Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage

He's Scottish, and rural England is not that bad at all.

Our Town Crier is called Big Gay Al, because he's big, gay and called Al.

The most surprising thing about him is his size, nearer to seven than six foot.

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Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla

He's Scottish, and rural England is not that bad at all.

Our Town Crier is called Big Gay Al, because he's big, gay and called Al.

The most surprising thing about him is his size, nearer to seven than six foot.

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Really!?

My picture of a town crier is someone who goes around yelling "2 O'clock and all's well!" and such. What does your guy do?

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Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

Really!?

My picture of a town crier is someone who goes around yelling "2 O'clock and all's well!" and such. What does your guy do?

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He does that sort of thing on special occasions, Mayor's Parade, Rememberence Sunday etc.

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Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr

It's not hatred I just disapprove of homosexuality and I think I should be allowed to.

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You are allowed to. Nobody in their right mind is going to try to legislate you into approving of gay people, the gay lifestyle or gay sex.

That said, if the lesbians who live three doors down from me are allowed the legal protection of marriage, I don't see how that affects your right to think and say what you like any more than it affects my marriage. These are all unconnected issues. The attempt to connect them by claiming that marriage is just the tip of a massive, hidden gay agenda is misguided at best, and often dishonest. Michael Savage has been peddling the notion that gay marriage will cause churches to be sued into oblivion unless they wed lesbians. It doesn't matter that there is zero evidence for this, a lot of people who disapprove of homosexuality lap it up, no matter how fact-free the content.

Let's be calm and rational and look at which issues really are connected. Many gays want the legal and financial protection of marriage. Instead of cui bono, let's ask cui malo? And not in some vague sense of "It damages marriage," a slogan that is as empty as Paris Hilton's head. The strip club on Highway H damages marriages. No-fault divorce damages marriages. Men who expect their wives to look like sixteen-year-olds forever damage marriage. Two-career households, in my opinion, damage marriage.

But you don't hear pastors railing against divorce, now do you? That would be bad business. Many of their flock are likely to be divorced. We can't go telling them that they've done bad. No, it's the hummasexuals.

As I said, it's all deeply dishonest.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

But you don't hear pastors railing against divorce, now do you? That would be bad business. Many of their flock are likely to be divorced. We can't go telling them that they've done bad. No, it's the hummasexuals.

As I said, it's all deeply dishonest.

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Catholics rail pretty hard agaisnt divorce. That's the problem with so many denomintions, they don't have the size or power to resist popular trends. They've rationalized away their moral authority over the years.

Stand athwart bad policy and moral decay. When people who follow the vast unwashed popular horde make fun of you, stand firm. It is not progress and it makes the institution of marriage no longer mean what many believe it should mean. That reason in addition to the idea that we govern ourselves and send our representatives to make policy for us should be reason for you to oppose this.

If you do not believe that homosexuality is something that should be encouraged then stand agaisnt this.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

The strip club on Highway H damages marriages. No-fault divorce damages marriages. Men who expect their wives to look like sixteen-year-olds forever damage marriage. Two-career households, in my opinion, damage marriage.

But you don't hear pastors railing against divorce, now do you? That would be bad business. Many of their flock are likely to be divorced. We can't go telling them that they've done bad. No, it's the hummasexuals.

As I said, it's all deeply dishonest.

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For the record, the Mormon church rails against divorce, strip clubs, two-career households, and so forth as well as against homosexuality. Misguided on the last, imo, but consistent at least.

Ajax

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Originally Posted by ajaxfetish

For the record, the Mormon church rails against divorce, strip clubs, two-career households, and so forth as well as against homosexuality. Misguided on the last, imo, but consistent at least.

Ajax

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A major problem is that certain major christian denominations are as morally bankrupt as their flocks are and don't preach agaisnt the ills that threaten us. They are caught in the same tail slide as the rest of popular culture.

Actually, of all the protestant denominations (which means everybody but the Roman Catholic Church) I find Mormons and Episcopalians to be the least hypocritical and conflicted. Mormons because they really do try to live their principles, and Episcopalians because we have none.

(I hope it's okay to make fun of my own church.)

Presbyterians are sound here in Scotland.

Some of the Baptist churches are a litte bit dodgy... their congregations always seem to be stinking rich with big modern houses, I call them US-style Evangelicals (no offence to the US folk).

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Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr

Presbyterians are sound here in Scotland.

Some of the Baptist churches are a litte bit dodgy... their congregations always seem to be stinking rich with big modern houses, I call them US-style Evangelicals (no offence to the US folk).

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Your baptists are rich? Well I got the short end of the stick there.

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Originally Posted by Strike For The South

Your baptists are rich? Well I got the short end of the stick there.

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Yeah, but I was only talking about Baptists in Scotland. Of course, they're not all rich, but some of their churches have very wealthy congregations.

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Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff

A major problem is that certain major christian denominations are as morally bankrupt as their flocks are and don't preach agaisnt the ills that threaten us. They are caught in the same tail slide as the rest of popular culture.

