Any religious people watch the Wonders of Life last night?

That's truly horrific

It's also not quite accurate. The majority of abortions in the UK are chemical or vacuum aspiration and occur prior to 13 weeks. Late term abortions are relatively rare in the UK and even up to 20 weeks can still be chemical. Saline abortions are not used in the UK.
 
You didn't answer my question.

Shrimp are called abominations in the bible 4 times more than homosexuality.

Do you think shrimp are abominations?

Good question and I have another related one:

Why on Earth does anyone think that the OT, which is Jewish and was written ~2500 years ago, was written in modern English?

Although eating shrimp and having homosexual sex between men (it's that specific, not just homosexuality in general) are labelled in the same way in the OT and your question is therefore a good one, neither were labelled as an abomination because that's a modern English word with a different meaning to the word actually used. I think that the best translation into modern English would be "spiritually unclean".

Of course, both our questions are rhetorical. It would be silly to expect rationality, consistency or fairness from anyone who thinks that the only source of morality is selectively edited versions of interpretations of translations of 100th-hand writing of oral traditions of bronze age farmers who wanted unquestioned rule over other bronze age farmers.
 
Science should just stay the hell out of moral matters. Degrading human beings to mere animals. It makes me sick. We're worth so much more. Making excuses for killers by saying "they had no choice, just the way they're wired". Please. Concentrate on looking at the stars and stay out of personal matters.

Religion should just stay the hell out of moral matters. Degrading human beings into mere creations, just puppets. It makes me sick. We're worth so much more. Making excuses for killers by saying "they had no choice, just the way <insert god here> made them" or praising killers by saying "they are following the will of <insert god here>". Please. Concentrate on singing pretty songs and building imposing buildings and stay out of personal matters or anything else important.

Religion is amoral and frequently morally repugnant to any decent people. It has no place in any decent system of morality, one based on reducing harm. Religion is about power and obedience, not morality.
 
You've just committed the natural fallacy. Animals also commit infanticide. Should that be legal?

Well, your god apparently did a lot of infanticide and you think that all morality stems from your god...so you shouldn't see anything wrong with infanticide.

You're committing the religion fallacy - you're irrational and inconsistent even with yourself, let alone with reality.
 
I can tell you his response now if you like. The stuff about prohibited food is in the Old Testament which Christians don't follow blah blah blah

Castiel is unlikely to make that argument in that context because he's not that ignorant of the Christian bible. Eating shrimp (and numerous other things, e.g. lasagna, cheeseburgers) and men having homosexual sex are condemned in the same way in the old testament. If Christians don't follow the OT, neither are condemned(*). If Christians do follow the OT, both are condemned. You can't use the "but it's the OT" argument to allow one and not the other unless (like most Christians) you don't know much about the Christian bible.


* There are a handful of verses in the NT that can be interpreted as condemning homosexuality if you really want to interpret them that way (which requires things such as deciding that a word with no known meaning means "homosexuals" - it really is that much of a stretch), but even if you interpret them that way you can't say it's the same condemnation as in the OT so the argument isn't the same. Anyone who uses the word "abomination" is definitely using the OT. More accurately, a bad translation of the OT.
 
And atheists should realise, speaking up about something is not judging. If you saw a woman being raped in the street would you walk on by and say "well I don't want to be judgmental, and it's none of my business anyway". Of course you wouldn't.

This whole babble about not judging is stupid, irrational and hypocritical fashion.

It also has nothing to do with atheism. You're just attaching everything bad to your enemy-group, which is unsurprising.

Of course speaking up about something is judging. You speak up because you have judged it to be wrong. There is nothing innately wrong in judging actions and people who chose to make those actions and it's only fashionable fools who say there is, people who would be hypocrites if they weren't so mindless about the subject that they don't even know they're contradicting themselves.

What matters is the basis on which you make those judgements. The basis you use is religion, a callous, amoral and tyrannical thing. For that reason, you make judgements that cause harm to innocent people. That's what's wrong with what you do, not the act of judging.
 
Really, so you've never made the point then that the contents of Leviticus and Deuteronomy (where the restrictions on eating shrimp are made) don't apply to Christians?

...I am not 'speaking for you', I'm paraphrasing an argument you've made plenty of times before.

You were making claims that are unrepresentative generalisations and showing a distinct ignorance of any argument I may have made regarding the validity of the Old Testament to Christians. There was no reason to bring me into this argument at all and as I said I would thank you to refrain from doing so further.

Oh, and there was no 'veiled insult' at all.

You called me a pedant, which you seem to do quite a lot. There was absolutely no reason for it and as I was not engaged in this thread I would again ask you frame you arguments, such as they are, without mentioning me. Thank you.

Castiel is unlikely to make that argument in that context because he's not that ignorant of the Christian bible. Eating shrimp (and numerous other things, e.g. lasagna, cheeseburgers) and men having homosexual sex are condemned in the same way in the old testament. If Christians don't follow the OT, neither are condemned(*). If Christians do follow the OT, both are condemned. You can't use the "but it's the OT" argument to allow one and not the other unless (like most Christians) you don't know much about the Christian bible.

Indeed. Although most practicing Christians will have a sound grounding in how they use the Bible and how it reflects on their faith, both the Old and New Testaments.

