dacontinent
[QUOTE said:
I have never believed the earth to be flat or that I live in a geocentric galaxy, so I don't have it to continue. Religious folks like you have shunned faith in the name of logic, not understanding that more faith is required to believe the logic that you claim to follow.
The very folks who translated books of the bible hundreds of years ago did. Who were they? The
religious leaders of the day, the great men who could quote the bible backwards and forwards. Those same religious men were dead wrong to believe and teach that the earth was flat and that it was the center of the universe. They based their belief on the bible until when? Until a scientist proved them to be wrong by using scientific evidence.
The religious leaders ONLY had was faith in the bible as evidence. My point is that you have the same kind of faith that they did, and if it wasn't for science, you'd still be believing things such as a male sperm being the sole giver of human life instead of both the sperm and egg combined and you'd still believe that evil spirits as being the cause of diseases instead of viruses and bacteria.
You have correctly stated that behavior begins in the mind. What I have tried to assert further is that the brain has control of the behavior that is homosexuality.
Finally, we're getting somewhere. It's good that you admit this. Now please tell it to Apaquelypse, so he can get it.
My point is that BEFORE birth, the human brain is shaped and dictated to a large extent by several hormones that regulate mood, one's mental state, one's biological makeup, one's health, etc.
I'm simply stating that there's strong reason to believe that one's hormonal makeup can determine HOW a person thinks and behaves before birth. It's real simple once one understands the subject of hormones within the human body.
The biblical authors didn't have a clue about hormones just like they didn't have a clue about earth's location in our galaxy or how diseases like cancer are formed. Evil spirits don't cause cancer.
It is my guess that this is your succinct response. Ironically, you offer no science; only religion.
You can continue to ignore scientific evidence that's been around for years as an excuse to continue believing the bible. That's your right. It's ironic that your bible mentions nothing about bacteria and viruses, but
it does show that spirits cause diseases. Now how much more reliable is that verses the information I've posted? That alone should serve to discredit the book.
You have presented findings from a study that says that men who claimed to be homosexual respond to pheremones of men in the same manner that heterosexual women did. That is attraction, not sexual thought. I look at, touch, hear, and smell both men and women and find some attractive and others not without thinking of them sexually at all. We all do, and no sin occurs. When we start thinking sexual thoughts about anyone to whom we are not married, sin occurs. When we engage in sexual behaviors toward others to whom we are not married, sin also occurs...according to the Bible.
The study further proves that a person's hormonal makeup has a tremendous bearing on his/her thoughts.
It all goes back to the mind. Can a homosexual STOP himself from thinking about sexually acting out anymore than a heterosexual man can stop himself from thinking about having sex with a woman?
Ask most heterosexual males whose sexually active with women how difficult it is to stop himself from thinking about sex throughout the day. If we're honest, we'd tell you it's almost impossible not to think about it.
According to your bible, the mere
thought of having sex is sin, even if the person doesn't act it out. So, what's the point? According to the bible, sin is sin, whether it's in the mind or whether one acts it out.
It's like you're trying to distance or separate thoughts from actions. Jesus didn't teach this, so why are you suddenly finding it appealing?
Where is the scientific evidence that homosexuals have no ability to control homosexuality?
I didn't say "homosexuals", I said SOME homosexuals. All homosexuals are not the same anymore than all heterosexuals are. Can all heterosexuals control the fact that they're heterosexuals?
Science has never stopped killing. Scientific quests fostered killing of millions of Africans and Jews, for two examples.
So you're now comparing science to religion? Most folks don't worship science like folks worship religion. Science requires
actual evidence before something can be validated. Religion requires the exact opposite.
Science doesn't claim to have all knowledge and all answers. Science doesn't claim to foster love, forgiveness, meekness, so their standards are completely different than a religion that claims to foster love, joy, peace, gentleness, etc. There's a difference between what science claims and what Western religions claim.
Any how, none of the above can negate the fact that a person's hormonal makeup in the womb effects his/her thought patterns and behavior.
There is a LOT more to being homosexual than religious folks want to admit. You and I are proving that in this discussion.
Producing facts is what it's all about. Up until now, religious folks want nothing more than to persecute, judge and alienate homosexuals. Eventhough I'm not one, I totally disagree with this form of judging.
Here is another of what I consider to be simple questions: Do those verses not apply to homosexuality just like they do to lying, cheating, stealing, murder, rape, and gluttony?
No, because lying, cheating, stealing, rape and gluttony are
learned behaviors. There's no evidence to show that ALL homosexuals
learn how to become homosexuals anymore than heterosexuals learn how to become heterosexuals.
Are babies born lying, cheating, stealing, raping and gluttonous? I don't think so.
According to the Scriptures, homosexuals (and liars, cheaters, thieves, etc.) need to repent AND confess faith in the life of Jesus Christ. The works of homosexuality will not save them nor will denying such works.
So what's the use of them having to repent? This just shows how confusing this faith-only theory is. I keep telling you that the bible teaches that both faith AND works are required for salvation. If being a homosexual has nothing to do with salvation, then why can't the homosexual just "believe", yet still practice homosexuality?
According to your definition, all humans are mediums.
Yes, we are. Most of us lose this ability at a young age, however some don't and they carry it on throughout life.
Now, please explain how you're
not a medium, eventhough you claim that your biblical god talks to you through his spirit. Keep in mind that the bible forbids conferring with spirits.
What other field? Uh...SCIENCE! Go ahead and give us an analysis of what the average person knows of science vs. what they know of religion. That ought to be really good reading.
The average person knows from science that the earth is not flat. They know from science that the earth is not the center of our galaxy, but the sun is. They know from science that bacteria and viruses cause diseases, not evil spirits. What many don't know about Western religion is their religion taught this once upon a time UNTIL science corrected them.
If short was the extent of what we know of Dionysius, Kristna, Horus, and Jesus Christ, then you might be right. Since we do know a lot more, then we know that the actual conclusion is quite the contrary.
What conclusion? The conclusion that the Jesus story wasn't copied from previous religions using a different name, but the same characteristics? Is that the conclusion you're talking about? If so, then provide evidence.
Thanks for cheering me on because I chose to take an objective step back and look at the actual history of religion and the history of religious "saviors" who supposedly died and came back to life. I wish all folks would take the time to do the same. They'd be mighty surprised and even stunned at their findings.
One problem that we often see in science is that it runs into things that its research cannot explain. Faith enters often when scientists try to isolate from their equations those things that they cannot explain. When one understands that, they come face to face with the truth that science is a religion unto itself. It transcends race, creed, color, geography, and predisposition. So, to borrow a quote from you...
At least when science runs into things that it cannot explain,
for the most part, it puts forth effort to try and prove it. That's what's required of the field....EVIDENCE. If they don't know, they say they don't know. Some scientists do it publicly, some do it privately and some not at all.
On the other hand, Western religion requires one to believe stuff that's not even there, solely based on faith. The sad part about it is the followers of these religions refuse to admit that it's not there. They still believe it.
There's a huge difference between science and religion.
Continue to believe in science if that helps you get through the daily rigors of life. If it gives you hope for the future, hang on to it with all your might. Just be honest enough to admit when it's inaccurate.
I don't believe in science like you believe in a faith-based religion. I don't pray to science, I don't refuse to question science. I DO doubt parts of science, but you seem to doubt no parts of your bible. I don't get up in the morning thinking about science or praying to it, but you do to your religion. I don't look at scientists as being saviors, but you look at the leader of your religion as being your savior.
Like I stated before, there's a vast difference between science and religion.
