Bonny and blithe and good...

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."

Lynn Lavner

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I occasionally get asked why I turned my back on the religion that I grew up with. I'm sure I am not alone in this since half the western world when asked about their faith will reply "Well, I 'grew up' as a [insert as applicable here]", but I get asked because it seems apparent to some that the indoctrination of my childhood is still a dominant force in parts of my life. My sense of 'morality' (in reality such a wishy-washy loose term) is steeped in Christianity, my ideas of right and wrong can still come across very black and white, good and evil. But then perhaps this is exactly why I discarded God.

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When I look at homosexual friends I do not see the 'immoral fornicators' that we were told about in church... at least, no more than I do with my straight friends. Now that middle age has set in with my acquaintances our relationships have developed a more long-term aspect. For some that means marriage, for others simply moving in together, maybe starting a family. And (within their legal limits) this includes gay couples. Taken as a broad spectrum they are just as loving and as faithful as the heterosexual couples, yet the church still views these relationships as sinful and evil. Oh, the more 'we-wanna-seem-forward-thinking' will say it's okay to be queer, just not to act on those impulses, but surely that's just as insulting. It's almost an insinuation that homosexuality is a mental illness.

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This is the crux of it for me. If God is, as he is often referred to, the 'God of Love' how can He condemn any form of love? Even that between same-sex couples? This is the one overwhelming piece of evidence for me, not that God does not exist - of that I am not decided - but that in the hands of man religion is little more than another form of propoganda and control. I don't regret what the Church taught me, but I am thankful that as I grew up I became able to think for myself and make decisions independently of dogma.

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One last thought - for homosexuality to be deemed an 'alternative' lifestyle then surely heterosexuality must be an 'alternative' lifestyle as well? They are both, after all, just different alternatives...

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Cheers m'dears!