Christian Family face possible legal action

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

not aggressive at all - just find thoughtless posts about gay friends as fashion accessories need addressing in no uncertain terms

I'm not at all bothered about gay register office weddings. No religion involved in any civil weddings. Not sure about church ones though.

I think you are being "in your face" grannytwice. Why so aggressive?

My dd was at a gay wedding this weekend - my dgs just accepts that there were two brides in pretty white dresses. There was nothing to get in your face about - it was just a lovely wedding of two people who love each other. Shame it couldn't happen in that wonderful Christian country aka NI.

A gay friend a fashion accessory? I would say that for well over the last 35 years I have always had in my close circle at least one gay person that I would call a friend. It's bloody insulting to talk about it as though they were a pashmina - they are/have been my friends because we really got on well together, shared common values and interests and really liked each other and were there for each other when the going got tough . Sometimes I knew they were gay from the outset, sometimes not - it was completely irrelevant. I really don't know wtf you are talking about.

The cause of Sexual equality has become fashionable. Everything is done to normalise homosexuality. A gay friend is practically a fashion accessory. There is hardly a television show that doesn't have a gay relationship going on. I just wonder if it's necessary.

Something can be acceptable without being normal.

And the referendum in Ireland (just one example) shows what people can achieve when they believe they have a just cause and are prepared to fight for it.
Don't really need to refer to suffragettes on here surely? They were a bit in-your-face too.

Yes loopy I am completely as to what you mean.

loupylou What do you mean by "in-your-face impositions, whether about gay sex, politics or anything else" ?

If there is a law, is it wrong to expect that law to be followed - and why is it "intimidating"?

Some gay people do come over as ready to fight for the cause even where there is no need. I suppose it is because there is still so much automatic prejudice.

soontobe You seem not to understand that what you believe is not what everybody believes. I wonder how you would feel if someone of a religion other than christianity came on Gransnet and continually referred to their god and their holy scriptures as if they unquestionably represented "the truth" and were the only true basis upon which moral and ethical issues can be judged.

On the legitimacy of "set ups" to expose breaches of the law, the police often use young people to test whether shopkeepers are willing to sell them cigarettes and alcohol when they appear to be under 18 (e.g. they may look very young or be in school uniform). The scenario is a "set up" but I think most people would think it justifiable.

It is not the police's job to enforce civil laws and therefore other agencies or individuals must do so. Some people obviously feel that the "cake incident" was pretty trivial and should not have been pursued, but if you have equality laws then they should be adhered to.

private lives should stay private, I agree jingl. I do find in your face impositions whether about gay sex, politics or anything else very irritating and sometimes downright intimidating.

Noneedforhardhatihope!

I do think people should perhaps go about their lives quietly. Without shouting about their likes and dislikes, or demanding that everyone should agree with them. Live and let live, but don't impose everything on other people.

Some people just do find the thought of sexual acts between two same sex people distasteful. I would never condone any kind of gay bashing. I think that is totally abhorrent. And I don't believe in labelling this stuff as "sin". But not everyone can think the same. Private lives should perhaps, stay private.

Can't be arsed to get hard hat on.

Our most precious and valuable helpers are our brain, with which we can think about things, our imagination, with which we can see things through other people's eyes, and our heart, with which we can feel for other people. Using these we can know how we should live, we don't need to obey rules imposed on us from outside.

If you believe that God made us in his image, then you must believe that He gave us these abilities, to use for good - so if we don't use them, we are wasting His gifts.

If you believe that we are a development from a spark of simple life millions of years ago, then you must marvel at how far we have come.

ok Greenfinch.

I don't have a god, soon, but I do have morals and I do live by good ethical codes. That's how. We are just at different ends of the same human spectrum of understanding. Cheers, pal.

for Greenfinch

Soontobe We are just going to have to agree to differ. Your brand of Christianity and mine just do not tally and I do not need you to tell me to be careful thank you very much.