Originally Posted by Redway (Post 11104794)

A lot of gay people (you’d see what I mean if you’d been a bit more exposed to people from different cultural backgrounds) still want to marry at their respective religious institutions for familial (or, again, cultural) reasons. That’s something I can sympathise with but I can also at least empathise with the church/mosque figures who refuse to marry them off.

I think your opinions about spirituality and how deeply-rooted it can be as far as familial works go (including marriage) is very Western-oriented so I don’t blame you for adopting that kind of approach. But know that your experiences aren’t the same as that of a lesbian Nigerian-Brit. who faces ostracisation from her community (more than you’d ever know) but is still brave enough to stand up for what she wants anyway. Or a gay Muslim lad who’d face deportation and rank abuse for coming out but still has respect for his religion. Those are things you can’t even begin to appreciate when you’re sat behind your screen presenting a holier-than-thou stance and obviously don’t have much real experience dealing with conflicted LGBT millennials from non-Western indigenous cultures.

Originally Posted by LaLaLand (Post 11104899)

It shouldn’t even be an issue this day in age.

There’s so much doom and gloom and horrific stuff going on every day in this world (religion included) that two people wanting to celebrate their love together, regardless of gender, and be happy should be celebrated.

Same goes for gay adoption, which is still unnecessarily taboo.

Originally Posted by Redway (Post 11104922)

That idyllic world of acceptance doesn’t exist in many religious institutions though and it’s understandable.

Originally Posted by parmnion (Post 11104924)

You mean homes really, not religious institutes.:blush:

Originally Posted by thesheriff443 (Post 11104884)

I have two good friends and both have a son and daughter and they are all gay has anyone else have any friends were more than one of their children are gay ?

As to gay marriage I’m all for it.

Originally Posted by Redway (Post 11104794)

A lot of gay people (you’d see what I mean if you’d been a bit more exposed to people from different cultural backgrounds) still want to marry at their respective religious institutions for familial (or, again, cultural) reasons. That’s something I can sympathise with but I can also at least empathise with the church/mosque figures who refuse to marry them off.

I think your opinions about spirituality and how deeply-rooted it can be as far as familial works go (including marriage) is very Western-oriented so I don’t blame you for adopting that kind of approach. But know that your experiences aren’t the same as that of a lesbian Nigerian-Brit. who faces ostracisation from her community (more than you’d ever know) but is still brave enough to stand up for what she wants anyway. Or a gay Muslim lad who’d face deportation and rank abuse for coming out but still has respect for his religion. Those are things you can’t even begin to appreciate when you’re sat behind your screen presenting a holier-than-thou stance and obviously don’t have much real experience dealing with conflicted LGBT millennials from non-Western indigenous cultures.

Originally Posted by Vicky. (Post 11105051)

Should always be 'allowed' and always should have been, its mental to me that it was not. But I am not comfortable with forcing religious institutions to do it if they disagree. But I dont really understand why they would disagree. Yet, I am not religious so maybe wouldnt understand.

Fencesitting on the whole thing. Really.

Originally Posted by parmnion (Post 11104924)

You mean homes really, not religious institutes.:blush:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier (Post 11105013)

I understand that and actually I think you’re underestimating how low the acceptance in in many Christian church communities in the UK - and definitely the US. I think in the UK they’re less vocal about it, I had a “parent friend” (the friends you have while your kids are little and don’t keep in contact with after that) who was heavily involved in the church (evangelical, I think) and from everything I knew about her I’d have assumed her views on homosexuality were moderate. Until the conversation actually came up - and she declared that while she’d be friends with gay people, she would have to tell them they’re not going to heaven, and that they should “stop”. Also that she’d be “utterly devastated” if one of her kids was gay. I’ve since realised it’s a very common attitude in British churches, it’s just not announced as loudly.

And my hypothetical was in a world where I’m a mystical overlord who can shape reality at will, and that I’d ideally remove religion from all equations entirely… it’s not intended to be a pragmatic suggestion for the real world.

Originally Posted by Redway (Post 11105178)

Trust me, I’m well aware that many (if not most) U.K. churches are against gay marriage. The thing is I wasn’t talking about just English churches.

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier (Post 11105188)

That doesn’t really matter if we’re talking about snapping all organised religion out of existence? Again, I’m not saying this is something that can actually happen, just a hypothetical.

Originally Posted by Glenn. (Post 11105627)

The world would be a greater place without religion. I’ll agree that not all religions are discriminative and have idiotic followers who use their religion as a guise for their ignorant views but it should not have the power it has.