APA revises 'gay gene' theory

[Father Heathen]

Father Heathen, I'm going to address this passage because you continually bring it up, but I am also going to address another issue first:

If you will notice, there are people on this forum who disagree with my views, but who interact with me with common human decency. We enjoy something called "mutual respect," - or at least the semblance of it. I not only feel an obligation to answer their questions and challenges - I genuinely enjoy it, and enjoy getting to know them and their viewpoints.

Then there are the inflammatory, immature, trollish ones. I have very little patience with them, and will rarely respond to them. There's no point in it - they're obviously not here for the same reasons I am, and their sole intention seems to be hurling rhetoric. Their attempts at witticism don't impress me - but they are very telling when it comes to character.

So don't be surprised if you see my responses to a particular person drop off - you'll know the reason, and it WON'T be because they've "won" a debate or point. It will be because I'm not going to stoop to that level of discussion.

Are you honestly surprised that flippant disrespect is met with flippant disrespect? You say glib, outlandish things that disregard all sense and reason with a smug sense of righteousness and without attempting to substantiate or justify your claims, and yet you expect others to treat such comments with reverence and seriousness? I can discuss and debate things in a polite, civil manner, but that is dictated by the attitude and approach of others. You basically came in here saying "Homosexuals don't take responsibility and look for excuses" and little else and act all coy and shocked when people react to such slander with a bit of hostility.

Now - for your oft-quoted passage from Exodus 21. Let's look at it:

7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

This passage is about bondservants. This practice was often used to pay off a debt. As you surely know - the practices of arranged marriages, doweries, and bondservanthood were common throughout the WORLD up until the 19th century.

A bondservant works for a prescribed number of years to pay off a debt or a purchase of something like land.

A Hebrew could not send his daughter out as a bondservant to a foreigner for any reason. He could send his sons, daughters or himself out only to another Hebrew. The master then had to follow strict regulations as to the treatment of a Hebrew bondservant. In the case of a maidservant, he had to treat her honorably - he could be betrothed to her himself, or she could be betrothed to one of his sons, as part of the deal, but if this was the case, he had to TREAT HER LIKE A DAUGHTER. If this arrangement didn't work out, then he had to release her as a free woman. If he took another wife, he still had to treat her as his wife.

These ancient world customs differ from ours, but it is always a mistake to do serious exegesis on ancient texts through 21st century goggles. Context, context, context.

But shouldn't God have power and authority over human culture, and not the other way around? Shouldn't God transcend the norms of mere mortals rather than be bound and limited by them? God had no trouble forbidding something as innocent as eating shrimp, but not something as morally abhorrent as slavery and rape? You honestly can't see how this is logically and ethically inconsistent? Doesn't this simply prove that the biblical portrayal of God is made in man's image and not the other way around?
Anyway, it's simply ridicilous to use a book that advocates vile and horrific abuses such as slavery, rape, torture, genocide and misogyny to condemn something benign as homosexuality.

 

[DallasApple]

Actually at two different stages in my life I made a conscious decision in spite of attraction, to stay within heterosexual boundaries. I made this decision based on my moral values, and I haven't regretted it.

Kathryn,

But you have a "natural" attraction to men.So its not like you really sacrificed a whole lot.Sure you made a "choice"..but you had two "palatable" alternatives.

Love

Dallas

 

[linwood]

These ancient world customs differ from ours, but it is always a mistake to do serious exegesis on ancient texts through 21st century goggles. Context, context, context.

In all fairness Kathryn isn`t this what those who oppose equality for homosexuals are doing themselves?

 

[Father Heathen]

In all fairness Kathryn isn`t this what those who oppose equality for homosexuals are doing themselves?

Excellent point. It's funny how they use the Bible to condemn homosexuality in present time, but when the same book advocates rape, slavery and various other abhorrent atrocities (while condemning those who eat shrimp to death) it's all "cultural context". It's all about cherry picking out of convenience.

 

[darkendless]

Excellent point. It's funny how they use the Bible to condemn homosexuality in present time, but when the same book advocates rape, slavery and various other abhorrent atrocities (while condemning those who eat shrimp to death) it's all "cultural context". It's all about cherry picking out of convenience.

Its what they do best. Ignorance is bliss. As long as they can't see that what they're doing is pathetically childish who cares right? They can do what they want because Christianity became a way of life by sticking a sword between the reasonable mans ribs.

Remember though, half these people are too stupid to understand genetic mutations so i believe some dude in a white coat waved his hands and everything became what it is

 

[Rough_ER]

Research like this is still worth considering though... It seems to me that sexuality has at least something to do with how we're "wired".

Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex - life - 16 June 2008 - New Scientist

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think next time I'll actually read the OP before making assumptions. I guess assuming just indeed did make an *** out of me.

Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex - life - 16 June 2008 - New Scientist

This is interesting. In the links I provided, the APA theorized that is how that brains of transgendered people are. It's sound's like a very similair brain forming abnormality.

 

[Buttercup]

Yes, I'm very interested.

I'm pretty sure this is the thread that Kathryn was referring to but you may have to search a bit for her posts....I believe she's answering my questions.