I wasn't going to going to even write this at first, but I realized that if I'm going to piss people off, I should piss off people from as many belief systems as possible. Next week I'll do "5 Things About Muslims That Make Me Think They're All Terrorists", followed by "5 Ways You Can Piss Off Mormons (In Public!)."
Image: Spreadshirt.com
Also, something about Scientology and Hindus. Anything I missed?
It then dawned on me that there are quite a few more things that annoy me about atheists than about Christians. Now, clearly I have a bias towards Christians, and I know way more Christians than atheists, but most of the atheists I know personally are just as kind and intelligent than many of my Christian friends.
Please try to remember, just as I was not implying in my last article that all Christians do those things, I am in no way saying that all atheists act in these ways either.
So, since most people just skip past these introduction parts anyway (I know I would), I'll get right to the heart of the issue: Things that atheists do that give other atheists a bad name, such as...
Number 5: "If Christians had their way, we'd be rounding up all the gays and putting them in concentration camps!"
You may have heard of Pastor Charles L. Worley of North Carolina had to say about the homosexual community. Here's a video of him saying that we should put all the lesbians inside a giant fence, and all the "queers" in another.
By his logic, they would not be able to reproduce, and after awhile, they'd all die off! Oh happy day! Clearly, he believes that all the current lesbians and gays come from parents who are lesbian and gay, and have sex for no other reason than to pass on their homosexuality to the next generation. It's all part of the evil gay agenda.
You may have also heard of the Westboro Baptist Church, or WBC for short. You can visit their website here, but you probably don't want to. I did for all of one minute before I felt the urge to throw up.
Image: Npr.org
Their PR guy killed himself after 3 days on the job.
Their slogan with which they gain the attention of the world is "God Hates Fags". They believe America is doomed because it supports homosexuals. They picket military funerals because they believe that our soldiers died protecting a corrupt nation
Yes, these guys are religious. No, they are not an example of what Christians are supposed to be like. Real Christians are loving and respectful, not hateful bigots.
"But Christians are usually the only ones apposed to gay marriage rights!" you might say. I suppose that's probably true, although I've never seen a poll to confirm or deny that fact. However, there's a crucial difference here that you have to understand.
There is a difference between apposition and hatred. I appose gay mariage because I think the definition of marriage we have now works just fine, thank you very much.
However, I am not apposed to gay couples having the same legal status as a married straight couple. When it comes to taxes and property ownership and everything else, they should be treated the same. Just...don't call it marriage, because it isn't a marriage.
If a large group of people wanted to change the definition of a kilogram from the mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water at 4 degrees Celsius to the mass of 1.25437 cubic centimeters of water at 5 degrees Celsius, we wouldn't throw out the International Prototype of the Kilogram and make a new one to accommodate Nor would we even try to find a middle ground where everyone can have the same, slightly different kilogram.
Photo: Wiki
Just look at the intolerance
As far as Christians (and other proponents of one man, one woman marriages) are concerned, the definition of marriage that we have is as set in stone as the definition of the kilogram is set in 90% platinum and 10% iridium. There is no practical or moral basis for reworking the definition.
So please, atheists, don't try to get on your moral high horses because you support gay rights and those hateful Christians don't. We don't hate, we just disagree. If you consider everyone who disagrees to be a "hater", then you're probably a 12 year old who thinks he's a gangsta. Or you're an idiot.
Number 4: "Atheists support science, Christians don't. Therefore, Atheists are intellectually superior and Christians are all small minded."
Seriously, just...no. YOU would have to be incredibly small minded to think that. Which is why a personal hero of mine, Bill Nye, disappointed me so much last year when he said this in an interview with Big Think.
Big Think is a website that, "is an evolving roadmap to the best thinking on the planet — the ideas that can help you think flexibly and act decisively in a multivariate world." Whatever that means.
Don't get me wrong, it's an incredibly interesting site. There are lots of topics that are great for discussion, and some really great ideas put out by celebrities and average folks. However, Bill is convinced that the United States's religious majority is holding us back in the realm of science.
"Denial of evolution is unique to the United States." Not true. In every country you will find a portion of the population that does not believe in evolution.
"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates." Also not true. There is much more solid evidence for the existence of tectonic plates, namely, that we see their actions every day all around the world. We can track them and predict their movements.
