Christian Family face possible legal action

Oh, it wasn't thoughtless I can assure you.

The TV shows are probably because open gay relationships are a relatively new thing, jings. That or because gay people are drawn to the media and once there they write about what they know.

It is the same with mixed-race relationships. It does seem that every TV drama has at least one couple of different skin colour, plus a same-sex couple, and if there is only one couple, they are same-sex, and mixed-race. I can't quote the real-life percentages off-hand, but I can't help thinking it is not as high as is portrayed. It is as though they have gone from never showing anything except heterosexual white people to showing everything but. The pendulum effect, I suppose.

I had better say quickly that I am not complaining here, just commenting - ye gods, we do have to be careful what we say!

You've said exactly what I wanted to say, Elegran, and didn't for fear of the inevitable opprobrium.

Yes. I think a lot of gay people work at the Beeb.

I don't think we need to watch what we say, quite honestly. So long as we bear no malice towards anyone. And so long as we are firmly against any casting of stones. We should all have freedom to believe in whatever we think is right.

It seems you don't have to scratch beneath the surface very far before people's prejudices start appearing. I find some of the comments on here quite unpleasant and I think GrannyTwice's response was pretty restrained in the circumstances.

Religion is a human construct. So is marriage. Every now and then we reconstruct stuff based on values at the time. In short, things change. This is happening now with regard to marriage and sexuality. I think religions usually lag behind progressive thinking on stuff like this. We are changing the definition of what counts as a 'normal' marriage. I am glad about this.

Sorry Eloethan. If other posters carry on posting, so will I.

Religion is far from human. Nor marriage.
Homosexuality has been happening since nearly the beginning of time. There is nothing new about it.

thatbags. You do realise that God is not going to get into line with your thinking on this matter, dont you?

If not, then I will leave you to it.

You are right. There is nothing new about homosexuality. But there is something new about society accepting homosexuality as harmless and just part of the normal curve of sexuality.

Regarding whether your god "gets into line" with my way of thinking, I don't give a damn. I don't give a damn what any god is purported to 'think'. I am interested in what people think.

It isnt new about society accepting it either. That sort of thing waxes and wanes, or ebbs and flows, not sure which is the best expression.
It was very in vogue in the first book of the Bible, half way through. I am pretty sure historians can say more about the history of it all.

One person's prejudice is another's firmly held belief. I think we could be guilty of double standards if we are not careful. Not talking about GN in particular here, but as jingl said people should have freedom to believe what they think is right, providing there is no malice or stone throwing.

soon, please shut up about the bible. Most of us do not follow bible strictures. I thought you said you'd leave us to it

Sorry, anya, I'm not following you around.

This is a thread about a christian bakery and homosexuality.

I have got told off before, for not keeping to the op.
On this thread, I am very much keeping to the thread.

You might want to start a new thread with however you want to start it?

I agree with thatbags - religion is a human construct, and it has been very successful in taking over such matters as marriage, whether it was desirable that it do so or not. In Chaucer's day, the newly married couple would go to the church for a blessing (after the marriage, note) and so they found it convenient to marry in the church doorway before moving inside for said blessing. Thus, she says "Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve".

'Biblical marriage' is touted by the Bible Belters in the US as ideal - yet Jesus had little to say in its favour, and Paul merely said it was better to marry than to burn (with passion). But then he hated women anyway.

If that was aimed at me Eloethan, let me make my views quite clear.

Firstly my feelings about homosexuality have nothing at all to do with religion. I simply cannot get away from the fact that sex is primarily, probably from a 'nature' point of view, only for, the continuation of species. Therefore homosexuality is a deviation from that.

It is not a 'sin' in my book because it harms no one. Gay civil marriage is good. It must give the same security and happiness to gay people that hetero marriages do.

I have already said I hate gay bashing. And I do not think gay people should have to hide their lifestyles away. I believe people should live happily side by side.

But I cannot believe something is 'right' just because the government, or even the majority of the rest of the population, say I should.

jingl well said

feetlebaum. God and Jesus so in favour of marriage that Jesus refers to the church as his bride. Something like that. It is wound throughout the bible, about marriage. I am wondering if what you read, relies on picking up certain words, like if you google something, and it picks on things on the computer with just those words?

Paul got married as far as I can remember.

"But I cannot believe something is 'right' just because the government, or even the majority of the rest of the population, say I should."

Perhaps not. But that's how democracy works and I think democratic mistakes, if such they be, are better than an authoritarian figure making the rules. If we discover that our current 'lenience' about homosexuality is wrong and cause harm to people, then we can change things in future. Democracies are, in general, improving things for people and they are generally much more tolerant of 'divergence' than religious leaders have traditionally been. It's about the best way forward for a civilised society and what suits most people.

Obviously many homosexuals believe in marriage too or there wouldn't be the movement to make gay marriage legal.

Could we have references soontobe? The Church was not formed until after the death of Christ as far as I know

If Paul had a wife ,he must have dumped her to go on his missionary journeys as she does not appear to be there.

Some,at least, of the disciples must have been married (Peter had a mother-in-law ) but this did not stop them from starting out on an itinerant lifestyle following Jesus.

There were different life-style even then.

Greenfich. I think that you are right. It doesnt say that he was definitely married.

I looked it up.