I know that not all Africans have been brainwashed by the right wing evangelical church's of America who come to Africa to spread hate against gay people rather than what Jesus taught ie do not judge & love thy neighbour. Nigeria sounds like a very unchristian country based on some of these comments. I know Ola personally so unless you know him as well do not pass judgement! The education system in Nigeria must be very poor to produce such people who have learnt to judge & hate. Here are some facts about gay people:
Being gay is not a choice in the same way that being left handed or being black or white is not a choice.
Scientific and medical understanding is that segxwal orientation is not chosen, but is the result of a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors leading to a persons segxwality. This is according to all accredited medical organizations around the world from the American Medical Association to The British royal society of psychologists etc
Homosegxwal activity is not unnatural or dysfunctional, research shows that homosegxwality is an example of normal variation in human segxwality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects.
Prejudice and discrimination against homosegxwal and bisegxwal people such as that demonstrated by the church & some people, however, has been shown to cause psychological harm which is why suicide is higher amongst gay & lesbian women than in the rest of the population.
Homosegxwal behaviour is not against nature or unnatural as it has been observed in close to 1,500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, and is well documented in at least 500 of them.
Homosegxwality is not increasing, gay people do not recruit, homosegxwality cannot be taught and is not a threat to humanity.
Why would a religion like Christianity (supposedly based on the love & acceptance Jesus preached) promote inequality? It doesn't but some people CHOOSE to interpret it this way to fit their own bigoted views.
I'm sure if God exists he/she/it knows what they are doing but everyone should be anti religion if that religion promotes faith over facts, ignorance over enlightenment or obedience over free thinking.
Religion is where ignorance is venerated over knowledge like a room full of blind people claiming only they can see the light.
Yeah it's nice to think your right, to believe your saved, your special, to belong to an exclusive club (who's only membership requirement is that you stop thinking for yourself) but although such ignorance is comforting it comes at too big a price.
If you want to know God look to science which describes the world in all its beauty & majesty. It's not perfect but it's the closest tool we have for understanding & aiming for truth. If there's a creator their handy work is described there not in thousand year old books written by men, not for you, but for people in the past.
Look to beauty, truth, love etc
Look to our highest ideals that God provided, meditate, be kind, live & let live & love one another but whatever you do don't look in books written thousands of years ago.
Fortunately we no longer follow much of what the bible says as we know that is is wrong & no longer applies to modern life (see examples below) so to pick those elements in the bible that describe homosegxwality as wrong & reject the following passages is simply to use the bible to support homophobic prejudice & nothing more:
"If a man is caught in the act of molesting a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her." (Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT)
"...whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her" (Mark 10:11 & Luke 16:18)
"You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together." (Leviticus 19:19)
"Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:22)
"Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death." (Exodus 21:15 NAB)
"However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way." (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
We don't follow or believe in this nonsense anymore so why CHOOSE to believe the same nonsense in the bible about homosegxwality?
Being against equality for all is simply wrong & to use the bible to pick & choose your morals is equally wrong.
Think for yourself & look to the facts rather than allowing others in the church to decide your morals for you.
There is nothing wrong with two people loving one another no matter whether they are two women, a woman & a man or two men.
Love will always be stronger than hate or ignorance of the facts. Don't be on the wrong side of history & support equality for all.
Posted: at 4-10-2012 10:26 AM (11 years ago) | Newbie |
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