NPC adding new council members--do you think it could/will happen?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I'm not saying that my approach should apply to everyone else, but I think people are taking it that way. Probably because I am the only one who has expressed my view on this subject in this thread.

No, for me it was because that's how you said it. You attempted to state definitively that "your book" says that homosexuality is a sin. I'm pretty sure you and I own the same Book. So, you aren't just making a statement about your own viewpoint, you are saying that it is there for all knowing eyes to see and accept.

As a fellow Christian, and someone who loves different opinions because they make the world interesting, I would never say believing that homosexuality is a sin is automatically bigoted unless that means that people can't disapprove of anything without automatically being a bigot. All I'm saying is that you can use your religion and the book to support your perceptions without implying that you are upholding a universal Christian TRUTH that has not been the least bit influenced by human interpretations and societal norms and values. Or, you can keep implying that (as most of my family and friends do) but be open to others' responses to your expressed viewpoints. The world is your oyster.

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I'm saying that I personally draw the line at gay marriage. If gay couples want to adopt kids (which I have come to accept over the years), leave their benefits to their SO, and not be discriminated against because they are gay, I get that.

I respect your viewpoint and there are members of the GLBT community who agree with you for a number of reasons including religion. That's why there isn't just ONE approach to this topic.

The issue with institutional and structural discrimination is not bigotry. People can think and feel whatever the hell they like. They can even express those opinions as long as they are as tolerant of people's responses to their viewpoints. The issue with institutional and structural discrimination is ensuring that groups are not excluded on the basis of such viewpoints. Think whatever you want and base it on whatever you want, but "get out of the way" so that others can live their lives how they choose as long as it is in accordance to the laws of the land.