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Another major problem is that some denominations make a point of "railing against ills" in order to distract from their lack of piety and basic human decency. They are also often self-rightious in their condemnation of others.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Actually, of all the protestant denominations (which means everybody but the Roman Catholic Church) I find Mormons and Episcopalians to be the least hypocritical and conflicted. Mormons because they really do try to live their principles, and Episcopalians because we have none.

(I hope it's okay to make fun of my own church.)

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If the Episcopalian Church is like the CofE (and I understand that's a matter of criteria for comparison) then it probably has to do with an effort to minister to the congragation rather than shove hard and unforgiving doctrine down their throats.

That said, I don't like your first-Archbishop, or whatever she's called.

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Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr

Presbyterians are sound here in Scotland.

Some of the Baptist churches are a litte bit dodgy... their congregations always seem to be stinking rich with big modern houses, I call them US-style Evangelicals (no offence to the US folk).

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Nothing wrong with money and big houses, so long as it's earned honestly. Baptists do a lot of good work, even if they can be Christocentrically-smug.

I heard two preachers this past Easter Weekend. One was a Lay-Evangelical, the other the Lord Bishop. On Good Friday I went to the Ecumunical Service at Exeter Cathedral, and the "talk" was given by a man called Derek Burnside. Now, this man is the chief Elder at an Independant Evangelical Church known as Belmont Chapel. The Chapel is very popular with students because it offers practical support, and a very welcoming atmosphere. However, I've been unhappy with what it has done to the Faith of several of my friends.

Friday was the first time I heard this man speak, I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say I was expecting him at least to be charismatic, he wasn't really. Maybe it was being in an unfamilliar setting, but his tone was combative, then condecending, then rabble rousing. Of all things on Good Friday he chose to focus on how the Cross is out "treasure" because by it we are declared "not guilty" before God, he spoke about "Those of us here who were or are condemned" and "The Seven thing Jesus said on the Cross, can you remember what they are?"

I would have preffered something along thew lines of God's unlimited love for his creation, his dieing for a people who scorned him and his mercy. Instead it was mostly about people.

On Sunday the Bishop spoke about the regeneration of the resurrection, of loss and comfort and of Jesus' desperate lonlyness and anguish when he decended into Hell, only to rise again and conquer death. Actually, the whole service (which was Choral Mattins) was structured around the message of Hope, regeneration and transformation; and of the part Christians have to play in making the world a better and more compationate, more just, place.

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Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr

I've met a few. I don't think they are animals, I just think their sexual preferences impact more on their personality than, say, their skin colour. To be frank, most of them were the drama queen type. There was one person on work experience who was a genuinely nice guy. But then, he was also, em, flamboyant, which is part of his character.

I didn't say its all bad, but if we're being honest, homosexuals do tend to be different.



For all the "OMG Christians say people choose to be gay" comments, there isn't really any convincing proof that it isn't a choice. I also don't buy the 'population control' argument, since it's seeen in all cultures in all times and socioeconomicgeographicblabla situations, and humans must have been in short supply in the old hunter-gatherer days. I didn't choose to be heterosexual because that is the default for any person.



Obviosuly the culture people are brought up in influences how they act, but that's not the same as race itself. People from different cultures do act different because they hold different values, I'm not saying any are superior. If they were brought up in a different culture, they would hold to those values, regardless of their 'race'.

But really, homosexuals do act differently from other people, and its because of their homosexuality. I'm not saying they're evil, but I don't see how this can be denied.

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I'm gonna get edited out and probably receive a warning point for this, but :

"What a bunch of super-utter ridiculous crap".

There, I said it. The simple fact that people can come up with such arguments in the 21th century makes me lose my faith in humanity.

The whole "GAYZ R DIFRENTS, I MET 1 SO I NOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT K?" argument belong to the 1950's.


Edit: And things only gets worse after that. This topic is a nice summary of stupid prejudice, biggotry and generalization.

I think Catholic people should not be allowed to marry because they all behave like intolerant biggots. I won't hire them either, because I don't want intolerant biggots working with me. And they're all into paedophilia, it's well known by now. They're sinful, corrupted and ill and should all be locked up.

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Originally Posted by Meneldil

"What a bunch of super-utter ridiculous crap".

There, I said it. The simple fact that people can come up with such arguments in the 21th century makes me lose my faith in humanity.

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Sorry please don't tell the PC police on me.

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Originally Posted by Meneldil

The whole "GAYZ R DIFRENTS, I MET 1 SO I NOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT K?" argument belong to the 1950's.

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No they are still different nowadays.

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Originally Posted by Meneldil

Edit: And things only gets worse after that. This topic is a nice summary of stupid prejudice, biggotry and generalization.

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Yes, they act just like you and me tralala

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Originally Posted by Meneldil

I think Catholic people should not be allowed to marry because they all behave like intolerant biggots. I won't hire them either, because I don't want intolerant biggots working with me. And they're all into paedophilia, it's well known by now. They're sinful, corrupted and ill and should all be locked up.

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Fine, that's up to you, and so it should be.

I fear that on both sides we have lost the original discussion in a cloud of red mist.

Enough, methinks.

:closed: