I only quite recently shifted my paradigm to my present view on this subject. Emotionally, I am still not fully comfortable with it. I do, however, have faith that my reasoning is sound and that I did not use spurious logic

--Baloo

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"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
--Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/

Anyway after letting the rat outta the cage I changed the post and explained myself a bit (i think i can't see it now, ugh!) but it was too late. I hope this will be my last post on the matter, if there is anything else I can do, email me.

RW:... Gay couples adopting has been passed by the Government ... we are still fighting for same-sex marriage here, though, and it doesn't look like we'll get it anytime soon. *chuckles* .. I did an entire 14 page paper on this if you want more info.

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Cherish your visions; cherish your ideas; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for if you remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

But other than that, this whole thing hinges around intolerance. *adjusts soapbox*. I have many different religious views. I have researched ones that interests me and learned of others on tangents. I know the differences between some and I also know the simularities. I think there is a God/Goddess and I know I understand this being on a personal level and it is percieved by me differently than it is percieved by the masses. Here is life in this corner of the Universe, all animals and plants living together, each biosystem needed, except for us. Rid the planet of insects and the whole thing collaspes. We depend on this system and we are a part of it. We take from it and we contribute to it. It is diverse, because diversity keeps the cycle of life moving along. It is perfect in its diversity on levels of order many may never hope to understand.
If you want to know the Mind of God/Goddess, know Your Mind. Our minds are individual, but on another level, they are connected and part of a greater entity. Like the cells in our brains, our minds, our consciencenesses, our very life force is mingled with all the others--we are a part of the Godness. Does the neuron question the violence of the white blood cell? Each is different. Each has a purpose to fulfill. The neuron may not be aware of this no more than the Heterosexual is aware of the Homosexual's purpose.
We have an incredible capacity to engage in stupidity. We chose to live blind lives. We wave a doctrine and teach Fear and Hate, and above all Intolerance, without question. If the purpose of Homosexuals is to suffer under the mindless and remorseful bigotry of the Heterosexual, then what is the lesson that we are supposed to learn? Are we getting it? If the lesson is: Embrace all Life as Valuable, Learn of Things beyond Yourself, and Learn Tolerance and Respect, then no, we are not getting the lesson, and we may find ourselves held back a grade.
Intolerance is a weed sprung up from the seed of Misundertanding. People chose NOT TO UNDERSTAND. We have a choice to learn about something different, or we have a choice to fear and attempt to destroy that which we do not understand. The later choice is instinctual I believe, for such actions are useful to spread the genetic make-up of the intolerant group. Anton LaVey spoke that humans are animals and should accept this and partake in animalistic pleasures. Other, more venerated men have advocated that Wo/Man is higher than the animals because of our Will. It is instinctual and animalistic to accept fear and intolerance, and a step closer to understanding this wonderous world by exercising Will and learning about a people that differ.
If you do not like Homosexuals, ask yourself why. If you know nothing about Homosexuals and still dislike them, I hope the answer you find bothers you. It should.
Yes it is unique that two men or two women can love one another as strongly as a man and a woman can. But is it any reason to hate them because thay can give Love where you cannot? Is there is any hurt in them Loving each other? We have on the scale the Gift of Hate and Destruction and the Gift of Love and Peace. Why intolerate them? Because of a Doctrine. It may be the Word Of God, but God also Wrote into exsistance the ability of a self awared life form. The Word of God exists as your Mind as well. Perhaps even your Heart, if you so choice that term better. So which Word Of God is more better? The Collection of Ancient Thoughts, or the Collections of New Thoughts?

I'm keeping my mouth shut.

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"You gotta change your signature" -Zilla

Bryce:
Is some very deep caverns, there are fishes that have adapted to live in total darkness. Some have no eyes, and are completely blind. But it's not the fish's fault, it's the darkness's. The fish was born there, and it's all the fish knows. I suppose if the fish were able to leave the cave, and exist in the upper reaches, that after a time it's descendants might too grow eyes that see.

What I'm saying is that religious beliefs, like fish eyes, are a matter of environment, and you do not necessarily hold them out of any inherent rightness or truth. Learning this fact is one of the first steps toward unbiased thinking.

Rare indeed are we who discover these things and put them to use.

Incidentally, harking back to a question asked about "If we (church folks) left out the Gospel of Thomas and all that stuff, why didn't we leave out Leviticus?"

The answer is simple: because Leviticus said what the Powers that Were wanted their Bible to say, and those other Gospels didn't. And much like the Soviet Union in the 1950-70's did with their history, the Nicean and other councils that were responsible for codifying the Bible out of the hundreds of scattered documents and conflicting viewpoints kept what they liked, and the rest went "into the fire" so to speak.

Anybody who held that any of the conflicting viewpoints was the "REAL" truth, rather than what the Leaders said was truth (ex. The Gnostics, the Nestorians, and dozens of other groups), were given the convenient epithet "heretic" and annihilated.

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"When we turn our back on our principles, we stop being human." -- Janeway, "Equinox"

I can't say if you are blind or not Bryce. Only you can.

Bryce, if you want to comment, please do. Voicing differing points of view leads to understanding. I cannot hate you for the experiences you have had, the way you have percieved them, or the way you think. I cannot hate you for being Bryce. I can only respect you.

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I was right in the middle of a f*cking reptile zoo. And somebody was giving booze to these goddam things."
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas