Religion topic!

[Stylez]

Please don't make a generalization and say all christians do, I'm christian and I don't even believe in hell. After all, why would a God that loves us send us to such a place.

However, I do agree about that 'be good or else' is selfish, but looking at it like that, everybody is selfish, every 6.5 billion of us, we all do something good for the wrong reason. I do good not because of a "hell" but because it makes me feel better, and I like to do it. I guess that makes me selfish aswell.

Must be due to our hedonistic nature.

Your thought of no hell would be along the lines of wiccan or buddhist beliefs, not christian... Don't take the wording of the bible out of context...

God does love us, but is completely fed up with the sinful... He is a loving father, but also ruthless when his own childeren would turn their backs on him... And hell will be a terrible place... If it were said to be any less of a horrible place, would you be scared to go to it? God wants you to fear going there, but that doesn't even seem to work now a days...

I believe in the Father, the son, and the holy spirit... I'm by no means the perfect example of someone to listen to or follow... I do hope God will forgive me of all my sins in life, for I'm not perfect, by no means necessary...

Stop giving reasons not to research into these things, like saying how this guy made it seem so unattractive to study into it, that is his own faults, don't let someone else make decisions for you... Well, when you die and you come face to face with God, no excusses will get you into the Kingdom of Heaven... Realize that now, before it is to late...

I don't deny any other religion, but if I believe in my religion like I say I do, how else would you want me to go about this? Would you want me to let you all go astray from what I think will save all your souls for total damnation? I will not and if you want to persecute me for doing so, so be it...

This is only my opinion on this matter, take it how you will, but atleast now you have a little more insight into it from my perspective...

[Scoop]

Your thought of no hell would be along the lines of wiccan or buddhist beliefs, not christian... Don't take the wording of the bible out of context...

God does love us, but is completely fed up with the sinful... He is a loving father, but also ruthless when his own childeren would turn their backs on him... And hell will be a terrible place... If it were said to be any less of a horrible place, would you be scared to go to it? God wants you to fear going there, but that doesn't even seem to work now a days...

I believe in the Father, the son, and the holy spirit... I'm by no means the perfect example of someone to listen to or follow... I do hope God will forgive me of all my sins in life, for I'm not perfect, by no means necessary...

Stop giving reasons not to research into these things, like saying how this guy made it seem so unattractive to study into it, that is his own faults, don't let someone else make decisions for you... Well, when you die and you come face to face with God, no excusses will get you into the Kingdom of Heaven... Realize that now, before it is to late...

I don't deny any other religion, but if I believe in my religion like I say I do, how else would you want me to go about this? Would you want me to let you all go astray from what I think will save all your souls for total damnation? I will not and if you want to persecute me for doing so, so be it...

This is only my opinion on this matter, take it how you will, but atleast now you have a little more insight into it from my perspective...

Finnally one smart guy on the forums.

[Superted]

Your thought of no hell would be along the lines of wiccan or buddhist beliefs, not christian... Don't take the wording of the bible out of context...

While I don't personally belive in Hell, I do believe in the necessity to make other people believe in it i.e. fear to sin.
Furthermore I don't believe that God is vengeful.

These are just my beliefs, don't let it affect you.

Lastly, I don't believe that there's one specific group or person that has their religion/beliefs 100% perfect, because I believe it's all above our understanding to fully comprehend it all.

I do agree with you about the whole "research it before you ignore it" issue, I was a blind atheist for 8 or so years until I actually looked into the topic and of course it eventually led me to be christian. The biggest piece of evidence was not on the existence of God, because to physically prove It's existence is impossible by definition, the evidence was actually on the overwhelming proof of Jesus and his teachings. Which in turn made me open my eyes, I can now see proof of God everywhere, from the human brain to a distant galaxy.

[Liquid Blue]

Thanks for the compliment, I'm just trying to bring more interesting discussions to this forum.

You cant be a real christain if you dont believe in hell. the prinicble behind christianity is that Jesus died for our sins so that if we accept him then we are able to go to heaven instead of hell. Hell is here because of sin. Sin came from satan. we all would go to hell if jesus didnt die on the cross.

Your definition of what a christian is, isn't the only definition. Now I believe in hell, but if someone else doesn't and still calls themselves christian, I'm not going to deny him and say he's wrong- it's not an elk club or some boy scout union. I don't see the point in brushing away someone's faith/view of God just because it's different from your own, even if it's the same religion.

