Faithful Kevin

Here is a question I want you to think about and answer for me: Would you feel comfortable living in heaven knowing billions if no trillions of people will be burning in hell?

It's been some time, however, Chaz Bufe expresses sexuaity in Christianity much better in his publication of "20 reasons to Abandon Christianity". " 9. Christianity has a morbid, unhealthy preoccupation with sex. For centuries, Christianity has had an exceptionally unhealthy fixation on sex, to the exclusion of almost everything else (except power, money, and the infliction of cruelty). This stems from the numerous "thou shalt nots" relating to sex in the Bible. That the Ten Commandments contain a commandment forbidding the coveting of one�s neighbor�s wife, but do not even mention slavery, torture, or cruelty—which were abundantly common in the time the Commandments were written— speaks volumes about their writer�s preoccupation with sex (and women as property). Today, judging from the pronouncements of many Christian leaders, one would think that "morality" consists solely of what one does in one's bedroom. The Catholic Church is the prime example here, with its moral pronouncements rarely going beyond the matters of birth control and abortion (and with its moral emphasis seemingly entirely on those matters). Also note that the official Catholic view of sex—that it's for the purpose of procreation only—reduces human sexual relations to those of brood animals. For more than a century the Catholic Church has also been the driving force behind efforts to prohibit access to birth control devices and information—to everyone, not just Catholics. The Catholic Church, however, is far from alone in its sick obsession with sex. The current Christian hate campaign against homosexuals is another prominent manifestation of this perverse preoccupation. Even at this writing, condemnation of "sodomites" from church pulpits is still very, very common—with Christian clergymen wringing their hands as they piously proclaim that their words of hate have nothing to do with gay bashings and the murder of gays. 10. Christianity produces sexual misery. In addition to the misery produced by authoritarian Christian intrusions into the sex lives of non-Christians, Christianity produces great misery among its own adherents through its insistence that sex (except the very narrow variety it sanctions) is evil, against God's law. Christianity proscribes sex between unmarried people, sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, bestiality, (3) and even "impure" sexual thoughts. Indulging in such things can and will, in the conventional Christian view, lead straight to hell. Given that human beings are by nature highly sexual beings, and that their urges very often do not fit into the only officially sanctioned Christian form of sexuality (monogamous, heterosexual marriage), it's inevitable that those who attempt to follow Christian "morality" in this area are often miserable, as their strongest urges run smack dab into the wall of religious belief. This is inevitable in Christian adolescents and unmarried young people in that the only "pure" way for them to behave is celibately—in the strict Christian view, even masturbation is prohibited. Phillip Roth has well described the dilemma of the religiously/sexually repressed young in Portnoy's Complaint as "being torn between desires that are repugnant to my conscience and a conscience repugnant to my desires." Thus the years of adolescence and young adulthood for many Christians are poisoned by "sinful" urges, unfulfilled longings, and intense guilt (after the urges become too much to bear and are acted upon). Even after Christian young people receive a license from church and state to have sex, they often discover that the sexual release promised by marriage is not all that it's cracked up to be. One gathers that in marriages between those who have followed Christian rules up until marriage—that is, no sex at all—sexual ineptitude and lack of fulfillment are all too common. Even when Christian married people do have good sexual relations, the problems do not end. Sexual attractions ebb and flow, and new attractions inevitably arise. In conventional Christian relationships, one is not allowed to act on these new attractions. One is often not even permitted to admit that such attractions exist. As Sten Linnander puts it, "with traditional [Christian] morality, you have to choose between being unfaithful to yourself or to another." The dilemma is even worse for gay teens and young people in that Christianity never offers them release from their unrequited urges. They are simply condemned to lifelong celibacy. If they indulge their natural desires, they become "sodomites" subject not only to Earthly persecution (due to Christian-inspired laws), but to being roasted alive forever in the pit. Given the internalized homophobia Christian teachings inspire, not to mention the very real discrimination gay people face, it's not surprising that a great many homosexually oriented Christians choose to live a lie. In most cases, this leads to lifelong personal torture, but it can have even more tragic results. A prime example is Marshall Applewhite, "John Do," the guru of the Heaven's Gate religious cult. Applewhite grew up in the South in a repressive Christian fundamentalist family. Horrified by his homosexual urges, he began to think of sexuality itself as evil, and eventually underwent castration to curb his sexual urges.(4) Several of his followers took his anti-sexual teachings to heart and likewise underwent castration before, at �Do�s� direction, killing themselves. "