"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates." Also not true. There is much more solid evidence for the existence of tectonic plates, namely, that we see their actions every day all around the world. We can track them and predict their movements.
"Once in a while I get people that claim they don't believe in evolution. And my response generally is, 'Well, why not? Really, why not? Your world just becomes fantastically complicated when you don't believe in evolution."
Really? From what I know, intelligent design (notice I'm not a proponent of Creationism, and if you don't know the difference, you're not qualified to give your opinion on the matter until you do) has much less complicated (read: believable) answers to things like Irreducible Complexity and missing links in evolutionary ancestry.
He goes on, as an example of evolution, "Here are different stars that are just like our star, but at a different point in our life cycle. The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us."
First off, Bill, those concepts and evolution are in no way inextricably linked. The universe is billions of years old, as is the earth, but that in no way makes evolution feasible. The chances of even basic life forming after billions of years is still less than 1 in 10 to the 40,000th, which to contrast, the number of seconds in 30 billion years is 10 to the 18th seconds.
Researcher and mathematician I. L. Cohen says, "Mathematically speaking, based on probability concepts, there is no possibility that Evolution was the mechanism that created the approximately 6,000,000 species of plants and animals we recognize today.”
So you see, I'm not making this up, or blindly ignoring "facts" because I'm a Christian. There are plenty of Christians who believe in evolution. I would argue that it goes against what they believe about the nature of God, but they're still saved Christians. I don't not believe in evolution because of some religious expectation, I don't believe in it because I don't find it to make logical sense.
What I'm asking of atheists is that they don't try and act as though they have a monopoly on science. Science and religion are not mutually exclusive concepts. God is just as valid an explanation as anything else, as long as you don't presuppose Him to be the answer to whatever your searching for.
So when you hear somebody say that the theory of Intelligent Design is not a legitimate theory, ask them why. If they say, "Because it assumes a God.", you'll know they have it backwards. According to their website, "The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection."
So there is no presupposition of God at all. Instead, after reviewing the evidence, those who adhere to intelligent design theory have come to the logical conclusion that certain features of the universe lend evidence to there being a creator, but not any one in particular.
The theory gives no preference to Christianity, or Islam, or Judaism, or any other belief system. It's just science.
One last Bill Nye quote, the one that really grinds my gears. "And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it, because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems."
Ok...what? There is som much wrong in so few sentences. Here we go...
1. I don't disbelieve in evolution because of what my parents told me. I rejected everything I'd been told, but came back to it after doing quite a bit of searching.
I refused to be an indoctrinated child, simply spouting whatever adults told me to spout. I was 15. Many Christian kids reach their rebellious stage and become atheist. My rebellious stage made my faith stronger and made me a more knowledgeable person.
2. Scientifically literate voters and taxpayers? We have millions of voters and taxpayers who are hardly even regular literate! They vote based off of skin color or political party or best commercial. They should be more worrisome than some people who disagree on with you on an obviously controversial theory that has ultimately has no bearing on who they will elect or if they pay their taxes on time.
3. Engineering has nothing to do with evolution, dipstick. Do you honestly think that everyone who doen't believe in evolution assumes that everything around them is made by God Himself. That they are so severely indoctrinated that they incapable of learning completely unrelated concepts like how a fulcrum works or geometry or a thousand other things required for engineering that don't involve evolution.
Christians are not idiots. We know how the world works. What is different between us and atheists is that we have a different understanding of eternity and morality and the origin of the universe and a few other things. None of these will hamper the progress of the nation in any way, I promise you.
Really? From what I know, intelligent design (notice I'm not a proponent of Creationism, and if you don't know the difference, you're not qualified to give your opinion on the matter until you do) has much less complicated (read: believable) answers to things like Irreducible Complexity and missing links in evolutionary ancestry.
He goes on, as an example of evolution, "Here are different stars that are just like our star, but at a different point in our life cycle. The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us."
First off, Bill, those concepts and evolution are in no way inextricably linked. The universe is billions of years old, as is the earth, but that in no way makes evolution feasible. The chances of even basic life forming after billions of years is still less than 1 in 10 to the 40,000th, which to contrast, the number of seconds in 30 billion years is 10 to the 18th seconds.
image: aviewfromtheright.com
"So that's, like, a lot of zeroes, right?"