God gave us all are lives, be thankful for that... Stop blaming and thankng him for everything, just be thankful he gave you the opportunity to experience all this... Which a lot of us take for granted these days...

I agree. Too many people whine these days and act emo and generally bring down other people's lives and emotionally well-being with negative thoughts, actions and comments. Hearing someone laugh, being able to walk to your house, hell having a house should make you thankful every day to be alive. Your dad might be an alcoholic, your mom might be a whore, you might have it easy and only have to worry about pimples and prom- the point is that we all have problems but to only focus on them is to shy away from the main joy given to us all- life itself.

Your thought of no hell would be along the lines of wiccan or buddhist beliefs, not christian... Don't take the wording of the bible out of context...

He just might not believe in hell for some specific reason, it doesn't automatically mean he misread something in the bible. Again just because someone doesn't see religion in the same light as you doesn't mean they're wrong, or ignorant, or misinformed. It's simply a different point of view, it's really too broad of a subject to pinpoint into a narrow scope or set stereotype of things.

God does love us, but is completely fed up with the sinful... He is a loving father, but also ruthless when his own childeren would turn their backs on him... And hell will be a terrible place... If it were said to be any less of a horrible place, would you be scared to go to it? God wants you to fear going there, but that doesn't even seem to work now a days...

See, I really don't like the whole idea of doing good just to avoid going to hell. IMO that defeats the whole point of doing good- it should be selfless and done without promise of personal gain or recognition. Now I can personally say that when I hold the door open I usually expect the other person to say thanks (manners and such), but if they don't I'm not going to change my ways and never hold a door open again. What I'm trying to say here is that you shouldn't even think of going to hell, or avoiding going to hell when doing goodwill. You shouldn't say " man God owes me one now" if you save someone's life, it should be simply because you want to help another, not to save your own skin.

I don't deny any other religion, but if I believe in my religion like I say I do, how else would you want me to go about this? Would you want me to let you all go astray from what I think will save all your souls for total damnation? I will not and if you want to persecute me for doing so, so be it...

Well, you could tolerate other people's beliefs, even if they differ from your own. It's not your place nor your position to decide who is astray, you should simply focus on living your life to the fullest and helping your fellow man whenever you can. Persecution shouldn't even come into the picture, on both sides. Peace and equality, goodwill and friendship should be the first things that spring to mind, not hate, persecution or damnnation.

[Stylez]

While I don't personally belive in Hell, I do believe in the necessity to make other people believe in it i.e. fear to sin.
Furthermore I don't believe that God is vengeful.

These are just my beliefs, don't let it affect you.

Lastly, I don't believe that there's one specific group or person that has their religion/beliefs 100% perfect, because I believe it's all above our understanding to fully comprehend it all.

I do agree with you about the whole "research it before you ignore it" issue, I was a blind atheist for 8 or so years until I actually looked into the topic and of course it eventually led me to be christian. The biggest piece of evidence was not on the existence of God, because to physically prove It's existence is impossible by definition, the evidence was actually on the overwhelming proof of Jesus and his teachings. Which in turn made me open my eyes, I can now see proof of God everywhere, from the human brain to a distant galaxy.

Like me, you're entitled to your opinion... But where did you come up with this idea of yours? Or is it just your own elaboration?

It's not "our" religion, it is our Gods religion, we just choose to follow it... People want everything to fit their specific lifestyle, some will even go as far as to change the wording of the bible to do so...

I was atheist when I was younger, but come to see things from a more realistic point of view... How can the earth be perfectly placed in the universe, between the sun and the moon and all the other planets? I believe the other planets are there to protect us, how they are perfectly placed around us, that is why their gravitational pull is stronger then the earths, to attract things to them before they get to us...

How plants give off oxygen for us to breathe, how animals and plants are edible resources for us to feed on... How everything is perfectly placed just for us to live... But everyone is to busy now a days to take a second out of their lives to figure out these things for themselves... Why they need others to lead them into a certain path, whatever path that might be, I don't know...

People are to lazy and stubborn to study things for themselves, to set in their own goals to make any more...

C.S. Lewis, famous author of such books as "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" was atheist at a time and actually tried to do research into the bible to prove it wrong, but came out a devote christian... Same with others who actually studied into the bible...

