i wonder to what extent is religion behind homophobia? even non religious types turn to it in order to claim the moral high ground...

 

i cannot think of 1 orthadox religion that accepts it... christian, catholic, mormon, jovos, muslim, etc etc etc... so surely if people are true to their faiths, arnt they homophobic by default? i wonder just how many bj members have a faith but darent declare it for this reason....

 

are YOU a default homophobe?

I have nothing against gay people & nor do I wish to push my views onto them. People are allowed to live their life as they see fit.

 

But apparently I am a "default" homophobe.

I don't accept this. My aunt is a devout Catholic but she is totally accepting of gay people. OTOH, her husband is an Atheist but is borderline homophobic (well, I don't think he believes it should be outlawed or anything, but he wants them to stay "behind closed doors" i think :rolleyes: ).

 

I think if you're a true Christian then you accept people for what they are, even if privately they're not totally comfortable with certain lifestyles. It's just there's some ignorant idiots in the world who also happen to be religious, and try and hide behind what the Bible apparently tells them to believe instead of admitting their discriminations.

I don't accept this. My aunt is a devout Catholic but she is totally accepting of gay people.

 

this is what im getting at, the catholic church does not accept gay people as 'normal' do they? so your aunt isnt being true to her faith (dispite her being in the 'right').

 

imho this makes a mockery of religion, surely you either follow what your god instructs you to do or you dont, cherry picking and interpreting to suit the bits you want makes a doctrine useless.

imho this makes a mockery of religion, surely you either follow what your god instructs you to do or you dont, cherry picking and interpreting to suit the bits you want makes a doctrine useless.

 

I agree with this. It's totally hypocritical and illogical for some Christians to use the Bible as an argument about gay rights, yet disregard the Bible's instructions in other areas of life. Like that bitch in America who won some beauty pageant and then bizarrely became some public figure and stated that she didn't think gay marriage should be legalised because it was against her religion... and then some sex tape with her in leaked. Apparently she didn't see that as being against her religion.

 

But I stand by that a Christian in this country is no more likely to be homophobic than the average person. I accept it's a bit different in some American states, but I think that's more a cultural thing than a religious thing.

My gran (also a devout Catholic) is very open about it. She doesn't see a problem and says that "everybody is god's child" and that the Bible has been severely misused.

 

But I have met a good few atheists who are homophobic too, which pains me because it's so ignorant.

this is what im getting at, the catholic church does not accept gay people as 'normal' do they? so your aunt isnt being true to her faith (dispite her being in the 'right').

 

Well, the Bible says nothing about gay people. The few sentences people pick-out which are apparently "against gays" can be interpreted many ways. So I don't think a Catholic being open to homosexuality is betraying their faith, just their disgusting church, as they (the church) have been misusing the Bible for years to suppress minorities.

Edited March 22, 201015 yr by Cal

My mum's not religious at all but hates gays and thinks homosexuality should be against the law, as it used to be. She says she could never in a million years have accepted it if I'd been gay or my sister a lesbian. Says it would have killed her. So it's not just about religion. She wouldn't watch the Boyzone tribute last night because of Gateley's sexuality. People with no religious belief's whatsoever are homophobic.

Edited March 22, 201015 yr by Victor Meldrew

But I stand by that a Christian in this country is no more likely to be homophobic than the average person. I accept it's a bit different in some American states, but I think that's more a cultural thing than a religious thing.

 

ok, maybe i was being abit lazy here and worded the thread poorly, my intention is to highlight the discrepancy in theology between people who hold a religious view but chose which bits to believe.

My mum's not religious at all but hates gays and thinks homosexuality should be against the law, as it used to be. She says she could never in a million years have accepted it if I'd been gay or my sister a lesbian. Says it would have killed her. So it's not just about religion. She wouldn't watch the Boyzone tribute last night because of Gateley's sexuality. People with no religious belief's whatsoever are homophobic.

 

no wonder you grew up with such a moronic, caveman mentality then.

