Ah, I get what you're saying now.

Anyways, I'm just adhering to my faith. I have never actually gone up to a homosexual and say "Change now!" Trust me, I know how hard/impossible it is to give up certain things that make you happy. I struggle with that every day. I want to please my God, but sometimes it is just so hard! Anyways... I'm not trying to be prejudicial against gay people. The only gays that I really feel should change are Christians like me, since we both should want to please the same God, and He says it's not right, as you know. Anyone else, go right ahead! While I don't agree with it, it doesn't mean I can control other people's lives.

But, you're right, I may not understand what I'm talking about, me being me. Also, I don't think it's bad to be vert sexual, just keep control of yourself and it's nothing to be ashamed of! Just make sure not to hurt anyone or yourself and you'll be fine, IMHO :]

You said you aren't a "very sexual" person, so it may be hard for you to understand. As somebody who is (not something I like to admit and I would change it if it I could >.<) I can tell you my sexuality points 100% in one way. I can not change the sex I'm attracted to, and I have tried. It has never worked. I am naturally inclined completely one way.

So basically what you're telling me to do is ignore what I naturally am and go date the sex I'm not attracted to instead, or perhaps even avoid dating altogether? That's totally not right. There's nothing actually wrong with same-sex relationships. You just have to look past your prejudice. Just because you're not homosexual doesn't mean that others can't be. You don't even have to understand the attraction they have toward the same-sex, you just have to accept that it exists and is real.

It's completely different from watching porn or pre-marital sex. Those are choices that people make. Homosexuality is a natural feeling that some people have. To tell them they can't act on it when it harms nobody in reality is just wrong.

Wait, let me modify that: I don't agree with pornography or pre-martial sex. Those are my personal beliefs. HOWEVER I know people and am friends with them that do both. Just because they do something I disagree with doesn't mean I'll shun them or anything like that. That's them, and while I may tell them my beliefs, I can't force it on them. That's sort the same thing with homosexuality (and I do know gay people; yet I don't avoid them or anything)

Well, personally, I don't think people are born homosexual. I believe they may have tendencies to lean towards homesexuality, but they don't need to pursue those tendencies. I don't mean to be a bigot, but that's what I believe.

I just have to say one thing: I don't buy #2 for a second.

Lets just see how this sounds to you: I do not approve of people being black; however, I don't judge black people because of it.

You know what Envy, I'm not able to give you a good response to that. I really, honestly can't.

Anyways, I just want to explain some things to you about my self so I don't come off as some bigot to you
1)I am highly against slavery.
2)I do not approve of homosexuality; however, I don't judge the homosexuals because of it. As we sometimes say, "Hate the sin, love the sinner"
3)I view men and women as equals. Heck, I'm gonna tell you something that I almost never tell ANYONE. Personally, I am very prejudicial against other guys. I'm a very weird individual. Many people say I have the body of a male, but my mind is more akin to a female. I'm not a very sexual person, so I'm VERY put off by other guys talking to me about who they're gonna have sex with and what not. I mean, for the most part, guys have no consequences if things go wrong.

Well, those are your three main issues and my stances on them. Now I'm gonna stop persuing this matter, so let's just go back on good terms, ok? :3

It wasn't "lax", at all. It gives one permission to beat their slave as much as they want as long as it doesn't kill them within the next two days.

Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 is where it says that if a virgin woman is raped, then the rapist must pay her father, and he must also get married to the woman.

You say "Oh, well that was their culture!". I don't know how you can say that. God ordered these rules upon them himself. No just and loving God could ever order these rules upon anybody. I don't care that it was specifically Israel. It was morally bankrupt there and then. No just and loving God could ever think otherwise, only the non-progressive people of that time who were consumed by their own prejudices could ever think those rules were moral.

Biblical slavery was actually pretty lax compared to other nations. The slave had MANY rights. On the women subject, what I said before, though I never actually read about the rapist thing. I'm not doubting you; but can I have a reference for curiosity's sake, again? On homosexual acts... I guess the culture says whether it is right pr wrong. Some cultures could say rape is wonderful and allow it, that doesn't mean its right. Our culture is just lax to these things. NOW I'M DEFINITELY NOT SAYING TO KILL ALL THE HOMOSEXUALS, GOD NO! I'm just saying, God commanded those to the Israelites. That's their culture. And yes, you can blame the Bible, and yes, I'll agree guns should bot even be necessary in this world. But imagine a rapist saying "She was wearing skimpy clothing! I couldn't resist!" (Sorry, I use rape a lot because that is probably one of the sickest crimes I can think of) You can blame whatever you want, and while the rapist MAY have some logical, it is just repulsive(Turns out girls wearing turtlenecks and jean skirts get raped less! At least I would guess educatedly). Same applies to the Bible.

The Bible, by claiming to be divinely inspired, has become an incredibly powerful tool for bad people to use it by. Again, I must say that the Bible does in fact include horrible things like advocating slavery, saying that women should be submissive to men (even to the extent of being forced to marry their rapist), and saying that homosexual acts should get one stoned.

It does say all of that, and it was all ordered by God himself. Yes, the bad people are bad naturally, but when they have a book which tells them that their prejudices are ordained by the great God himself, and when that Holy book is believed by the vast majority as being put out by God himself, their prejudices become accepted and respected by society and the government.

The Bible IS to blame to at least some extent.

And, actually, I do think that guns are bad. However, it's not a proper comparison. A gun doesn't come with a set of rules telling you certain people that it's okay for you to kill.

I'm not saying that the Old Testament is to be thrown away, only that the New Testament had it modified because of the removal of sin. But, as I said in an earlier message to Alex, you can't blame the Bible for what people do. As I said, the Crusades were horrible! But bad people also use guns to kill and murder... But are guns bad?

To be honest, I couldn't even possibly care less about the status of the Old Testament laws by today's Christians. (Although I am bothered by the fact that they go around saying that the Old Testament doesn't apply yet they're always happy to quote Leviticus when it agrees with them.) My point is, the Bible says that the Christian God not only allowed but ordered such laws. Such things are not justified. Not today, not 2000 years ago. And nobody, not even a God has any justification for those things ever. The only proper explanation of that all is that the Bible was written by and for people from far less progressive times.

Additionally no amount of trying to prove that the Old Testament should be thrown away will ever change the atrocities throughout history that Christianity has allowed to go on under its name. I will not sit by and let the blame slide away from Christianity, because no matter what, it is at blame alongside bad people. If the Bible never said the things it did, then it could have never been used by bad people. The perceived divinity of the Bible's words, the horrible things said in the Bible, along with bad people has worked together all too perfectly.

Most of the things you are saying are Old Testament material. After Christ died, many of these issues were dealt with as, according to the Christian faith, sin had now been paid for. Homosexuality is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the Bible, but he is telling people that it is wrong, not to stone the homosexuals. Also, women being regarded as lesser to men? Not really true... although a wife is supposed to be ruled over by her husband as pasrt of the Women's curse, BUT God gives EXPLICIT instructions to husbands to love their wives as themselves. I hope its safe to assume you're female, so if your husband is doing his "job" right, then that isn't really bad, is it? YOu have someone to support and love you as he would himself... not too shabby... Also on slavery, Paul agains mentions in his letter to Philemon to free his slave who had stolen from him and run away, and to regard him as a brother. That's what I believe the Bible says on these subjects. Thanks for reading :3