* There are a handful of verses in the NT that can be interpreted as condemning homosexuality if you really want to interpret them that way (which requires things such as deciding that a word with no known meaning means "homosexuals" - it really is that much of a stretch), but even if you interpret them that way you can't say it's the same condemnation as in the OT so the argument isn't the same. Anyone who uses the word "abomination" is definitely using the OT. More accurately, a bad translation of the OT.

Homosexuality was not something that was seen as different from normal sexual behaviour in Greece or Rome (to whom Paul was speaking at the time) and further to this active male homosexuality within Roman and Greek culture was rarely between two grown males, but was in fact Pederasty, which is something that is not accepted in our society today.
 
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But how could you believe in the message of the nt but not the old?

Jesus was an extension of the ot. Without it he makes no sense. You have to believe it to be true to accept that Jesus is the son of God.. not any god but the ot God himself.

Jesus sets personal ethics but does not displace the religion already set out in the ot. He is an extension of it.

I.e Jesus did not cancle Judaism. He was a Jew and he didn't eat pork for instance or at least there is no text saying he did. Therefore can you be a believer in just Jesus but not the religion that Jesus represented? He was an extension of Judaism not a - throw out the old religion and replace bit top to bottom with a new one. Which is what non Jew Christians have done.
 
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It's hilarious the amount of people in here who think that Christians believe that god predestinates you to be a murderer or a rapist.

Also the people who are clueless about the OT, old Jewish law and why Christians aren't bound by the laws of OT but its there for our learning and understanding.
 
Look up carbon, and the triple-alpha process. There is plenty of evidence and research into how carbon is formed.
That's based on assumption, this can not be proven using the scientific method, no one has observed this, so it's just assumed it happened.
 
Then why would god give them the desire whilst not wanting them to act on it?.
God gave adam and eve the desires and pleasures for a loving relationship, a compliment of each other between only husband and wife.
What about people born as hermaphrodites?.
Well, as a christian or caring individual one must show compassion and love toward those with imperfections/abnormalities, the way i see it is abnormalities in the human beings mutated gene pool. Most mutations are not beneficial to the species, imho.
You just said there are people who are attracted to the same sex. Those people are gay whether they act on it or not.
I could desire all i wanted but i don't have to act on that desire.
 
But how could you believe in the message of the nt but not the old?

Jesus was an extension of the ot. Without it he makes no sense. You have to believe it to be true to accept that Jesus is the son of God.. not any god but the ot God himself.

Jesus sets personal ethics but does not displace the religion already set out in the ot. He is an extension of it.

I.e Jesus did not cancle Judaism. He was a Jew and he didn't eat pork for instance or at least there is no text saying he did. Therefore can you be a believer in just Jesus but not the religion that Jesus represented? He was an extension of Judaism not a - throw out the old religion and replace bit top to bottom with a new one. Which is what non Jew Christians have done.

I'll answer this one, I didn't see it when I replied a second ago.

The OT is for the jews, they lived under various weird and wonderful laws. When Jesus came he got rid of those laws for the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Jews turned away from Jesus which is why God forsake them, you can't be a Jew and believe Jesus died on the cross. Christianity boils down to Jesus offers salvation to all who have faith (Believe in his sacrifice).

Judaism and Islam deny this happened.

Then why would god give them the desire whilst not wanting them to act on it? Seems like a bit of a dick move, really.

What about people born as hermaphrodites?

You just said there are people who are attracted to the same sex. Those people are gay whether they act on it or not.

Make up your mind.

God does not make anyone homosexual. I'm not entirely sure about those with abnormalities but some crazy people will have you believe that God made people like that so normal people will feel more thankful for life.

Anyhow, people have free will which is why they can/be tempted to sin. The Devil/demons comes in there in ways you probably understand. He doesn't want people to sin but he knows that people will and after Jesus's sacrifice, people are no longer punished for anything but denial of the cross.
 
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It's hilarious the amount of people in here who think that Christians believe that god predestinates you to be a murderer or a rapist.

Also the people who are clueless about the OT, old Jewish law and why Christians aren't bound by the laws of OT but its there for our learning and understanding.

Why aren't Christians bound by the ot? Is that what Christians said or what god said?
 
Debatable and along way from beeing confirmed, but if God designed they way our genetics work then he may of. Research has shown that some epigenic factors are common in homosexuals, thats doesn't mean that some aren't due to lifestyle but theres a good chance their orientation is affected by factors outside their control.
What about those that have changed their homosexual lifestyle, they may choose of their own free will to resist temptation and co-habitation with a gay partner and also to live a life of celebacy but they may still have the urge, it's the same with heterosexuals.
 
Why aren't Christians bound by the ot? Is that what Christians said or what god said?

Jesus did not come to abolish the old laws but fulfill them, when he came the OT is finished. The reasons why the OT is included in the bible is because it allows you to understand how perfect Jesus was and why he came.

EDIT: Just to confirm, yes this is in the Bible.
At the time Jesus came the Jewish priests had tainted the law. This is why you shouldn't listen to a Christian who believes everything his preacher/father/pastor etc says, people will always distort things.

And? It is the desire that makes you homosexual, not the act.

That's a very much Atheist opinion.
I can't speak for anything other than Christianity but the Bible teaches that temptation and desire is natural.
Also God does not make anyone predestinated to sin.
 
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Some people are born homosexual.
You're entitled to your opinion i'm entitled to mine i suppose, i don't believe anyone is born that way, i believe it's very likely the inclination or tendency is strong in some, no one "has to be" engaged in any sexual relationship.
 
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