Well, I'll leave you with this, don't speculate on things without having the knowledge of the actual resources you're referring about... Like say you are debating about religion, like how we are now, don't speak on it if you really have no clue about it other then your own views of things you came to a conclusion on solely because of things that happened in your life... If you get what I'm saying... :P

[Liquid Blue]

Well the point of discussion and this topic is to expand our views, so yes him adding his input as long as it's put together thoughtfully is very much welcome.

[Stylez]

Thanks for the compliment, I'm just trying to bring more interesting discussions to this forum.



Your definition of what a christian is, isn't the only definition. Now I believe in hell, but if someone else doesn't and still calls themselves christian, I'm not going to deny him and say he's wrong- it's not an elk club or some boy scout union. I don't see the point in brushing away someone's faith/view of God just because it's different from your own, even if it's the same religion.



I agree. Too many people whine these days and act emo and generally bring down other people's lives and emotionally well-being with negative thoughts, actions and comments. Hearing someone laugh, being able to walk to your house, hell having a house should make you thankful every day to be alive. Your dad might be an alcoholic, your mom might be a whore, you might have it easy and only have to worry about pimples and prom- the point is that we all have problems but to only focus on them is to shy away from the main joy given to us all- life itself.



He just might not believe in hell for some specific reason, it doesn't automatically mean he misread something in the bible. Again just because someone doesn't see religion in the same light as you doesn't mean they're wrong, or ignorant, or misinformed. It's simply a different point of view, it's really too broad of a subject to pinpoint into a narrow scope or set stereotype of things.



See, I really don't like the whole idea of doing good just to avoid going to hell. IMO that defeats the whole point of doing good- it should be selfless and done without promise of personal gain or recognition. Now I can personally say that when I hold the door open I usually expect the other person to say thanks (manners and such), but if they don't I'm not going to change my ways and never hold a door open again. What I'm trying to say here is that you shouldn't even think of going to hell, or avoiding going to hell when doing goodwill. You shouldn't say " man God owes me one now" if you save someone's life, it should be simply because you want to help another, not to save your own skin.



Well, you could tolerate other people's beliefs, even if they differ from your own. It's not your place nor your position to decide who is astray, you should simply focus on living your life to the fullest and helping your fellow man whenever you can. Persecution shouldn't even come into the picture, on both sides. Peace and equality, goodwill and friendship should be the first things that spring to mind, not hate, persecution or damnnation.

He just might not believe in hell for some specific reason, it doesn't automatically mean he misread something in the bible. Again just because someone doesn't see religion in the same light as you doesn't mean they're wrong, or ignorant, or misinformed. It's simply a different point of view, it's really too broad of a subject to pinpoint into a narrow scope or set stereotype of things.

Very true, that's why I don't like getting into these debates over the internet... So many things can be taken out of context of what that person was really trying to say... Also things can't be as descriptive as someone might want it to be, just because they know most people will not read all of it if it is to much for them to read, or want to read... And a tone of voice can make a world of difference in a debate...

But, the bible is very descriptive in where you will go when we all die... There is no missing the point about it... But if he can give me a more detailed picture of what he means, then I would be willing to listen to his side of the story... I'm a open minded type of person, try me... :P

See, I really don't like the whole idea of doing good just to avoid going to hell. IMO that defeats the whole point of doing good- it should be selfless and done without promise of personal gain or recognition. Now I can personally say that when I hold the door open I usually expect the other person to say thanks (manners and such), but if they don't I'm not going to change my ways and never hold a door open again. What I'm trying to say here is that you shouldn't even think of going to hell, or avoiding going to hell when doing goodwill. You shouldn't say " man God owes me one now" if you save someone's life, it should be simply because you want to help another, not to save your own skin.

You seem to be headed in the right direction... It is never for personal gain... I do it for my best friend "my soul"... But I speak about my religion for everyone else, even at my own expense, if it helps out even one person, then it wont be for nought...

When I do something for someone, I'm almost airheaded about it, I don't think twice about why I'm doing it, other then that person needs some assistance and I will help them out to the best of my abilities... Don't get me wrong, at times I've probably thought that I was doing somethings more so for the satisfaction of God then myself or others, which "like you were saying" is wrong...

Well, you could tolerate other people's beliefs, even if they differ from your own. It's not your place nor your position to decide who is astray, you should simply focus on living your life to the fullest and helping your fellow man whenever you can. Persecution shouldn't even come into the picture, on both sides. Peace and equality, goodwill and friendship should be the first things that spring to mind, not hate, persecution or damnnation.

