This post is your shortest, so I'm just gonna quote it and then go from there.
Well that's an interesting split. You have far more respect for a faith that you perceive as being far more intolerant, malicious, and bloodthirsty? Do you value those traits?
You get people in the church who abuse sexuality, sure. Christians are sinners who fall prey to temptation just like everyone else. The point, however, was as a matter of belief.
Well enough. Why - however - would you say that?
Oh yes. Because if there is anything that has been just awesome for America, it's the break up of the family. Children of single parents and children of divorce do awesome.
:shrug: well, again, the most conservative churches on this issue are the ones that are more broadly retaining or growing their membership.
Interesting. So your answer is that you can't know until you've done it. Except that that is not a rational construct at all - it is an experiential one, perhaps, though it seems far more emotional. But shouldn't you be able to explain rational reasons why something is good and why you should act good that would be apparent and available to all, if your claims about the nature of morality and reason are correct?
That's interesting - that's not what I've seen at all. The vast majority of the folks who leave are the ones who were fringe / apathetic to begin with.
0. Looks like we're gonna have to agree to disagree about the block-quoting-vs-outlining thing.
1. "Christian bullies." You're right. Many of you are. Thanks, I'm going to use that phrase more.
2. Newton gave us physics; Mendel gave us genetics (a cornerstone of evolution, BTW); John Locke (right?) was a liberal who, according to the Wikipedia page, greatly influenced Voltaire. In all cases, these men helped give us a great gift: Reliance on reason and open-minded inquiry, not dogma and superstition. As another Christian scientist (not to be confused with the denomination) once said: "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use."
3. You didn't define what postmodernism was. And what is your deal with relativism. You really think that everything in life is cut-and-dry, black-and-white, right-or-wrong? If so, then I almost guarantee you that no matter what claim of morality you make short of "Thou shalt not nuke the entire planet," it cannot necessarily be 100% defended. For example, don't commit murder? OK, what about self-defense? Where is the threshold between justifiable and criminal homicide? We've already had multiple, bitter debates surrounding instances where that very question was at stake.
(3.1) And here you go again with the snark. Put it where the sun don't shine, Will. It is categorically not welcome. I don't understand how much clearer I can make that for you.
(3.2) OK, since you didn't catch my tip the first time, let me clearly spell this out: Our believing in "if it feels good, do it" is a massive strawman. Lose it already. And your lecture of delayed gratification, when I have seen some conservatives struggle with this too, is neither necessary nor welcome.
(3.3) Yet again, get the plank out of your eye so you can see the speck in mine.
4. OMG STOP LYING. You are harping on a point that I DID NOT MAKE. Stop lying already. See this is why I can't respect your beliefs, Will. You occasionally toss out something that I could work with, and then you pull this ****. Furthermore, it is pure hypocrisy on your part when you are either unwilling or unable to obey the Ninth Commandment, which, as a Christian, is one of your ten basic rules.
5. Christianity is dying out in America. I am not going to let this go until you get it. That is a fact, will, a cold, hard fact that you are deliberately and intentionally choosing not to accept.
(5.1) You shift from blaming the entire public education system to blaming a couple of "low-quality videos"?! HA! Alright, fine, Creationist Cat's videos are not exactly what I'd call high-quality. but that's part of why I didn't reference his.
(5.2) Actually I was thinking going over to the videos themselves and commenting there. But yes, I can pop by the Religion forum.
6. Tell me one verse, one single verse, where Jesus explicitly said that being LGBT was a sin, or where he explicitly told a clearly LGBT person to "repent."