Well, the Bible says nothing about gay people. The few sentences people pick-out which are apparently "against gays" can be interpreted many ways.

 

you mean " man shall not sleep with fellow man nor beasts of the field[/i]"

 

i think thats pretty clear tbh...

 

please feel free to post links/citations from the official catholic churches views on homosexuality, or anyone else from any religion that accepts homosexuality as normal.

 

as i see it, people are either homophobic or they interpret their religion to suit which devalues it and makes a mockery of it... either way religious people lose! :lol:

no wonder you grew up with such a moronic, caveman mentality then.

 

 

I'm not homophobic though.

But the question is, is religion behind homophobia? I definately agree, it's religion that set the idea of relationship between woman and man all them thousands of years ago. I don't think that is the case now, but it's definately religion that... 'built society to believe that a relationship between the two sexes' is wrong, you could say.

you mean "man shall not sleep with fellow man nor beasts of the field"

i think thats pretty clear tbh...

 

please feel free to post links/citations from the official catholic churches views on homosexuality, or anyone else from any religion that accepts homosexuality as normal.

 

as i see it, people are either homophobic or they interpret their religion to suit which devalues it and makes a mockery of it... either way religious people lose! :lol:

 

 

Can you source that? I've never seen that one before, but I've seen these ones which have been misinterpreted: Jude 1:7, 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Leviticus 20:13, to name but a few!

 

Anyway Rob, that's the whole thing with the Bible. It's interpreted differently, hence why so many people are against homosexuality, while others are for it because they read the Bible differently.

 

This documentary is probably the most thought-provoking one on homosexuality in the Bible:

 

 

There are 9 parts, but it's a good watch.

Edited March 22, 201015 yr by Cal

This article is very interesting re: what the Bible says about homosexuality...

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3205727.stm

 

So even in the context of the Bible, it seems God never states that homosexuality is a "sin". And not only that, there's even an argument that, in one of the Bible's "stories", Jesus implies same-sex relationships should be accepted.

You don't have to be a homophobe just because you have a faith. My parents are Christians and they have no problems personally with my sexuality but they do worry for me as they truly believe that I will end up in Hell and obviously they don't want that for their son.

 

'God' doesn't instruct his follwers to hate gays, the bible instead just warns you that you shouldn't be one yourself. Oh noes. :(

If so many religious nuts want to 'ban' homosexuality wouldn't it be easier to ban religion? How often do you see gay rights campaigners hijacking planes or demanding any irraional beliefs they have be taught in biology lessons?

Exactly BLVD. We only hijack planes to recreate Scooch and Britney videos. :dancing:

 

imho this makes a mockery of religion, surely you either follow what your god instructs you to do or you dont, cherry picking and interpreting to suit the bits you want makes a doctrine useless.

 

I see it as people moulding their own interpretations of what their God has commanded and what he hasn't. After all, none of the religious texts out there were hand-written by God, Allah etc - they are also merely people's own interpretations/versions of what's been commanded. God (if he exists) he hasn't directly instructed anyone anything.

I think it's healthier for religion to be taken and adapted to suit each person, rather than people blindly following the Bible or whatever exaclty word for word. It's the only way established religion will ever get dragged into the modern day world.

But I stand by that a Christian in this country is no more likely to be homophobic than the average person. I accept it's a bit different in some American states, but I think that's more a cultural thing than a religious thing.

I think you're right here. I don't think you have to be religious to be homophobic, nor do you have to be homophobic if you're religious. Some people are against it because it's against their beliefs, others are against it because...well they just are, they don't like things that aren't 'the norm'.

 

I'd say it's cultural, though that sort of goes back to religion. Would I be right in saying we're a Christian country, so our culture tends to be formed around the Christian beliefs? Whether or not they identify as a Christian, their bigoted views may be influenced by a senior family member, politician etc. (I'm not sure if that's the point I meant to make, basically I'm trying to say our culture might stem from religion anyway)