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If you're against homosexuals marrying, it seems to be the automatic assumption of most proponents of same-sex marriage that you must hate gays. If at least a large minority of them had it their way, voicing opposition to same-sex marriage would probably be criminal hate speech.
However, as somebody from the "other" side, I can categorically say this isn't true.
Most opponents - at least those that are vocal or organized - do NOT hate gays, just as most proponents do not hate straights. They simply believe homosexual acts (not the "orientation" or attraction) are immoral, and should not be enshrined in one of our country's institutions. Notice I did not say homosexuals, or even homosexuality itself - just homosexual acts. However, supporters often equate this disapproval of homosexual acts or the gay lifestyle with the hate of those who practice them. They seem to employ a heuristic (mental shortcut) in which a person is reduced to their acts, or even their sex life. Yet a person's acts and a person are two separate things. One can condemn their son's bank robberies without hating him; one can disapprove of their daughter's conversion from Sikhism to Buddhism without hating her, and the list goes on. So too can one disapprove of the actions of a group in society without hating them.
I have nothing against homosexuals. I have had numerous homosexual friends in the past. It's only their actions that disturb me, and how they try to gain acceptance or even official recognition of their relationships. Atheism does as well, but I have atheist friends too. A person is not only their actions or beliefs.
You'll excuse gay people, however, if they are not sympathetic to your lame attempt at absolving the incongruity that comes with holding the following point of view:
"I don't hate you. I just don't believe you should have equal rights."
"I don't hate Jews. I just hate their Jewy ways." "I don't hate blacks, I just hate their culture, the way they speak, act, look and live."
Right, Ok buddy. Have fun with that if it helps you sleep better at night!
In a just world, being a right wing Christian would be deemed immoral, borderline child abuse when taught to children, and something that has held back humanity's progress for centuries. But even in that world, I wouldn't advocate that church people deserve any less rights or liberties than everyone else.
Isn't that a running joke about racist people, some of my best friends are so and so, or something along those lines
Yeah, and they're always friends with the one black guy in town that miraculously agrees with their own anti-black POV!
I don't know a single homosexual that would willingly associate with someone who doesn't believe they are entitled to all rights, benefits and liberties that are afforded to every other free, tax paying citizen in this country.
Must be a lot of dumb as bricks homos out there who can't see when their "friends" are not really their "friends!"
Note to homos: If your "friend" prefaces everything he or she says with, "Well, as a Christian..." Or, "I love the sinner, hate the sin..." Run far, far away!
Yeah, and they're always friends with the one black guy in town that miraculously agrees with their own anti-black POV!
I don't know a single homosexual that would willingly associate with someone who doesn't believe they are entitled to all rights, benefits and liberties that are afforded to every other free, tax paying citizen in this country.
Must be a lot of dumb as bricks homos out there who can't see when their "friends" are not really their "friends!"
Note to homos: If your "friend" prefaces everything he or she says with, "Well, as a Christian..." Or, "I love the sinner, hate the sin..." Run far, far away!
There is a flip side, why would someone want to be friends with someone who they view as immoral and wicked? I wouldn't be friends with people I consider immoral. Either they are lying or they have very low standards.
You'll excuse gay people, however, if they are not sympathetic to your lame attempt at absolving the incongruity that comes with holding the following point of view:
"I don't hate you. I just don't believe you should have equal rights."
"I don't hate Jews. I just hate their Jewy ways." "I don't hate blacks, I just hate their culture, the way they speak, act, look and live."
Right, Ok buddy. Have fun with that if it helps you sleep better at night!
In a just world, being a right wing Christian would be deemed immoral, borderline child abuse when taught to children, and something that has held back humanity's progress for centuries. But even in that world, I wouldn't advocate that church people deserve any less rights or liberties than everyone else.
The fact is that most opponents of same-sex marriage do not see it as an issue of "equality." They believe that marriage exists independent of societal norms, and that it is simply impossible to join two men or two women together in marriage. They have a solid and explicit definition of marriage, and saying that their view fosters inequality is equivalent to claiming that opposition to a man marrying a bag of money or a woman marrying her cow is to support inequality. It is simply impossible; and even if it was recognized by some nation, would not be truly valid. What the government considers to be marriage should reflect what is really marriage, in their view.
Same-sex marriage proponents, on the other hand, seem to have a more fluid conception of marriage, as fits their more postmodernist worldview.
The fact is that most opponents of same-sex marriage do not see it as an issue of "equality." They believe that marriage exists independent of societal norms, and that it is simply impossible to join two men or two women together in marriage. They have a solid and explicit definition of marriage, and saying that their view fosters inequality is equivalent to claiming that opposition to a man marrying a bag of money or a woman marrying her cow is to support inequality. It is simply impossible; and even if it was recognized by some nation, would not be truly valid. What the government considers to be marriage should reflect what is really marriage, in their view.
Same-sex marriage proponents, on the other hand, seem to have a more fluid conception of marriage, as fits their more postmodernist worldview.
If my neighbor wanted to marry an animal, I would want nothing to do with him, I wouldn't want him near my family, and I certainly wouldn't want to be friends with him. I guess I have a higher standard for friends. I can say with no doubt that I consider all of my friends to be very cool and good wholesome decent people, all of them.
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