That was very well said... And you're absolutely right... Wow, you laid that down perfectly...

But yea, you should always point the finger at yourself before you even think about pointing it at someone else...

I, myself, am to blame for pointing the finger at others, but so are we all... We think ourselves to be perfect at times and can only view someone elses mistakes and not even realize we're making one ourselves...

Enlightenment is the key to salvation, ignorance is the key to damnation, death is the key to our future resting ground. Where will yours be, where will mine be, where will we all rest for eternity? -Stylez

[Stylez]

Well the point of discussion and this topic is to expand our views, so yes him adding his input as long as it's put together thoughtfully is very much welcome.

I know it is, I was asking him to give resources to his claims... Not saying he can't believe in what he wants, I just want to read up on why he believes in what he does...

[Sarien]

It's not "our" religion, it is our Gods religion, we just choose to follow it... People want everything to fit their specific lifestyle, some will even go as far as to change the wording of the bible to do so...

People are to lazy and stubborn to study things for themselves, to set in their own goals to make any more...

Well, I'll leave you with this, don't speculate on things without having the knowledge of the actual resources you're referring about... Like say you are debating about religion, like how we are now, don't speak on it if you really have no clue about it other then your own views of things you came to a conclusion on solely because of things that happened in your life...

I can either laugh like a hyena, or I can do what I'm about to do.
It is the person's religion. It is very much subjective, entirely subjective, completely contained within the walls and fabric of each eprson's mind. Why? Because the belief in the existence of and the all-mighty-ness of a god is an entirely subjective concept, since we don't actually have a visible 800 foot tall Jesus rampaging through the towns of the world striking with vengeance and curing the sick. You can say that the religion belongs to whatever kooky god you're going to believe in, and people that don't follow that are wrong. But what you're really saying is "If you don't see a God precisely the same way I do, you're wrong."

Secondly, the whole "don't speak on it if you really have no clue about it other than your own views of things you came to a conclusion on solely because of things that happened in your life"? That's bullshit. That's attempting to manipulate yourself into a superior position, but it doesn't work. Why? Because that bit in quotes there says "Don't talk if you have a religion based on first-hand accounts" which is precisely the -very- people you would want talking. If you want to devote your soul based on hearsay evidence of burning bushes and water in to wine, cool. Go for it.

You start condemning other people for not wanting to do the same thing, and you're nothing short of a gigantic tool.

What harm does it do me if my neighbor has one god or twenty?

[Stylez]

I can either laugh like a hyena, or I can do what I'm about to do.
It is the person's religion. It is very much subjective, entirely subjective, completely contained within the walls and fabric of each eprson's mind. Why? Because the belief in the existence of and the all-mighty-ness of a god is an entirely subjective concept, since we don't actually have a visible 800 foot tall Jesus rampaging through the towns of the world striking with vengeance and curing the sick. You can say that the religion belongs to whatever kooky god you're going to believe in, and people that don't follow that are wrong. But what you're really saying is "If you don't see a God precisely the same way I do, you're wrong."

Secondly, the whole "don't speak on it if you really have no clue about it other than your own views of things you came to a conclusion on solely because of things that happened in your life"? That's bullshit. That's attempting to manipulate yourself into a superior position, but it doesn't work. Why? Because that bit in quotes there says "Don't talk if you have a religion based on first-hand accounts" which is precisely the -very- people you would want talking. If you want to devote your soul based on hearsay evidence of burning bushes and water in to wine, cool. Go for it.

You start condemning other people for not wanting to do the same thing, and you're nothing short of a gigantic tool.

You took most of what I said out of context... But either way, I'll get back on this later, I got to goto a BBQ... Be back later... :P

[Pressure Drop]

There are too many signs out there not to believe in a religion... But do research into things instead of just speculating...

the vast majority of religious ppl stay the religion they were born into. The spread of different religions in the past is genraly to do with military conquest and dictators of a country converting and forcing their ppl too as well. And of course those lovely missionaries who would aid those who had converted into christianity...

A good argument that religions are more superstition than anything else is that religions have been created , changed and evolved over time. They have varied ideas, mythologies and ways of propagating themselves including ones telling the believers to convert the unholy believers. Yet they all claim to be the true religion. What makes christianity more correct then jewdism or islam ??? they are all linked and very similar but have branched off at different points. And what about Hinduism or Bhudism, or the now dead religions like the greek , roman, norse gods etc...

