebrating and advocating for murder, we'll speak out against that too.
forgive the generalizations in this post. . . .
I still think this is a very short sighted view. And of all of the things that have happened in the last 2000 years, do you really think that social pressure for LGBTQ acceptance is the worst of it?
Slavery was celebrated and advocated by virtually the entirety of the world (including Christianity) for a long time. Genocide and war has been justified and advocated for (including by Christianity). I think that homosexuality feels like a big deal today to Christians for a few reasons:
We are tribal creatures and we will always create these new 'great evils of the day'. Because we need something to hate. Because we live in a time of 'relative' stability and peace, we feel less impact from evils of genocide and war. And the places that are currently affected by genocide and war feel further away. In the absence of those evils, we've moved on to other sins. If homosexuality were to disappear off the face of the planet today, then tomorrow Christians would be talking about the great evil of [insert some other tribe whose values are 'sinful']. And the prevalence of those sins would be sign of the impending anti-Christ. Because we all always need something to hate, right? Its a built in feature of tribalism and religions. It brings the 'in-group' closer together. And you can tell me all day long about how Christians don't 'hate' others. And I would tell you that is fine in theory but utterly ridiculous in the history of its practice. And you can point the finger back at me or at secularism or other groups. And you won't be wrong in doing so. We're all tribal. The best we can do is acknowledge it, consider if its good or bad, and try to react accordingly.
Next, modern Christianity absolutely treats "certain" sexual sins differently. Greed does not carry the same stigma as homosexuality. Nor does anger, or hate, or heterosexual relations out of wedlock, or divorce. While these sins are not typically promoted, they are far from condemned in the same manner as homosexuality is. And I think that the reason is that many Christians can understand the pull of greed, and so are sympathetic when someone acts in greed. And they can understand the pull of anger and hate and adultery and lust. But they don't understand the pull of heterosexuality and, therefore, there is zero sympathy and this is a sin that can be more drastically condemned and offenders can be openly oppressed. Christians hate the sin of homosexuality more than other sins because its a sin that most of them don't understand and don't feel tempted by. And that puts them in a position where they feel they can throw the first rock.
There is soooo much premarital sex within Christianity, and such a small observable outrage from Christians. And there is soo much divorce and pornography and adultery and other sexual sins by Christians. . . and such little observable outrage. But the gays!!!!
And what about the sin of rejection of the Christian God? There are 6 Billion people on this planet that reject the Christian God. The live openly in worship of false gods or no gods. Building monuments and temples, wearing demonic garb promoting their gods, praying, marrying, living in the name of their false demon gods. Ramming their values down the throats of others. What about this sin? The Christian definitions and stipulations for sex and marriage are not limited to one man / one woman. Yet, that is the only definition and stipulation that Christians care to see enforced in the larger national culture. My sin of not being married in church in front of God is okay. My sinful relationship is tolerated. But other sinful relationship are not.
And as far as having homosexuality rammed down your throats? This is 100% a consequence of your own doing. If today, Christians decided that having red hair was a sin and that redheads should not be permitted to marry or participate in society, then tomorrow you will have redhead organizations and redhead pride parades in the street. LBGTQ values being shoved down your throat are a direct response to you shoving your values down other's throats. I truly cannot understand how American Christians cannot understand this. Stop hating the gays and all of this pride stuff melts away. Guaranteed.