"Right."
Researcher and mathematician I. L. Cohen says, "Mathematically speaking, based on probability concepts, there is no possibility that Evolution was the mechanism that created the approximately 6,000,000 species of plants and animals we recognize today.”
So you see, I'm not making this up, or blindly ignoring "facts" because I'm a Christian. There are plenty of Christians who believe in evolution. I would argue that it goes against what they believe about the nature of God, but they're still saved Christians. I don't not believe in evolution because of some religious expectation, I don't believe in it because I don't find it to make logical sense.
What I'm asking of atheists is that they don't try and act as though they have a monopoly on science. Science and religion are not mutually exclusive concepts. God is just as valid an explanation as anything else, as long as you don't presuppose Him to be the answer to whatever your searching for.
So when you hear somebody say that the theory of Intelligent Design is not a legitimate theory, ask them why. If they say, "Because it assumes a God.", you'll know they have it backwards. According to their website, "The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection."
So there is no presupposition of God at all. Instead, after reviewing the evidence, those who adhere to intelligent design theory have come to the logical conclusion that certain features of the universe lend evidence to there being a creator, but not any one in particular.
The theory gives no preference to Christianity, or Islam, or Judaism, or any other belief system. It's just science.
Image: getoffmyinter.net
Like this, but with more math. Probably.
One last Bill Nye quote, the one that really grinds my gears. "And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it, because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems."
Ok...what? There is som much wrong in so few sentences. Here we go...
1. I don't disbelieve in evolution because of what my parents told me. I rejected everything I'd been told, but came back to it after doing quite a bit of searching.
I refused to be an indoctrinated child, simply spouting whatever adults told me to spout. I was 15. Many Christian kids reach their rebellious stage and become atheist. My rebellious stage made my faith stronger and made me a more knowledgeable person.
2. Scientifically literate voters and taxpayers? We have millions of voters and taxpayers who are hardly even regular literate! They vote based off of skin color or political party or best commercial. They should be more worrisome than some people who disagree on with you on an obviously controversial theory that has ultimately has no bearing on who they will elect or if they pay their taxes on time.
3. Engineering has nothing to do with evolution, dipstick. Do you honestly think that everyone who doen't believe in evolution assumes that everything around them is made by God Himself. That they are so severely indoctrinated that they incapable of learning completely unrelated concepts like how a fulcrum works or geometry or a thousand other things required for engineering that don't involve evolution.
Christians are not idiots. We know how the world works. What is different between us and atheists is that we have a different understanding of eternity and morality and the origin of the universe and a few other things. None of these will hamper the progress of the nation in any way, I promise you.
image: us.123rf.com
"Thank you Jesus, for sending your angels to lift my garage door into the air using angel magic. I pray that you keep me safe while driving as you always do, and that you continue to directly influence the wheels to move in the direction I indicate by rotating the steering wheel. That's another really cool trick. Amen"
Number 3: "Imagine no religion." or "All religions are the same."
Image: atheistbillboards.com
This. The levels of ignorance and intolerance displayed in this image are staggering. As if the institution of "religion" had anything to do with the tragedy that occurred here. What it should say is "Imagine No Islam" or "Imagine No Evil", because "religion" was not behind the deaths of thousands.
According to Merriam Webster, a "religion" is "A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." These acts of terrorism were carried out by individuals who subscribed to a particular religious belief. Their particular religion was what inspired them to do it.
That does not mean you can simply scoop up all religions and place them in the same basket as radical Islam though. It shows that religious beliefs can be corrupted and can be used for evil, but it says nothing about religion in general.
Because in fact, there is no "religion in general", because all religious beliefs are contradictory. That's why I always get a laugh out of the Universalist Church. I myself am an ordained Universalist minister. It takes only a few minutes.
The reason Universalism, specifically Unitarian Universalism, is so funny is because it tries to reconcile completely irreconcilable beliefs, and makes them all seem equal. However, all religions cannot be true.
Why? Because there can only be one truth. Whatever isn't the truth is false, it's as simple as that. And all religions claim to have the truth. So which is it? Do we follow the teachings of the Bible, or of the Koran? Are we really spirits that will one day become gods of our own little planet as the Mormons believe, or are we spirits who have forgotten we are spirits and need to use Scientology to remember who they really are?
