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Originally posted by Dave the Wonder Boy:
Well, hello, it was 9-11 !
And it demonstrates just how ignorant we are when people equate such attacks(in a horrendously general manner, even) with a religion that does not condone or encourage violence whatsoever. What tyrants(and their zealous followers) of certain middle eastern nations do they do as individuals, not representatives of Islamic ideals.

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It was remarked by a Muslim commentator, who said well before 9-11 she was spat on in Paris (hostility toward the 4 million Muslims there by many French citizens being rather high, and regarded as an intrusion on French culture), and in contrast said when she apprehensively visited New York after 9-11 her visit was without incident. That she was kindly treated.

Of the 7 million Muslims in the United States, I think less than 5 were killed in backlash incidents by angry Americans after 9-11. The only death I can recall offhand was a Hindu Sikh who worked at a convenience store and was shot because he was mistaken for a Muslim.
Many commented on how few incidents there were of angry-American-on-Muslim violence, and how there would have been many more incidents if a similar terror incident had occurred in another country.
Just because there hasn't been an overwhelming number of reported incidents doesn't mean such hatred doesn't exist. Murder is a pretty extreme circumstance. I'd imagine simple harrassment is far more common, but just as effective and demoralizing to the victims.

I'm not sure I agree with your last cite there. Perhaps as the most diverse country in the world there would be a slightly greater deal of sympathy, but I wouldn't exactly say that America is the epitome of moral kindness and decency.

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That statement seems contradictory.
How so?

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And again, the case in Canada is where a Protestant and Catholic Christian majority are restrained from talking even at a funeral service about Christ, while all minority religions are not given similar restrictions about "potentially offending" anyone.
At any funeral service, or just those involving a family of differing beliefs?

If it's any funeral service, that sounds quite bizarre.

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I've spoken to enough Muslims to know that they certainly don't look favorably toward homosexuality.
Not the point. It's not about what the people believe. It's about what's law.

Beliefs can be kept personal. Beliefs aren't usually forced on other people unless they're supported by scripture or other sacred doctrine that's often followed dogmatically and recited like evidence.

I don't think there's nothing wrong with a belief. You have yours, I have mine. If they don't always overlap, oh well. It's when a hurtful belief is etched in stone and made truth, when it crosses over from opinion to fact, that's when trouble begins to brew. That's when I think it's wrong.

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I don't know where you get your numbers from, but the psychological studies I've seen quoted in TIME and elsewhere say that between 2% and 5% of the population engages in any type of homosexual activity.
One study I saw in the early 1990's said 10% of the population has homosexual tendencies, but that one (again, in TIME) was said to be a biased study conducted by scientists who clearly advocated the gay cause, and the study was considered less credible than the 2% to 5% ratio.
( Of the ratio of gay people I've met, even 2% seems overstated to me, but that's what the most respected report I've seen estimates. )
The studies I've seen determine similar results on homosexuality as a lifetstyle(not a "tendency"), but I was including bi-sexual individuals as well. I suppose I was a bit off. I've met almost as many gay/lesbian/bi-sexual people as I have non-gay/lesbian/bi-sexual people(says something about the comic book reading community, doesn't it?), so I don't think the "personal ratio" really means much.

I'll revise:

Considering a great deal of the United states population is made up of individuals who are either bi-sexuals, homosexuals, or support gay rights, it shouldn't be too surprising to see why that's an unpopular message.

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For Bible-Believing Christians (or Jews, or Muslims, or Hindus and possibly other faiths for that matter) the Bible is the word of God, and clearly states God's position on homosexuality, from Sodom and Gommorah in Genesis to Leviticus to prophesy of signs of the End Times before Armageddon in the New Testament.
In that sense, the truth about homosexuality is known to all believers.
Ah, ok, thanks for the clarification. I thought you were saying that all Canadians thought(or should think) homosexuality is immoral, which had me confused.

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I agree that no one should be authorized to commit violence on another group. If Christians think gays are involved in an immoral lifestyle, then they don't have the right to beat them up or intimidate or lynch them.
We are certainly in agreement on this.

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The incident of the gay man who was killed in Wyoming a few years ago, wasn't done by Christians.
No, but Fred Phelps, the man who is trying to erect a monument for Matthew Shepard(the victim) stating "Matthew Shepard entered Hell October 12, 1998 in defiance of God", and operator of the now famous godhatesfags.com website, is Christian.

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And to call it a "hate crime" for simply saying what the Bible and 6000 years of Judao-Christian culture says to be true, and to not allow Christians their democratic right to verbally and peacefully disagree with "gay marriage" or the gay lifestyle in general, or peacefully disagree with any other moral or political issue, is not exactly freedom of religion, and not exactly a democratic society.
Christians can still disagree with gay marriage and the gay lifestyle in general. They simply must accept that it is going to be viewed as hateful, just as the preachings(even peaceful preachings) of neo-nazism and white supremacy are viewed as hateful, even though they, too, consider their beliefs to be absolute God-spoken truths.

Unless I'm missing something important(and please correct me if I am), Christians can still protest and preach against homosexuality verbally, in their own circles. What they cannot do, however, is deprive homosexuals of their democratic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.