I'm an atheist and don't really give any thought to higher powers, churches, temples, mosques, etc. I try not to be a dick and expect the same in return...

Regarding the words I quoted and all, I was always under the impression that God was the only one who is to judge anyone. If that's the case, I just find it stupid that those who are always dragging God into everything seem to be going against the religious scripts they are acting on behalf of.

As for the civil union vs. marriage thing... I agree, that's a better argument to use if you're trying to convince anti-gay marriage folks that it's not so bad. In the end though, I think it's splitting hairs. These days, "marriage" is synonymous with "civil union" the same way "gay" is synonymous with "homosexual." I think if it were that easy to convince a group of blacks, Mormons and the like-minded that gay-marriage or gay civil union isn't a bad thing, we'd have solved a lot of these issues a long time ago.

People just want something to bitch about and as long as they're not getting the sh!t end of the stick, they don't care who else gets hurt.

All of this will go on for another 5-10 years until someone decides that they want to marry a human clone. Then I'm sure even a few gay people who finally have a semi-fair shake will jump up in protest about how people without belly buttons shouldn't be allowed the same rights, since they're not real humans.

This crap just goes back to Dr. Seuss' book about Star-Bellied and Plain-Bellied Sneetches...

 

[QUOTE=al4t1gbundy,Nov 24 2008, 12:46 PM]I understand that there are discrimination say for the voting age and the drinking age etc. etc. .. but keep this in mind.

 

Didn't mean you personally. . . I should've disambiguated the from the statements thereafter.

 

Wait, we're not all Sinners?

 

I do not want to turn this thread into a biblical discussion because I have enjoyed watching it and it has been productive.

But you have to read it together. You can't just read three words at a time.

Of course we judge. Our whole society judges. For example if somoene is a rapist we judge them and say that rape is bad. But then if you say rape is bad, do not then turn around and rape someone and expect to be judged differently. Or do not say that rape is okay and then when your mother is raped expect the rules to change.

Or if you are gay, do not judge someone that goes to church and say they are bad because they are different than me. And not expect them to judge you for being different. Or if you go to church do not judge someone that is gay because he is different and expect them to not judge you for going to church.

 

It's not my Law. . .

 

Again, if we're going to "legalize" gay marriage, let's legalize all drugs, marijuana, polygamy (their lobby group isn't strong enough for sufficient representation by themselves), beastiality (same as polygamy), speed limits, "age of consent", incest, and so on. Where does it stop?

If I don't hurt anyone, why can the government dictate how fast I can drive? That's BS.

I'll agree to gay marriage if we can also agree to abolishing speed limits.

 

I'll agree to eliminating speed limits if marriage between a man and a woman becomes a privilege, not a right.

 

Yes, biggotry is only in the south. Except for where ever you are located as well.

 

Yes, you should.

You'll note that this is not an unconditional statement. It doesn't say, "Do not judge," and leave it at that. It says that you shouldn't judge unless you are willing to subject yourself to the same judgment to which you are subjecting others. It's an admonition against judging unfairly, not against judging altogether.

That's a good question. To that end, you might have included another piece of scripture to put the others you quoted into context:

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's.
Matt 22:21

This has been interpreted as Jesus saying that you should subject yourself to the Government's laws, as well as to God's laws. Inasmuch as the Government's laws are judgmental (as are all laws), Jesus clearly isn't condemning judgment wholesale.

It is relevant, but you have to understand it first.