in thinking jesus can NOT cure homosexuality as it is NOT an illness

[thefinerthingsinlife]

christian lady has written a book claiming jesus can cure homosexuality

I'm not getting into the debate of wether there is a God/Jesus etc. It just this has really mad me angry, how can you cure something that is NOT an illness. I find this extremely insulting and judgemental.

I'm sure if MNHQ were remotely bothered about the comments on this thread they would have been deleted by now.

I'm guessing that nothing has been deleted because no-one has actually reported anything. IMO probably correctly. Censorship only happens on MN if someone participating in a thread requests it and MNHQ agrees.

Lots of stuff about how free speech might be okay, but not on MN. However I've not seen the page where MN lists the banned subjects. I'm beginning to think that each poster who says that is just assuming that MN agree with them.

Remember we're not just talking about hate crime here. It's being suggested that discussing whether homosexuality is genetic for example should be forbidden because gay people don't like to hear it talked about.

On the subject of free speech:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/westboro-baptist-church-w_n_830209.html

(quote ) 2.3.11

"WASHINGTON ? The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the First Amendment protects fundamentalist church members who mount anti-gay protests outside military funerals, despite the pain they cause grieving families.

The court voted 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. The decision upheld an appeals court ruling that threw out a $5 million judgment to the father of a dead Marine who sued church members after they picketed his son's funeral.........

The Rev. Fred Phelps and his family members who make up most of the Westboro Baptist Church have picketed many military funerals in their quest to draw attention to their incendiary view that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality....."

Free speech is one thing but whatever happened to good manners?

If you were at a mother and toddler group with a gay Mum and suggested there that she could be straight if she wanted to be, I would imagine you wouldn't be welcome there any more.

I hope the same rules apply here. MN is basically just a big virtual M&T group.

We even have and

Nun - that's appalling.. Have those people - who must make most normal Christians deeply ashamed - no simple human compassion?

Nun I know of that family, they host the "God hates fags" website/beliefs.

They spend ALL of their time and resources in hating soldiers and homosexuals.

Pity they don't reference their bibles as I'm sure they're called to love everyone, even if what they do isn't biblically correct.

I really like the phrase biblically correct. When I hear people make homophobic/sexist comments in future I shall simply reply that their comments are biblical correctness gone mad.

Nun that is truly appalling and yes Grimma, deeply ashamed . Makes me feel physically sick tbh.

Yes Milly except quite often the nutjobs are so selectively 'biblically correct'. I think a (biblically correct!) phrase for them is that they strain at gnats and swallow a camel. Or that they're mote and beamers. (Matthew, chapter 7, verses 1 to 5 - one or two bits of the bible are humdingers!)

So tolerance only extends to some groups in society (eg gay people) and not others (eg religious people). Hummm...not tolerance then, is it? Why does anyone "non religious" even give a flying crap what the religious community thinks? (ducks and covers). Just ignore if you don't like it, but allow them their opinion. There is really some very nasty anti Christian stuff on this thread, which is just as bad as the perceived slight against gay people from supposedly "all" Christians based on this one article. Pot/kettle/black springs to mind.

"Why does anyone "non religious" even give a flying crap what the religious community thinks? (ducks and covers). Just ignore if you don't like it, but allow them their opinion."

I woudl love to be able to ignore them. But they persist in trying to influence the way the society I live in functions. SO I can"t.

The irony is that religious people treat homosexuality as a curable disease, when in fact it is religion itself that is a virus, the strain of which depends on place of birth. If we stopped indulging these people, their predudices and their brain washing of children we could eliminate a large chunk of evil from the world.

It's not what someone thinks, it's how they act.

Someone can think what they like, but when their opinions mean that they attack or discriminate against others, then everyone should care.

And I say that as someone who believes in God, but not in Religion.

No-one is saying that religious people aren't allowed to have an opinion. But just as they are allowed their views, I'm allowed to form an opinion of them. If someone spouts the view that they think homosexuality can be "cured" by prayer, I reserve the right to view that person as an idiot.

Snorbs- which is important. But it has been suggested that only if you hold an "anti-homosexual" view you shouldn't be allowed to air it.

THe important thing is, you should be allowed, and those offended should equally be allowed a platform in which to respond. Whether it's on MN or not.

Actually, LotM, if you were to swap the words 'gay' for 'black' or 'disabled' and express those views, I think it would be (less than politely) suggested that you not be allowed to air those views on MN.

You should NOT be allowed to get away with saying that gay parents aren't normal or natural. How is that anything but i) appalling bad manners ii) hate speech iii) factually incorrect?

I'm a Roman Catholic myself and I despair that 'Christians' can hold such narrow, nasty views. I'm also big enough and ugly enough to take a bit of 'imaginary friends' religious mocking. My faith is strong enough to take it.

That is in no way comparable to being told that you're not normal or natural and have 'chosen' to live your life this way.

DD's godfather is gay and Catholic and believe you me, it's not for want of trying that he's not straight - he spent his teens desperately trying to be 'normal' and having utterly miserable relationships with girls that he had no interest in at all to avoid the disgust and intolerance of his elderly parents (who loudly voiced their disapproval and hatred of 'the gays' whenever anything like that came on the telly) and lived his life in misery before deciding 'sod this' and coming out. If prayer could have done anything for him, he'd be straight by now.

This makes me very angry, that people can make such lazy, ignorant, offensive statements and try to justify it with 'oh, it's my right to say this'. It may well be, but surely sheer good manners should prevent you from doing so?

Lenin, I'm really sorry that you've been made to feel this way by some of the small-minded people on this thread. The vast majority of MNers and Christians DON'T think this way.

Lovecat, let's get one thing straight, I haven't aired views of that kind.

Manners or otherwise, people can say what they like (on MN-where it may be deleted- or in real life where it won't). People cannot avoid saying things for the fear that it may offend someone somewhere.

Calling Christians "narrow minded" might be offensive to some, as calling a homosexual "normal" is to others. Replace the words black and disable, and there isn't a Biblical dispute.

Calling Christians "narrow minded" might be offensive to some, as calling a homosexual "normal" is to others.

But there is a significant difference - some people are narrow minded. They may not like being so called (would probably designate themselves 'right thinking') but that doesn't mean it ain't so.

Whereas homosexuals are part of the normal, natural spectrum of humankind.

Being offended by a truth isn't on a par with being offended by a falsehood (whether commited through ignorance or knowingly)

LOTM, of course people can avoid saying things in order to avoid causing offence to others That is exactly what most people do all the time. We think about the impact a statement is going to have on other people, and if it will offend, we have to make sure we have a very good reason to make the statement anyway.

I can't see what the good reason is to make negative comments about homosexuality. It isn't a form of national service; people don't have to be gay if it isn't their cup of tea.