dont match. Hippocrates. heart , thats why i dont even care to go to the church. i just live my life.
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 8:04 pm
Just getting that out of the way first: Honestly? I'm 100% Atheist, so I think my opinions on religion in of itself are pretty self-explanatory, and is not the subject of the discussion. I am not here to troll/start a flame war.
Now to contribute to the discussion-
Religious Background:
-I've grown up with a family of a well varied religious background. When I was really tiny my mother was some denomination of Christianity but around the first grade she converted to some denomination of Judaism (specific, huh? xD) Her mother is essentially a pantheist/spiritualist combination, her father is a bible-thumping Christian (basically, the stereotypical a*****e emotion_eyebrow ), her half-brothers (my half-uncles) are both Atheist, and her grandparents (my great-grand) are some demonination of Christianity that is fairly open to other peoples' beliefs. On a related note: my mom is bisexual.
-My dad's ancestral family is all some demonination of Christianity (I am just the epitome of specific today), and I'm pretty sure some of my 1st and 2nd cousins on his side (I have a lot) are agnostic/atheist. His dad I'm pretty certain was either agnostic/deist/atheist, though I never got a chance to really ask him before passing away. My dad himself is a deist.
-My stepmom's family is almost entirely devout Christians of some unspecified denomination (here I go with those darn specifics again! XD), with the exception of her own parents and brother, whom are atheist. She herself is also Atheist.
-My stepdad's family is devoutly Protestant (Lutheran, I believe?), and everyone except for himself and his brother seem to be bible-thumpers (I mean that in the nicest way possible, because they are my grandparents and I do love them). Infact, his mother is so deeply religious, that I'm genuinely scared to tell her that I'm Atheist. My stepdad himself is Protestant (mildly so), and happily married to my Jewish mother.
-I was a big believe once when I was very little, when I was too young to really understand the implications of what my mother taught me, even if it wasn't to any great extent. We seldom went to church, or Temple, and I only ever went to church with my relatives on my dad's side of the family waaay back when I was just a tiny thing. Even then, those occasions with the relatives were seldom, and the only reason I enjoyed attending religious masses was because of the other kids. I never really believed the religious stories that I would be told, instead mentally treating them just like I did any other religious/mythological story (such as Hercules). At about 8-9 years old, I stopped believing in any form of higher power altogether, which is shortly after the initial indoctrination age (7 and younger, and I don't say that to be mean, I say that merely as a matter of psychology that young children are programmed to believe whatever their elders tell them to be true), probably due to the fact that my mother really never tried to indoctrinate me in the first place. She has always preached that I ask questions if something doesn't make sense, and she is proud of me regardless of the fact that I am Atheist, because all I did was do what she always taught me to do, and it has led me to a conclusion that I am happy with; like any mother, she wants me to be happy and a good person. Regardless if my beliefs, or lack there of, differ from hers. It saddens me to know that others do not have the same fortune as me to have such a loving and understanding mother :c
Views on Homosexuality and Religion: (I am not here to discuss religion, only the aspects involved with the LGBT community)
-I understand that in America (because that's where I live) we have a freedom of speech, which does unfortunately give bigots the right to be stupid so long as they don't break any laws. So long as the topic(s) are not brought up for debate, I will quietly mind my opinions. I do not mind debates on the "issue" of same-sex marriage so long as the person I'm debating as non-religious arguments to use. I think that is self-explanatory. This applies to any debate/hot issue, but moving on.
-I take no issue with people who will not participate in same-sex marriage (regardless of their sexual orientation that they may or may not admit to) or any of the sort as a personal choice to adhere to their religious beliefs.
-Though I should theoretically not take issue with people who view homosexuality as a sin (or anything else of the sort or similar in nature), but yet do not think less of the individual, I am not perfect and am infact human, so I do infact take issue with these kinds of people. I understand that they are harming nobody, I really do, but that does not stop me from wanting to strangle some sense into them, all because their God (or whoever they worship) says it's a crime.
-I take great issue with people who try to force LGBT minors into those Get-Rid-of-the-Gay Religious Camps, or whatever they're called. It's one thing if they're a consenting adult, then go ahead, knock yourself out. However I do not agree that anyone who is still under the legal protection of their parents (Who are, for the sake of 'just incase', 99.99% of the time devoutly religious) should even be allowed at those kinds of places.
