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Those are all from the same left-leaning sect of reformed protestants. That is hardly a swathe of religions. More so, I heard Pope Francis basically immediately condemn the culture of homosexuality and he is the biggest religious figurehead not only in history (the papacy itself) but the biggest and most powerful still in 2013.
So, I am going to safely say that in 2013 the vast majority of religions condemn the practice of homosexuality. They may live with it in society, but they certainly don't accept or promote it, and last time I checked they encompass the majority of the earths inhabitants.
First off, most Protestants don't follow the pronouncements of the Pope and definitely have rejected his authority.
This was your question that I responded to was:
"I'd love to know which mainstream religions champion and treat equally. Care to share which religion does this?"
It didn't mention anything about size.
The UCC is the successor denomination to the Pilgrims and Puritans and it is one of the Mainline protestant denominations in the United States.
The Presbyterians are also very close to endorsing Marriage Equality.
Unitarians already endorse Marriage Equality.
Bottom line many Christians are rethinking their stance towards same gender couples and their families.
As a gay male I resent this whole notion of homosexuality being an alternative lifestyle. I will only concede this if heterosexuality is considered an alternative as well.
Instead of teaching kids about sex - how about we teach them about respect and tolerance in the schools.. I'm sure all parents would agree to the simplicity and beauty of such a doctrine. Parents are free to teach fairy tales to their kids.
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Originally Posted by derosterreich
I simply said alternative lifestyles should not be taught in public schools, at a young age and without parental consent. I think stating a fact about hamsters reproduction is more of a discussion on reproduction than sexual emotional relationships, I was able to see the difference between the act of mating to reproduce and mating for emotional and physical sensation.
You do realize that true religious followers deeply repulse homosexual activity and probably don't want their kids exposed to it outside of their terms? I am not religious but its common knowledge and something that is better left out and relied upon the parents. (For the record I am not religious or ascribe to these beliefs, but playing devils advocate.)
Religion can teach all the bigoted dogma it wants as long as it stays out of policy and out of schools. Wow... in some societies social progress is happening go figure (most of the western world), in others who can't seperate church and state the violation of individual rights and freedoms run rampant...shall we move forward or stay anchored in the past.. I'll choose the former danka. The others can move to Saudi Arabia or the Vatican.
Religion can teach all the bigoted dogma it wants as long as it stays out of policy and out of schools. Wow... in some societies social progress is happening go figure (most of the western world), in others who can't seperate church and state the violation of individual rights and freedoms run rampant...shall we move forward or stay anchored in the past.. I'll choose the former danka. The others can move to Saudi Arabia or the Vatican.
Exactly and conversly...If a parent that believes differently from the school, should not have thier children taught that thier beliefs are worng or invalid.
I dont want the school to lead my child in prayer, nor do I want them intrusted in guiding my childs moral compass. I want school to teach my child the basics of education and leave their moral direction to me.
Nobody is saying to deny that they exist. Most people understand the sexual maturity of children isn't even there at kindergarten and choosing when to introduce the sexual affinity of different people in society is up to the parent not the school.
Do you realize how many children are raised by same-sex parents or have relatives in same-sex relationships?
It has nothing to do with teaching children about the "sexual affinity" of gays. If children are taught about mommies & daddies... they should also be taught about mommies & mommies, & daddies & daddies. Just as they should be taught in schools to accept that sometimes parents are mixed race, they should be taught that some are same-gendered & this is not abnormal.
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Marriage has been hijacked, I still do quite understand why gays want to married (which is something traditionally done by the church as it is a religious union that gays officially cannot enter in because its expressly condemned by the church and also to boot the new Pope Francis.) instead of just being BF/BF or GF/GF and live your lives. The government can easily offer a secular option to the gays that will satisfy both sides and not punish them financial/taxes.
Marriage has not been hijacked... marriage existed well before the Abraham religions did. Also, there are plenty of Churches that advocate the freedom to marry same sex couples & plenty of same-sex couples who are Christian & should have every right to get married if they want to.
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It shows that they want to cripple the traditional family, blur the line between 2000+ years of tradition and forever change the time tested, and biologically-correct family make-up.
The motivation is NOT to cripple traditional family & it is fairly narcissistic for those who believe so. The motivations is to have the same rights as any other family. To be treated as equal by their government.
Children are very interesting, especially pres school age. Every thing is black and white. They play house...and I have NEVER seen them play house with two Daddies. Even two girls, one is the mommy, one is the daddy.
There is a curriculum that some schools use, I think "Welcoming Schools" that teaching kids to embrace gays, etc. I think it does cover some anti-bullyiing, which I understand, but why as there never been anti-bullying on short kids,kids with big nose, Christian kids, etc?
Some schools have even read stories about gays in KINDERGARTEN! Here are some links that tell about it:
Just wondering about your thoughts on this matter?
Are kids with big noses, short kids, or Christian kids disowned, beaten, or shunned because of those traits? Of course I can't say it's never happened, but I'd be willing to wager quite a bit it happens much less frequently to them than it does to homosexuals.
This question is really an issue of social norms and cultural practices. If kids a socialized to think that being gay is sinful and wrong then they are more likely to become adults to think it is sinful and wrong. If from a young age they are taught that it is normal for some people to have homosexual orientations then they will be more likely to become adults who are accepting of that without prejudice or unduly framing the issue as a matter of their own personal moral belief system.
So, I think it's a good thing that kids are taught to be accepting of others for who they are in this otherwise harmless issue. Harmless because a homosexual orientation is no more dangerous than a heterosexual one. If someone strongly feels otherwise then that is more of a reflection of their own internal preferences and subsequent difficulty adjusting to the world around them than an observation of something that is a real social problem.
If people were allowed to take their own course in this subject without meddling and hostility then there wouldn't be problems at all (of course, that just means no more problems than are already associated with heterosexual relationships, of which there are many, lol). The primary reason problems occur is that some people have sentimental or emotional hostility toward homosexuality, not because of homosexual activity itself. It's worth remembering that their hangups are as cultural and deserving of as much respect as is the practice of demanding that women wear burkas or forbidding men to shave, forbidding women to work outside of the home, or any other arbitrary belief that is spun by its proponents as somehow expressing what is the "right way" to be.
I wonder why anyone gets married. Today's marriage is a 3-way contract; you, your spouse and the State. Tax laws which are grossly unfair in this area, are there to control society. They want you in that contract so they add this attractive deduction.
I think there is an exploitable clause whereby you can claim a partner or other that you contribute support for as a dependent.
Another view of this "marriage law" is that it has been viewed as a sort of insurance that the man will not desert his wife and kids. A woman feels that if he commits to this legal marriage she's got him. With the advent of "palimoney" and DNA testing to determine fatherhood this is changing.
Children are very interesting, especially pres school age. Every thing is black and white. They play house...and I have NEVER seen them play house with two Daddies. Even two girls, one is the mommy, one is the daddy.
Out of the mouths of babes.
This has to do more with gender roles & what they are conditioned to believe is the "norm" for gender roles.
Do children who are raised by two daddies play house with two daddies? Absolutely. They also play house with a mommy & daddy. Do some girls model being daddy, or some boys model being mommy? Absolutely.
Many may believe mommy = cooking/cleaning & daddy = work. Others may believe those roles are reversed, or equally shared.
...comes essentially whatever their parents have taught them.
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