Go for it! The more you engage in conversations with atheists about your religion and beliefs the more you will learn their points of view on the subject (that's a given). Keep in mind that you will be attempting to convert or speak about your religion to people who have already denied to follow it. Maybe you will learn something new about your bible or your religion.

Did you just quote Honey Boo Boo?

Touché. Thanks for posting this information.

I could easily post statistics about the risk of dying involved in very normal every-day tasks like driving a car or riding a taxi. People do these things knowing it's risky. The same applies for sex. People like to have sex and know they might get infected if they don't protect themselves. Risk is just a part of living on this hostile earth. If you or anyone wants to deprive themselves of experiences because of what a statistic says, go right ahead! Your religion will back you up and you will have proven my point.

How polite.

Isn't it funny? Sex is one of the most frowned-upon problems inside the Christian body, including masturbation, yet, it's one of the most physically pleasurable experiences in life. On the other hand, my last comment doesn't focus only on sex, it refers to any experience in life. One is free to test and try everything in this world and define what is best or what is most pleasing, however, Christianity is strict and, like any cult, will likely frown upon a member who wishes to leave/experience other things. A good example is someone who wishes to explore different religions. An open-minded point of view would let the person fulfill their desire to explore, however, Christianity requires an exclusive relationship with Jesus Christ, and according to the christian bible, there is no other way to heaven other than Christ Jesus, so in that sense, the person who wishes to leave will be frowned upon and quite possibly made an example not to follow. So, to conclude that small point, there are other ways that Christianity binds its members or creates a burden whether or not it be intentional by the church. I have to get into detail to the point of almost sounding redundant so that my views aren't misunderstood and my posts don't get removed by the admins like it has happened a couple of times.

I didn't mean work in that sense. I meant it's too much work because of how constraining the idea of living a blemish-less life is. I've already mentioned this a number of times, but this stems from my belief of how Christianity creates a burden in people's lives. If we take this forum for example we can find out that many teenagers grow with an idea of living a holy life to the extent of it creating a conflict within themselves. They struggle with their own thoughts of lust or the need to have sex because church and the bible has taught them this was wrong or that this is to be repressed or somehow dismissed or even worked with, when in fact, it's absolutely fine to its core. I've been through that and with a few clicks everyone here can find out that many other boys and men have been dealing with guilt, not because they are wrong, but because they were told those are filthy things to indulge in if not done in marriage, which is another binding compromise endorsed heavily by Christianity. All of this is too much work and too much worry for a life full of great things, sexual pleasure included. Time goes by and worrying about these things detract from a part of what life has to offer. And by the way, how do you know what GearheadGirl meant anyway? She didn't make a detailed argument, so, how do you know?

So you're proving my point. My "Don't try to be funny" comment wasn't for you. Everyone is answering my post as though our arguments differ when in fact it's your own brethren, GearheadGirl, who holds a contrary belief on the concept of the washing of sins.

I disagree. The bible teaches that one is to be washed clean of sin in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Nothing contaminated makes it into that kingdom. Don't try to be funny, now.

Neither will lukewarm Christians, (which might include most of the Christians in this forum according to Pastor Paul Washer's teachings) nor apostates to the gospel, nor anyone from any other religion for that matter. You have to be a saint to get to heaven; Without blemish. Too much work in my opinion.

There are ways around this issue. An extra bathroom for transgenders can be built. If not, best of luck to transgenders.

Same sex-marriage should be legal given we all should have the same rights in the USA.

Mwahahaha! I will haunt you in your dreams! Beware, I, Incubus, will torment you! Bow down before me! Mwahahaha! Please, man. I was wrong for thinking this was going to be an interesting read before clicking. Tremendous revelation, Mr. White.