To all these religions there were men more devote than you, who believed till they day they died they were right. What makes you right? And those countless others wrong? Blind faith - which is exactly what they have.

This isn't a flame but i'm tired of holyier than thou christians saying that they must be right cuase they believe they are. Ultimatly it comes down to blind faith, a common thing in any religion

[Pressure Drop]

ehm what Sarien said

[Theif of Time]

I was atheist when I was younger, but come to see things from a more realistic point of view... How can the earth be perfectly placed in the universe, between the sun and the moon and all the other planets? I believe the other planets are there to protect us, how they are perfectly placed around us, that is why their gravitational pull is stronger then the earths, to attract things to them before they get to us...

How plants give off oxygen for us to breathe, how animals and plants are edible resources for us to feed on... How everything is perfectly placed just for us to live... But everyone is to busy now a days to take a second out of their lives to figure out these things for themselves... Why they need others to lead them into a certain path, whatever path that might be, I don't know...

I'm seeing a difference of perspective between mine and your points of view but they end up quite similar... For example, I believe plants give off oxygen because their own metabolism converts CO2 and Water into sugars as a form of stored energy, giving oxygen as a by product. Its chemistry that our bodies exploit by way of adaption (and adaption leads to evolution...) And I believe that rather than everything being perfectly placed for us to live, we are instead built to live in a certain place.
I believe that god created the world and everything in it at the smallest possible level, and by complex interactions caused us to exist. His Laws are the laws the universe obeys, and there is NO breaking them. His laws apply to all people regardless of whether they beleive in them, I mean, people were still held onto the planet by gravity before they knew it was gravity.
So... in a way, everything is perfectly placed for us to live. But that is not because god put them there in the sense that you would put a book down on a table. I'm nto really into the "God is almighty and allknowing". God doesn't need my worship. In fact, he doesn't need anyones worship.
He'll continue godding long after we're dead, and while religious groups is a good way to meet like minded people, I'm letting it stick at that.
When I die, what happens? Honestly, I don't know. Wait and see? (If anyone has experience in this area (ie dying) please speak up or forever hold your peace)

[Savageee]

Religion was created to use as a tool.

I can't disprove any religion but I could make one up and you wouldn't be able to disprove mine either, aside from me telling you just now.

Religion takes advantage of the illusion that we are in control. Everything that has occurred, will occur and will ever occur is predetermined because at the root of everything nothing is random. I was always going to post this, you were always going to read it, and someone was always going to disagree with me. Or maybe I was always going to be wrong?

Either way, the amount of good religion has given us is far out weighed by the amount of suffering, death and destruction caused by religious groups/ideals throughout the history of man.

If god did/does exist why would he force/care/want people to live or believe in his ideas? Seems like an insecure person to me and that doesn't seem very "godly".

Why would god bother to work in "mysterious" ways when he should know there is really no reason for anyone to believe anything of the sort? Why would he honestly expect people to care about some religion in some book? Surely he must know that many people will think it is false, does that make these people bad? If not why deprive them of their enriched lives simply for not being easily convinced? How could someone who does not believe in god live an enriched life compared to someone who does? Wouldn't the entire idea give a leg up on the believers day in and day out if they always get "help through prayer" or find comfort in their faith?

What possible reason could any type of being of god like nature have for not wanting something like gay marriage to occur? God doesn't want this? Then why are people using this in a fight against gay marriage? If he wants gay marriage and people misinterpreted his will then why not cause a change in thinking by any number of actions. If I am wrong that god doesn't want this then it only lends proof to the idea that religion is only used as a tool. Which in itself adds proof that there is no god, because why would he allow such a thing to be used in such a way?

[Liquid Blue]

Religion was created to use as a tool.

I can't disprove any religion but I could make one up and you wouldn't be able to disprove mine either, aside from me telling you just now.

It doesn't matter what you think what religion was created for, or even why it really did start. What matters is how you let it affect your life, and what you plan to do with the time given to you.

So what if someone can't disprove your religion? Why do I care what kind of religion you practice? That's your own business, I don't need to know or control what you do in your own time.

