PaulSacramento wrote:You aren't trying to justify homosexuality as a God given trait, are? an argument from belief?
I would point out that your's is a self-refuting argument but that would require you understanding how off your view is from pretty much every classical theism view of God.
If something - anything - is part of your genetic make-up then it's God given. How could it not be?
Anyway, I'm talking hypotheticals here. Psychologists mostly support the "born that way" argument, but no "gay gene" has been discovered, and maybe there isn't one there to find. But maybe there is. And if there is then it will mean that homosexuality is as much a God given trait as blue eyes or fat ankles.
PaulSacramento wrote:That God allows for people to CHOOSE between doing what they want and what they ought, doesn't put the blame of the consequences of those choices on Him, any less that it is His fault that you get wet when it rains.
We know with certainty that addiction is influenced by genetics. At the very least that means that some people are more likely to become addicts than others, regardless of environmental factors or their personal choices. Some people have susceptibility to addiction as a God given trait, while others do not. Consequently, while I agree that it's unfair to lay the blame for addiction solely at God's feet, it's equally unfair brush off genetics as irrelevant and present it as simply a matter or personal choice.
Mallz wrote:This, right here, shows you don't even know the very basics about Christianity.
Nope, I don't know a whole lot about classical theology or have an in-depth understanding of your religion, so yes, some of my comments and questions will undoubtedly make dedicated Christian apologists roll their eyes at my appalling ignorance and/or disregard for arguments that they find convincing. The claim that God gives us freedom of choice is an example of my disregard rather than my ignorance, by the way. I lean more toward determinism.
Mallz wrote:You've been here for years. You're either the stupidest person I've seen chronically on a board or a massive troll that gets off by holding and posting apposing views. Why are you even here? It's surely not to learn about Christianity nor God.
A glance at my posting history will show that 90% of my posts are in the
Politics and World Events section, so no, I'm obviously not here to learn about God, and I've never claimed to be. If I wanted to know more about your faith I'd read the source material and maybe some of the hundreds of thousands of books that have been written on the topic. And frankly, even if I were a Christian I'd still disagree with most people here about politics, economics, foreign policy, sex education, abortion, and the like. I'm a center-left pragmatist in a room populated mostly by social conservative ideologues. Sparks will fly.
As far as why I'm here, I've explained it plenty of times. I find it interesting to discuss/debate/fight about the issues of the day, and I think that there's some value in exposing myself* to people whose world views are completely different from mine. And, as I've also said before, over the years I've learned a great deal and found common ground about at least
something with almost everybody here. Hell, even B.W. and I agreed about something a while back.
As far as trolling, sure, I sometimes phrase things in a way that I know will piss some people off, but I'm hardly the only one who does that and it's almost never my sole intention. I challenge ideas that I disagree with, just like everybody else does. The difference isn't that I'm a "massive troll" it's that I see the world very differently than most people here.
So Mallz, what is it about having your views challenged that infuriates you so? Would you be happier if I was gone and people mostly sat around agreeing about everything? Would that make for a richer, more stimulating** experience for you?
* There you go, Rick.
**And there's another one. This is your lucky day. 