North Carolina blogger Bob Felton (who is straight, by the way) is a frequent critic of the deliberate embracing of ignorance which is increasingly the norm among conservative Christians - and their allies in the GOP. I'm with Felton and believe knowledge and science need to trump Bible based ignorance and bigotry. In commenting on a "debate" going on in certain Southern Baptist circles on the issue of homosexuality, Bob sums up the issue in a pointed way. Here's a portion of his commentary:*
The more complicated truth is that science hasn’t quite determined how homosexual desire arises. There is sound, statistically significant evidence that females are more fecund (have more babies) in family lines in which a homosexual male occurs; that points toward genetics. There is evidence that the pre-natal chemistry of the womb influences orientation. And there are millennia of anecdotal observations addressing family psychology and dynamics. The truth is probably that the object/orientation of sexual desire is shaped by the aggregate weight of multiple influences. * What nobody can deny is that homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom, where there are no pre-natal doctor visits and, especially amongst non-mammals, there are less complicated psychological influences. * So the “in-house” discussion proceeds by ignoring the established biological facts and relying, instead, on the ‘inerrant‘ Bible. No wonder it’s so hard to have a sensible conversation with this crowd; they’re living in their very own personal reality.
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More folks need to call out the Christianists on a virtually daily basis and challenge their "deeply held beliefs" and expose them for what they are - bigotry based on chosen ignorance and a conscious rejection of fact. They are free to hold their beliefs, but those beliefs should have ZERO influence on the civil rights of other citizens.
The more complicated truth is that science hasn’t quite determined how homosexual desire arises. There is sound, statistically significant evidence that females are more fecund (have more babies) in family lines in which a homosexual male occurs; that points toward genetics. There is evidence that the pre-natal chemistry of the womb influences orientation. And there are millennia of anecdotal observations addressing family psychology and dynamics. The truth is probably that the object/orientation of sexual desire is shaped by the aggregate weight of multiple influences. * What nobody can deny is that homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom, where there are no pre-natal doctor visits and, especially amongst non-mammals, there are less complicated psychological influences. * So the “in-house” discussion proceeds by ignoring the established biological facts and relying, instead, on the ‘inerrant‘ Bible. No wonder it’s so hard to have a sensible conversation with this crowd; they’re living in their very own personal reality.
*
More folks need to call out the Christianists on a virtually daily basis and challenge their "deeply held beliefs" and expose them for what they are - bigotry based on chosen ignorance and a conscious rejection of fact. They are free to hold their beliefs, but those beliefs should have ZERO influence on the civil rights of other citizens.
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