-I take even greater issue with people who are against same-sex marriage (or just homosexuality in of itself), not because of their religious affiliations, but because they don't take into consideration that their religious views are not the only ones in existence. We have a separation of Church and State in America, and when I see/hear of people who are trying to smudge that line, especially in something as deeply personal as same-sex marriage, I get very angry. It's fine of they oppose the idea of it, it's not cool in the slightest when they try to pass laws based on their religious views. No. Not cool at all.
-I see no reason why two consenting adults can't marry each other if they so choose.
-I see no reason why my neighbors two doors down, Miss Lin and Miss Ann, an elderly couple, can't marry each other after having been together in a committed relationship for a very long time.
-I see no reason why my friends who are of the LGBT community can't be legally married and obtain the same legal rights as other married couples.
To Sum Up: I don't care what your religious views on or your personal opinions, just keep in mind that there are other people out there with different religious beliefs (or lack there of) and so don't abide by the same restrictions as you. As someone who practices humanism and is atheist, I believe very strongly that everyone should have the same rights as everyone else, and that it doesn't matter what sex the other person is that you want to marry, so long as both parties are consenting.
Just getting that out of the way first: Honestly? I'm 100% Atheist, so I think my opinions on religion in of itself are pretty self-explanatory, and is not the subject of the discussion. I am not here to troll/start a flame war.
Now to contribute to the discussion-
Religious Background:
-I've grown up with a family of a well varied religious background. When I was really tiny my mother was some denomination of Christianity but around the first grade she converted to some denomination of Judaism (specific, huh? xD) Her mother is essentially a pantheist/spiritualist combination, her father is a bible-thumping Christian (basically, the stereotypical a*****e emotion_eyebrow ), her half-brothers (my half-uncles) are both Atheist, and her grandparents (my great-grand) are some demonination of Christianity that is fairly open to other peoples' beliefs. On a related note: my mom is bisexual.
-My dad's ancestral family is all some demonination of Christianity (I am just the epitome of specific today), and I'm pretty sure some of my 1st and 2nd cousins on his side (I have a lot) are agnostic/atheist. His dad I'm pretty certain was either agnostic/deist/atheist, though I never got a chance to really ask him before passing away. My dad himself is a deist.
-My stepmom's family is almost entirely devout Christians of some unspecified denomination (here I go with those darn specifics again! XD), with the exception of her own parents and brother, whom are atheist. She herself is also Atheist.
-My stepdad's family is devoutly Protestant (Lutheran, I believe?), and everyone except for himself and his brother seem to be bible-thumpers (I mean that in the nicest way possible, because they are my grandparents and I do love them). Infact, his mother is so deeply religious, that I'm genuinely scared to tell her that I'm Atheist. My stepdad himself is Protestant (mildly so), and happily married to my Jewish mother.
-I was a big believe once when I was very little, when I was too young to really understand the implications of what my mother taught me, even if it wasn't to any great extent. We seldom went to church, or Temple, and I only ever went to church with my relatives on my dad's side of the family waaay back when I was just a tiny thing. Even then, those occasions with the relatives were seldom, and the only reason I enjoyed attending religious masses was because of the other kids. I never really believed the religious stories that I would be told, instead mentally treating them just like I did any other religious/mythological story (such as Hercules). At about 8-9 years old, I stopped believing in any form of higher power altogether, which is shortly after the initial indoctrination age (7 and younger, and I don't say that to be mean, I say that merely as a matter of psychology that young children are programmed to believe whatever their elders tell them to be true), probably due to the fact that my mother really never tried to indoctrinate me in the first place. She has always preached that I ask questions if something doesn't make sense, and she is proud of me regardless of the fact that I am Atheist, because all I did was do what she always taught me to do, and it has led me to a conclusion that I am happy with; like any mother, she wants me to be happy and a good person. Regardless if my beliefs, or lack there of, differ from hers. It saddens me to know that others do not have the same fortune as me to have such a loving and understanding mother :c
Views on Homosexuality and Religion: (I am not here to discuss religion, only the aspects involved with the LGBT community)
-I understand that in America (because that's where I live) we have a freedom of speech, which does unfortunately give bigots the right to be stupid so long as they don't break any laws. So long as the topic(s) are not brought up for debate, I will quietly mind my opinions. I do not mind debates on the "issue" of same-sex marriage so long as the person I'm debating as non-religious arguments to use. I think that is self-explanatory. This applies to any debate/hot issue, but moving on.
