Something troubles me... (homosexuality, abomination, POV, sexuality, God)

[Nehustan]

I have to give you a little background for this post to make any sense, so here goes.

I was on my way to work the other day. It was a typical wet late winter English day in London. As I walked down the road I saw the puddles in the gutter, and the water making its way into the drain system. I thought of my T-Shirt, stopped bent down, cupped my hand into the water and lifted the water to my mouth and drank.

Very peculiar behaviour I'm sure you are thinking, well not so. The T-Shirt I was wearing was from a charity called water aid, my daughter had asked me what the image on the T-shirt meant (a lady carrying water upon her head) and we spent a little time googling images where she saw multiple people gathered around a pump, carrying the water in that almost archetypal image...

So tonight I boarded a bus into China Town to buy us some Friday evening Dim Sum. I sat down to a young man wearing nothing but a short sleeved bowling shirt, and quipped to him that he must be from the North, given how cold it was. Of course he was, and a conversation was struck during which I became aparty to his sexuality. The main gay area in London is across the road from the restaurant I had ordered my Dim Sum from so I as a result of my conversation strolled around the area. As I walked I saw people out on a friday night and I pondered my own thoughts. The main thought I had was this, what would offend my God more, consenting adults 'sinning' or a child dying every three seconds. I think if my God wanted me to make a judgement or get worked up about things, he'd put the death of a child every three seconds higher up the list of priorities than what consenting adults may or may not do. What do you think?

[d.]

not much more to say, really. froobz to you.

[Victor]

Certainly there is a hierarchy in that sense. But I doubt the hierarchy makes void the ones at the bottom. You do what you can with what you have.

[Nehustan]

I think my point is Victor that there are things you can change and things you can't. Not only is there a hierarchy, there is practicality. My suggestion is that any religious person who gets 'het up' about homosexuality, bottle that energy and expend it on something that is likley to/can be changed. I'm guessing that a homosexual won't thank you for your christian concern, but a child that lives as a result of correctly aimed energy/thought/action....well there's a good chance he'll think you a saint.

(As a postscript.....I see rather more conversations here on RF, which is made of the more thoughtful elements of religious communities, about homesexuality than on child poverty....so I'm not sure exactly how high up the priority list it actually scores. It may be added...'what can we do about world poverty?????'. Well my retort has to be...probably a damn sight more than you can do about someones sexuality!!!!)

[Victor]

Originally Posted by Nehustan

I think my point is Victor that there are things you can change and things you can't. Not only is there a hierarchy, there is practicality. My suggestion is that any religious person who gets 'het up' about homosexuality, bottle that energy and expend it on something that is likley to/can be changed. I'm guessing that a homosexual won't thank you for your christian concern, but a child that lives as a result of correctly aimed energy/thought/action....well there's a good chance he'll think you a saint.

From a practical standpoint I see both as difficult Nehustan. If I can chip away at both, I will. I don't have enough energy for any of it.

[Nehustan]

Well I don't see somebody else's sexuality as difficult, it's not really my business. I am just as guilty as anyone concerning the threads on homosexuality. Its just the thought became quite clear in my head this evening (see previous posts postcript.) Is the reason that we maybe discuss homosexuality on RF so often actually because we know we can't change it, so its safe. Whereas actually poverty can be changed, so we choose on the whole not to discuss it, otherwise MY GOD what might happen, we actually might have to DO something instead of talking about it....better left undiscussed.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by Nehustan

I think my point is Victor that there are things you can change and things you can't. Not only is there a hierarchy, there is practicality. My suggestion is that any religious person who gets 'het up' about homosexuality, bottle that energy and expend it on something that is likley to/can be changed.

The subtext seems to be: no matter how sick, no matter how much an abomination, let it go and focus on more important issues. You caution folks to focus on "something that is likley to/can be changed", subtly suggesting that homosexuality should be changed, but won't/can't.

Originally Posted by Nehustan

(As a postscript.....I see rather more conversations here on RF, which is made of the more thoughtful elements of religious communities, about homesexuality than on child poverty....so I'm not sure exactly how high up the priority list it actually scores.

Priority list? How many points do we give a gay couple denied human rights. How many points do we give the traumatized child? What of the lonely child who remains lonely because tthe gay couple cannot adopt?

Your nuanced 'tolerance' is unimpressive.

[Nehustan]

its not 'nuanced tolerance', I just don't really think its my business.

(By the way I like the way you point out the sub text of 'let's concentrate on important issues rather than other people's sexuality', you seem to infer it was subtle....to me that was the headline.)