We can’t possibly be like him.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t try!

The hypocrisy bothers me.

If we’re going to preach tolerance and mutual understanding we should bloody practice it, even towards those we disagree with.

“Don’t judge us by their actions” is quite different to “We reject their beliefs.” I just wonder about your priorities, ‘true’ Christians.

Actually, I’ve been reading the PK comments for a few months now, and I usually find Fester’s phraseology both original and apt.

That logic is unassailable.

14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

15And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

I think the real point to this particular thread of discussion, though, si that anyone will take anything and twist it anyway in order to justify themselves.

I need to work on loving the people who hate me, though. I’ve gotten to ‘You live your life, I’ll live mine, and we can get along’; but haven’t gotten
past returning fire to those who condemn me.

Oh well, it should come in time.

Oh, I know that those people are out there. My argument is that they’re in the minority. In fact, I’m of the opinion that the most vocal, obnoxious members of any group, be they gay, baptist, squirrel farmers, or what have you, are in the minority. I’ve seen hate, but when there’s a 24-hour “news” cycle that feeds off of conflict and anger, I can only take it with a grain of salt. More importantly, I am not that way, and it infuriates me when anyone paints in broad brush strokes to satisfy their pre-existing belief structure. As for white supremacists claiming to be Christian, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen the passage “Love thy neighbor as yourself-unless he’s got a different skin tone. In that case, hang that spook!” Just sayin’.

As for sexuality, as something as complex as the mix of hormones, childhood, genetics, and culture is decidedly more than I’m prepared to tackle without a ridiculously bloated research grant. That said, even if I was of the opinion it was truly a matter of choice, I don’t believe in hosing people for how they choose to live their lives. I might have (or attempt to have, for that matter) an intelligent discussion, but that’s only because I’m curious about other people’s pasts-where they come from, their ethnicity, core beliefs, etc.

Wow…I totally wandered off topic there.

Summary: I feel that question is beyond my pay grade and will not make any judgments based on something I don’t fully understand.

Not that I think we’ll ever know for sure-way too much politics involved.

And, rho, when you register someone to vote and they can vote on the same day, it doesn’t matter if you catch the fraudulent registration a month later, there’s no way to find those ballots ever again. Which is why this early voting BS needs to be gotten rid of. It’ll never happen, of course-I can hear the screams of “disenfranchisement” already.

Call me crazy, but I’m not really sure “murder” and “civil unions” really fall into the same class. And your continued insistence on branding the majority with the sins of the minority grow tiresome. Uh-oh, I used the “s” word. Hopefully your wrath is not great.

And Fester, I see both hands… that means you’ve still got room for a rocket launcher…

Fester: So trying to get along with people is weaseling? Explains a lot about you. My point is and will continue to be that being a raging ass to everyone you disagree with is about as useless as the argument that you’re “speaking against God.” As for following you around and shouting banalities, as someone who rips apart anyone you disagree with, whether they said anything to you or not (see Machelle @ the bottom of this thread, or, for that matter, me), I figure you have little ground to stand on in that regard. I engaged you because you started it. Perhaps immature, but it is what it is.

Finally, you not an anathema at all, Fester. You are something of a figurehead, however. I have this (crazy) idea that maybe, if people treat each other with just the tiniest bit of human decency, maybe relations between all groups, be they age, race, creed, or ethnicity, would improve. You have put yourself squarely with the Westboro bunch in my personal hierarchy. You run around, flinging about nastiness, accomplishing nothing but driving the wedge deeper. The difference between you and the Westboro bunch is that I can’t engage them. You seem to be more than willing to continue. So, yeah, more prose.