-I take no issue with people who will not participate in same-sex marriage (regardless of their sexual orientation that they may or may not admit to) or any of the sort as a personal choice to adhere to their religious beliefs.
-Though I should theoretically not take issue with people who view homosexuality as a sin (or anything else of the sort or similar in nature), but yet do not think less of the individual, I am not perfect and am infact human, so I do infact take issue with these kinds of people. I understand that they are harming nobody, I really do, but that does not stop me from wanting to strangle some sense into them, all because their God (or whoever they worship) says it's a crime.
-I take great issue with people who try to force LGBT minors into those Get-Rid-of-the-Gay Religious Camps, or whatever they're called. It's one thing if they're a consenting adult, then go ahead, knock yourself out. However I do not agree that anyone who is still under the legal protection of their parents (Who are, for the sake of 'just incase', 99.99% of the time devoutly religious) should even be allowed at those kinds of places.
-I take even greater issue with people who are against same-sex marriage (or just homosexuality in of itself), not because of their religious affiliations, but because they don't take into consideration that their religious views are not the only ones in existence. We have a separation of Church and State in America, and when I see/hear of people who are trying to smudge that line, especially in something as deeply personal as same-sex marriage, I get very angry. It's fine of they oppose the idea of it, it's not cool in the slightest when they try to pass laws based on their religious views. No. Not cool at all.
-I see no reason why two consenting adults can't marry each other if they so choose.
-I see no reason why my neighbors two doors down, Miss Lin and Miss Ann, an elderly couple, can't marry each other after having been together in a committed relationship for a very long time.
-I see no reason why my friends who are of the LGBT community can't be legally married and obtain the same legal rights as other married couples.
To Sum Up: I don't care what your religious views on or your personal opinions, just keep in mind that there are other people out there with different religious beliefs (or lack there of) and so don't abide by the same restrictions as you. As someone who practices humanism and is atheist, I believe very strongly that everyone should have the same rights as everyone else, and that it doesn't matter what sex the other person is that you want to marry, so long as both parties are consenting.
That was beautifully put. emotion_kirakira I concur with everything aforementioned.
Your religious beliefs affect who you are, how you think, and how you live your life. Some of those beliefs go against gay marriage. I have absolutely no problem with that, because my family and I, being 100% Roman Catholic, choose to believe that not every single thing in the bible must be followed to the tiniest extent. Our beliefs are that because the bible can be interpreted so many ways, we interpret what is most important, and do not let those things contradict others. That's a really bad way to explain it, but it's the best I can do!
When it comes to Religion and Homosexuality, there is a certain line you cannot cross. My grandmother is against gay marriage. My grandfather is against gay marriage. They are so terribly religious, bless their hearts. But what I respect and love about their beliefs is that they do not treat homosexual individuals like scum. They look them in the eye and they smile a genuine smile, and they give them a kiss on the cheek for a greeting, and all that stuff. They say "God bless you, Bless your heart, May God be with you" all that stuff just as much as they say it to my mother, my brother, or my father and I.
What I'm trying to get across is that your beliefs, I don't give a s**t what they are, should not affect how you treat a person. You can be the most religious person in the world. And I know first hand how hard it is to do that. Because we want to think they are bad because of the negative connotation so many religious people have with being homosexual. It's human nature. But it is so much easier to look past that and just say, "I don't agree with your sexuality, but I want to be your friend." It takes a bigger person to do that, it really does. And it's the same as saying, "I'm not the same skin color as you, but I want to be your friend." Or even race. Hell, even religion.
To me, it is all the same. Religion often affects your kindness towards certain people, and that shouldn't be the case. Everyone should be treated with kindness, regardless of whatever! But often not what happens in this society. That is why Religion and Homosexuality clash, according to my views. c:
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