Also, religious people have done way more good than harm. In fact, I'd go so far as to say religious institutions have done more good than harm.
I know, it's popular to be down on religion right now. Even among young Christians, it seems everyone is denouncing organized religion and they're all about having their own personal relationship with God.
What I don't get is why people think that any denomination or church building is bad. Instead of blaming any organization or any one belief system, people should blame those within the system for using it for evil.
Organizations cannot be evil. Groups cannot be evil. Evil comes from the people within them. Even the Taliban wasn't always evil. The Taliban started as a resistance group against the Russians when they invaded Afghanistan. However, evil people corrupted it, and now the entire system has become a tool of hate and disgusting morals.
My guess is that most people who lash out at religion in general are people who were once in a religious system in which they were wronged. Maybe they didn't fully understand it, or they were used by someone in the system, so they blame religion. Or God. Because if someone who claims to follow Jesus turns out to be a liar or a scoundrel, that means that God is dead and life is ultimately meaningless. Right?
Not all religions are the same, and no religion is inherently bad. They're just wrong. Some, like Islam, have evil worked into them. However, there are millions of peaceful Muslims, meaning that it's not Islam we should despise, but those who use Islam as an excuse for the evil they practice.
You see, there can only be one ultimate truth about the universe. And that is what religion comes down to: A search for truth. Just like atheism, actually. Which is why my number two is...
Number 2: "Atheism is not a religion! It's an absence of religion."
I have heard people say, "Atheism means 'non-religion.'" This of course is nonsense.
Let's break apart the word, shall we? The prefix "A", meaning "not" or "against", followed by the word "theism", meaning a belief in a god. So atheism is...the belief that a god does not exist.
Atheism is the religious belief that there is no higher power in the universe, and that we must order our lives in such a way so that we get what we want out of our short time in life. Kinda depressing, but I can see it. If you earnestly believe there is no higher power governing your life, you can live life however you want.
You could choose to life for your legacy, with the goal of having your name and life remembered by others long after you're gone. You could live your life simply trying to find as much enjoyment as possible, by studying what you find fascinating and participating in what you find exciting. These are all fine goals.
You could also make your one goal in life to make sure that all other religions know how stupid they are being by believing what they believe, because you are one of the lucky few who have been granted the infinite wisdom and knowledge to comprehend what the small minded religious majority cannot: That life is ultimately meaningless and that eventually the universe will collapse in upon itself and then everything ends.
According to Merriam Webster, a "religion" is "A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." These acts of terrorism were carried out by individuals who subscribed to a particular religious belief. Their particular religion was what inspired them to do it.
That does not mean you can simply scoop up all religions and place them in the same basket as radical Islam though. It shows that religious beliefs can be corrupted and can be used for evil, but it says nothing about religion in general.
Because in fact, there is no "religion in general", because all religious beliefs are contradictory. That's why I always get a laugh out of the Universalist Church. I myself am an ordained Universalist minister. It takes only a few minutes.
The reason Universalism, specifically Unitarian Universalism, is so funny is because it tries to reconcile completely irreconcilable beliefs, and makes them all seem equal. However, all religions cannot be true.
Why? Because there can only be one truth. Whatever isn't the truth is false, it's as simple as that. And all religions claim to have the truth. So which is it? Do we follow the teachings of the Bible, or of the Koran? Are we really spirits that will one day become gods of our own little planet as the Mormons believe, or are we spirits who have forgotten we are spirits and need to use Scientology to remember who they really are?
Image: digitallife.gr
Or maybe you are a follower of Kifflom
Also, religious people have done way more good than harm. In fact, I'd go so far as to say religious institutions have done more good than harm.
I know, it's popular to be down on religion right now. Even among young Christians, it seems everyone is denouncing organized religion and they're all about having their own personal relationship with God.
What I don't get is why people think that any denomination or church building is bad. Instead of blaming any organization or any one belief system, people should blame those within the system for using it for evil.
Organizations cannot be evil. Groups cannot be evil. Evil comes from the people within them. Even the Taliban wasn't always evil. The Taliban started as a resistance group against the Russians when they invaded Afghanistan. However, evil people corrupted it, and now the entire system has become a tool of hate and disgusting morals.
