Bay 12 Games Forum

That's pretty amazing.  It looks almost like a finished product already.

Interesting - So, basically, homosexuality could be labeled as wrong if it detracted from someone else's life.

I just had an idea about why homosexuality could be fundamentally wrong in Christianity.  I'll try to explain it with the hopes that it'll be insightful rather than insulting or demeaning - It's an attempt to play along with the premise/conclusion game.

Family is a large part of most Christian communities, and even the teachings in the bible.  The ability to procreate is considered sacred, and so should not be abused.  If you believe that one purpose of a family is to give more people the opportunity to come to earth, learn, and grow (Assuming that our being here is part of God's plan), then homosexuality or even celibacy would be wrong.  If you also believe that families can continue to grow after resurrection, then even someone who doesn't have the ability to procreate in this life would have the responsibility to be in a position to be able to do so in the next; so someone who's sterile can't become homosexual by saying that they can't have children anyways.

This is, of course, laying aside the whole self-control and mastery of passions and desires bit, which is also a big part of Christianity.

In the end, whether or not homosexuality is acceptable is dependent on your belief in God and/or your view of the importance of a family and bringing life into existence, whether in this life or the next.  So, to most Christians, homosexuality could/should be seen as less of an act of rebellion as failing to acknowledge the importance of families and giving others the chance to come to earth.  Thus being a homosexual doesn't automatically make you an "evil person".

I hope that makes sense.  I didn't think about it too much - It sort of popped into my head.  I'm not going to claim ownership of or advocate the idea until I can think about it some more (And with school starting tomorrow, I probably won't have time to explain that, not to mention the inevitable misunderstandings :\ ).

And please don't take it out of context - I'm really trying to open up understanding by thinking about what could be causing people to detracting homosexuality.  I'm not trying to tell people that they're wrong and need to mend their ways - In fact, I'm presenting more of an idea than a personal opinion!  Whether or not it's the reason behind the belief that "homosexuality is bad" is still up in the air (To me).


Regardless of where my opinion goes, my previous statements on freedom of choice still stand, of course.  As long as something doesn't affect or harm me, I'm not going to get all worked up about it.

If you don't remember them or haven't read said opinions and don't understand the above line, feel free to browse around for them in this thread.  I think it sums up what a large portion of Christians think.

I meditate semi-regularly, but that's the only eastern ideology I've really picked up.  Nearly everything else would take a great deal of study and learning to really get down, but it's something I wouldn't be averse to.

I think the main difference between Eastern and Western religions is the focus on philosophy - Like Darkmere said, Western philosophy focuses a lot more on the individual "rightness" of an action, while Eastern looks more at self and universe a lot more abstractly.  Neither one is flawed, of course, and they both generally lead to the same thing: Self improvement.  The difference is, where Western culture sees improvement more as a goal with a definitive baseline (Perfection), Eastern culture sees it more as a journey of introspection.

The big problem is that people tend to dehumanize anything that they see as abnormal or deviant.  They focus too much on actions and don't realize there's a person behind those actions.  They see someone as different, and immediately don't know what they're dealing with.  It's a problem on all sides of the spectrum, and it's one that breeds misunderstanding, because people are afraid of knowing more about something they don't understand.  Acknowledging that all those who take part in bi- or homosexual activities actually have normal problems, live their lives, work, and are human means that they have to face their own preconceived notions that Good and Evil isn't like what it is in the movies.

As for what's good or evil, I'm not going to tell anyone how to live.  I'm hardly perfect enough to go around saying, "You're 100% wrong and must mend your ways!!"  I don't think anyone is.  I'll give my opinion as politely as possible, sure - But directly try to force someone into a certain attitude or opinion?  Never.


I just hope you guys don't think that every Christian's going to have the same reaction as GGamer's.  I've known a lot of people from different Christian faiths, but the portion that ignore the whole "love their neighbor as thyself" of the Bible is rather small.  The majority likely disapprove, but they're not the kind to swear at and hate those that swing a little different to them.

Reaching a relationship of understanding requires effort on both sides, I think.  We're allowed to have differing opinions and beliefs, but that doesn't mean we automatically can't get along together.

P.S: piemaster: judging by some of what's been posted, it won't be hard to at least not be last

Hey, at least mine had a moral! 

I think the point of martial arts isn't to "win" a fight - It's to discipline yourself.  There's different styles and philosophies, but all of them point towards mastering your mind, spirit, and body rather than domination.  From what I understand, Asian culture is more about the capability of their own self than Western culture - Eastern culture tends to see weapons or fighting styles as an extension of body or will, while Western culture focuses on the style or weapon as a tool to further one's will.

So, combat has some part in Martial Arts, but a fight is more of an opportunity to improve oneself rather than just come out on top.  If martial arts were really all about winning, then it would have devolved into a gun competition a long time ago.

I'm not Republican, actually.

Surprise!

You're just doing the "othering" that Vector mentioned without presenting any proof beyond your "insider" information.