Religion takes advantage of the illusion that we are in control. Everything that has occurred, will occur and will ever occur is predetermined because at the root of everything nothing is random. I was always going to post this, you were always going to read it, and someone was always going to disagree with me. Or maybe I was always going to be wrong?

That's only certain types of religions, not all follow that mindset. Some do quite the opposite, and say that your life is what you make of it. A number of religions don't really tell you that everything is set in stone, they merely provide loose guide lines and vaules by which you should follow your life.

Either way, the amount of good religion has given us is far out weighed by the amount of suffering, death and destruction caused by religious groups/ideals throughout the history of man.

That doesn't mean that it's an evil thing, or is only meant to harm. I'm sure there are tons of horrible deaths that involved religion, but you can't look at only the bad and not the good. It's not even something with which you should weigh sides, because how much bad has been done should not hinder your ability, compassion or compulsion to do good.

If god did/does exist why would he force/care/want people to live or believe in his ideas? Seems like an insecure person to me and that doesn't seem very "godly".

Seems to me like you're trying to "humanize" a being in order to feel easier about yourself, and make it easier to doubt him. Would you call a person that says " watch out, the stove is hot don't touch it" insecure? Just because they might want to help you/look out for you doesn't mean they have some hidden agenda, or feel the need to make themselves look better by ordering you around. What's so hard about having someone care about you? In most religions there is a being (God, Allah, Buddah etc) that cares about you and your well-being, how is that a bad thing? I don't know of any religious figures that try and force you to do anything, merely the people using those figures as a symbol for their own greed and lust for power.

Why would god bother to work in "mysterious" ways when he should know there is really no reason for anyone to believe anything of the sort? Why would he honestly expect people to care about some religion in some book? Surely he must know that many people will think it is false, does that make these people bad? If not why deprive them of their enriched lives simply for not being easily convinced? How could someone who does not believe in god live an enriched life compared to someone who does? Wouldn't the entire idea give a leg up on the believers day in and day out if they always get "help through prayer" or find comfort in their faith?

Just because you don't think there's a reason to believe in him or his teachings, doesn't mean the same for everyone. You aren't the spokesperson for the human race, and although I know that alot of peple put this in direct perspective with themselves when asked these questions, you really can't let your doubt skew your outlook. Not everyone is going to like you, going to believe what you're doing is right, but will that stop you from doing what you want, will it stop you from trying to help as many people as you can( if that's your goal)? I would hope not, simply because of a few naysayers. And no it doesn't make someone bad for not following God's religion, at least to me it doesn't. Free will is here for a reason, you have every right to believe what you want. I'm not really one to judge you for what you believe, I'm just another simple person living on this earth like you.

Again you're latching on words with negative spins and connotations when you say things like the words I bolded. If someone didn't believe in God, how would they not be enriched by his love, his guidance? How would they be at a disadvantage (not having a leg up), if they don't believe the other people have the leg up in the first place? You can't let this go as a type of " who has it better" mentality, you really should be looking to religion for peace and guidance, not as a means of value, or status. Well let me rephrase that, you shouldn't look towards religion as a means of status or power, but rather for spiritual guidance and whatever else you may need to get through the day- be it peace, comfort knowing that someone does indeed care about you, whatever.

What possible reason could any type of being of god like nature have for not wanting something like gay marriage to occur? God doesn't want this? Then why are people using this in a fight against gay marriage? If he wants gay marriage and people misinterpreted his will then why not cause a change in thinking by any number of actions. If I am wrong that god doesn't want this then it only lends proof to the idea that religion is only used as a tool. Which in itself adds proof that there is no god, because why would he allow such a thing to be used in such a way?

Eh, IMO God doesn't really care, but that's just me. I don't read the bible, and I'm not overly religious (funny after reading all that above, eh? :grin: ), but I really think God isn't someone who would hate you because of your sexual orientation, or because of who you want to marry. This is probably where alot of viewpoints shift off and differ, but as long as someone goes about it in a nonviolent and peaceful manner, you really can't hold too much against them for their opinion. The problem with alot of people who are against gays and such feel the need to speak harshly out about it, and go out of their way to torment their fellow man- just because of sexual preference. I don't agree with it and think it's quite hypocritical to preach the love of God and then bash homosexuals or raise a hand in anger towards them. No one should be persecuted or cut down because of what they believe, who they sleep with or anything. This life isn't ours to take away, we have no place to be judging people so harshly. But that's just me, I can't speak for all here.