My guess is that most people who lash out at religion in general are people who were once in a religious system in which they were wronged. Maybe they didn't fully understand it, or they were used by someone in the system, so they blame religion. Or God. Because if someone who claims to follow Jesus turns out to be a liar or a scoundrel, that means that God is dead and life is ultimately meaningless. Right?
Not all religions are the same, and no religion is inherently bad. They're just wrong. Some, like Islam, have evil worked into them. However, there are millions of peaceful Muslims, meaning that it's not Islam we should despise, but those who use Islam as an excuse for the evil they practice.
You see, there can only be one ultimate truth about the universe. And that is what religion comes down to: A search for truth. Just like atheism, actually. Which is why my number two is...
Number 2: "Atheism is not a religion! It's an absence of religion."
I have heard people say, "Atheism means 'non-religion.'" This of course is nonsense.
Let's break apart the word, shall we? The prefix "A", meaning "not" or "against", followed by the word "theism", meaning a belief in a god. So atheism is...the belief that a god does not exist.
Atheism is the religious belief that there is no higher power in the universe, and that we must order our lives in such a way so that we get what we want out of our short time in life. Kinda depressing, but I can see it. If you earnestly believe there is no higher power governing your life, you can live life however you want.
You could choose to life for your legacy, with the goal of having your name and life remembered by others long after you're gone. You could live your life simply trying to find as much enjoyment as possible, by studying what you find fascinating and participating in what you find exciting. These are all fine goals.
You could also make your one goal in life to make sure that all other religions know how stupid they are being by believing what they believe, because you are one of the lucky few who have been granted the infinite wisdom and knowledge to comprehend what the small minded religious majority cannot: That life is ultimately meaningless and that eventually the universe will collapse in upon itself and then everything ends.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
Nothing cheers folks up quite like the thought that after a few decades of hard existence, it won't matter, because they'll be dead and they have no soul to carry on. That's what gets me through the day.
Richard Dawkins, who is kinda the atheistic Gandhi, says that atheists should mock religious people with contempt, which, as we all know, is the greatest way to get people to agree with you.
This kind of militant atheism is exactly why I think atheism must be considered a religion. Remember, a religion does not necessarily involve a god in any way. A religion is "A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices."
Atheism is an institution dedicated to the social dismissal of all other religions, for what atheists believe would be the betterment of society. Most atheists don't have a problem with other people practicing their religions except for when it hampers progress, or what they see as progress.
Unfortunately, the atheist's version of progress, specifically social and scientific progress, often differs from that of a Christian. An atheist would see the legalization of gay marriage as progress, while a Christian (most of them, anyway) would not. An atheist would see creationism and intelligent design theory being dismissed as progress, while a Christian most likely would not.
This is the important part: We can have differences of opinion on these issues and still have progress. All it takes is some reasonable discussion, an open mind, and the ability to occasionally comprimise. We're not at war. We all want what is best for the world.
Whether you are an atheist or a person of faith, remember that the truth of what you believe is always up to debate. Truth is solid, there is always only one truth; however, interpretations of truth are malleable.
Number 1: "Hitler Was a Christian."
Atheism is an institution dedicated to the social dismissal of all other religions, for what atheists believe would be the betterment of society. Most atheists don't have a problem with other people practicing their religions except for when it hampers progress, or what they see as progress.
Unfortunately, the atheist's version of progress, specifically social and scientific progress, often differs from that of a Christian. An atheist would see the legalization of gay marriage as progress, while a Christian (most of them, anyway) would not. An atheist would see creationism and intelligent design theory being dismissed as progress, while a Christian most likely would not.
This is the important part: We can have differences of opinion on these issues and still have progress. All it takes is some reasonable discussion, an open mind, and the ability to occasionally comprimise. We're not at war. We all want what is best for the world.
Image: toddbigelow.photoshelter.com
Besides, trying to argue with these people would be about as conductive to your cause as trying to teach cows evolutionary theory.
Whether you are an atheist or a person of faith, remember that the truth of what you believe is always up to debate. Truth is solid, there is always only one truth; however, interpretations of truth are malleable.
Number 1: "Hitler Was a Christian."
SO. It's gonna be one of those arguments, huh?
image: rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com
"Please. I can't...I mean, I don't...I mean...I just...no."
