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Originally posted by klinton:
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Originally posted by Batwoman:
I find it hypocritcal (maybe not the exact word I'm looking for) of people who bash Christians and say they're right and we're wrong, they have a right to say what they want, but the second a Christian opens their mouth and defends their faith/belief, they are labled closed minded hatemongers. Yet those that label us that are the "loving ones".
The difference is that I will never argue that you be denied basic freedoms. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. When you 'loving' christians open your mouths in debates like this, it's to deny me mine. Is the difference so hard to see? I believe you have the right to worship God as you see fit, where as you seem to feel that your religious convictions should stand as a valid argument against my freedoms.
The specific point in question here is gay marriage.

Gays have a right to work, date, live together, and otherwise live their lifestyle. Even have some kind of equivalent of marriage, calling it legal union or somesuch. Which gives spousal benefits in a secular/state framework.

The only right they do NOT have is to change the clear Biblical meaning of marriage, and warp the meaning of Christianity, sexual purity, marriage, Biblical terms such as "the Bride", etc., out from under Christians.

Another parallel example I thought of is the Former Yogoslavian province that broke off and named itself Macendonia. Which is very threatening to the Greek province of Macedonia. When you change people's traditions arbitrarily, you're asking for trouble.

When Salmon Rushdie wrote The Satanic Verses the Ayatollah put out a contract for his death, because the book, however good or bad, ias arguably a blasphemous attack on the religion of Islam. I certainly don't endorse putting a contract out on Rushdie, I do understand the anger that Muslims felt for someone messing with their religion.

I'll note that The Last Temptation of Christ came out about the same time, and no one put out a contract on its actors, writers and producers. But no doubt, Christians (including myself) felt outrage at the obvious and pointless blasphemies and distortions.

I don't see these as expressions of freedom. I see them as comtemptuously urinating on someone's sacred ground.

Gays attempting to change the meaning of Christianity is not a "freedom". It is a violation of another group's freedom and cultural integrity.