If you're on the Internet enough, you've encountered Godwin's Law. You may not know, however, of the lesser known corollary of the law that states that if you resort to comparing anything to Hitler or the Nazi's, you automatically lose the debate.
Don't go there. You'll let down your fellow atheists.
In all seriousness though, this is ridiculous, unfounded, and low. Hitler used God's name to help ensure the respect of a mostly Christian people group. He most likely was not actually Christian in anything other than name. If he was, he was delusional as well as many other things, because no one in their right mind would think the Christian God would condone what he did.
Pointing out the bad eggs who claimed to have practiced Christianity doesn't lend any credence to saying that Christianity itself is flawed in any way. Evil can be committed in the name of anyone or anything. Atheists hate it when it's pointed out that Stalin committed atrocities in the name of spreading the doctrine of the Communist party, which is as closely linked with atheism as people tend to think the Republican party is with Christianity.
I guess trying to force this point is irrelevant anyway, because those that can see the irony of equating Hitler and Christianity while ignoring Stalin and atheism, those are the folks who would never use this argument in the first place. Oh, and for the record? Hitler was not a Christian, even if he may have publicly used God's name to try and rally support. There's simply no evidence that he was.
So please, if you're an atheist, try to use this advice to be civil around your Christian friends and family, because Lord knows thy are trying very hard to be civil around you.
So please, if you're an atheist, try to use this advice to be civil around your Christian friends and family, because Lord knows thy are trying very hard to be civil around you.
As an atheist, I find this funny because I've seen other atheists who've said things like that, and just make us look bad, haha. They even annoy me, a fellow atheist of them. Anyway, I thought I'd add something about homosexuality. I myself am a gay male, and I appreciate that you don't hate like some. However, the reason why I want gay -marriage- is because creating a different word or just saying "civil union" has underlying hints of "well, they can't have what we have"--whether intentional or not, it's there. Think of it this way- back when African Americans were trying to gain rights. At one point, a new policy was made which was: "separate but equal". To white people, this seemed just fine, they were given the exact same things as whites only separated from them. But was it right? No. It automatically makes one of the two lesser, and then only encourages more bigotry or discrimination, and less equality in opportunity in life. There are such things as gay Christians, and if they want to be married in a church that is willing to do it, then they should be allowed to. Adding to the dictionary definition of "marriage" that it can be between not just two members of the opposite sex, but also two members of the same sex, would not ruin any heterosexual person's marriage.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you commented! The thing about gay Christians is that any and all of them that I have ever heard of have sworn themselves to a life of celibacy, because they know that they are having sinful feelings. However, the thing about sin is that it is that no one sin is any more damning than another. the church should not condemn homosexuals any more than we would condemn someone who has had sex outside of marriage, and in general the church tries to be open and accepting of those who have had premarital sex. Sure, there are always those super judgmental churches, but that is not the example Jesus gives in the Bible, not at all.
DeleteHowever, I know that this subject is very, very touchy for obvious reasons, especially in countries like the U.S. where we have only in recent decades had full equality among races. Now, in the 21st century, we're essentially having a second civil rights movement, and this time the church at large is on the unpopular side. So in this article I simply showed my proposed solution, but it is in no way perfect, because I'm not a law or an ethics scholar, so my opinion isn't exactly the one that should be most trusted in these issues, lol. All I can do is try to love everyone, even if I disagree with them.
My high school theology teacher told me that the best sign of a true friendship is that you can very strongly disagree with someone about something, but still have a loving friendship with them. I have many friends who don't always agree with me politically or spiritually, and when we debate about these issues, the discussion understandably gets heated, but we never get angry at each other.
So, I appreciate your ability to present your point of view and your situation without pointing fingers or blaming. I hope that if you don't already have any strong friendships with some good Christian people, that you find some, and that they aren't afraid to disagree with you for fear of being offensive. Jesus offended just about everyone he was around, but he managed to love everyone as well. And as Christians, we're called to be an example of Jesus Christ to everyone.
Thanks for reading and sharing your opinion! Please, continue reading and discussing. That's my goal, to get people talking.
P.S. One of my favorite speakers, Ravi Zacharias, approaches the subject of Christianity and homosexuality in a very tasteful manner in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIw6ngIqaD0