What Atheists think about Homosexuality?

[Ali]

I think that having a diverse circle of friends (including theists) is a good thing.  If nothing else, it keeps you honest.  But I have to say that I think if you are interested in coming out of limbo, so to speak, the first thing you need to do is know your own mind.  Try to strip away the things that people have told you like "homosexuals are deviants" or whatever, and start asking important questions like "why."  Think logically about the actual reasons why homosexuality might be considered "deviant".  No fair using appeals to authority like "because everyone says so" or "because the bible says so" because those arguments are weak, logically speaking.  Everyone could say that the world is a peach pit floating in a jelly jar, that doesn't make it so.  Start from the bottom up, and think.  I think you're trying to do that by talking about the medical "dangers" of homosexuality, but I think that if you look at it with an unbiased eye, homosexuality isn't really more dangerous than heterosexuality, and in any case, just because something is dangerous to the individual doesn't make it immoral.  It's dangerous to ride a motorcycle, but it's not immoral, right?  Start from the bottom up, and try to think logically about what makes something immoral, and then pair that to homosexuality and see if you come up with a match.  I've literally NEVER heard a compelling logical reason why homosexuality is immoral.  I'm arrogant enough to think that if you really think it through from a logical standpoint, you won't come up with much either.

Try it, you might like it.

[Liar For Jesus]

I think that having a diverse circle of friends (including theists) is a good thing.  If nothing else, it keeps you honest.  But I have to say that I think if you are interested in coming out of limbo, so to speak, the first thing you need to do is know your own mind.  Try to strip away the things that people have told you like "homosexuals are deviants" or whatever, and start asking important questions like "why."  Think logically about the actual reasons why homosexuality might be considered "deviant".  No fair using appeals to authority like "because everyone says so" or "because the bible says so" because those arguments are weak, logically speaking.  Everyone could say that the world is a peach pit floating in a jelly jar, that doesn't make it so.  Start from the bottom up, and think.  I think you're trying to do that by talking about the medical "dangers" of homosexuality, but I think that if you look at it with an unbiased eye, homosexuality isn't really more dangerous than heterosexuality, and in any case, just because something is dangerous to the individual doesn't make it immoral.  It's dangerous to ride a motorcycle, but it's not immoral, right?  Start from the bottom up, and try to think logically about what makes something immoral, and then pair that to homosexuality and see if you come up with a match.  I've literally NEVER heard a compelling logical reason why homosexuality is immoral.  I'm arrogant enough to think that if you really think it through from a logical standpoint, you won't come up with much either.

Try it, you might like it.

Thanks . I appreciate your insight .  I think right now Im a FreeThinking Explorer who sees difficulties with the Atheist AND Christian positions .  As for the social issues of our day,  Im hardly one to go along with the consensus  in society  .

[Sandra Craft]

As for the social issues of our day,  Im hardly one to go along with the consensus  in society  .

Congratulating yourself on that hardly makes personal bigotry a good basis for your position on social issues, which is all you've offered up so far for your reasons for considering homosexuality deviant.  The medical evidence you offered actually applied to heterosexuals, altho you were making no argument regarding their deviance so I'm sure you can see how that was confusing.

If personal bigotry is all you've got, then fine, I'm sure many people have something that just hits one of their ick factors too hard to bear.  For me it's  things like S&M, B&D, which I find stomach turning.  But I don't suggest people who enjoy such things stay in the closet, or not dress or act any way they wish in public (bearing in mind such common sense things as existing laws about public nudity, or harrassment, etc), or not be acknowledged in popular public venues such as TV and movies and music.  Nor do I suggest that because some might not practice safe sex that all are therefore a danger to the entire nation and, among other things, should be persuaded to give up their lifestyle.  I'm not even sure I'd call S&M or B&D a true lifestyle. 

And if I were going suggest such things I'd make sure I could back it up with evidence that actually applied to people who practice S&M or B&D, and showed that as a group they created a demonstrable danger to non-S&M/B&D people around them, and that this danger creation was confined to them -- that is, no non-S&M/B&D people created the same or similar dangers, which might then just be considered part of life.  And if I couldn't do this (and I'm very certain I couldn't) I'd accept that my beliefs where informed by my personal bigotry and keep any suggestions I might have about interfereing with, or altering, other peoples lives off the table.  But that's just me.

[pytheas]

sodomy is higher knowledge
licking and sucking is art
the body has parts and does things

gay men can be statistically more fun for progressive individuals than straight men

being gay is like being atheist which again is like being a smoker or drinker, fat or thin:

No guarranty of WORTH

you have a certain problem that needs treatment if you care to disagree with what other people do for sex, religion or drugs disregarding the other features present( or not)
that problem is called "get a life"
those who stick their noses in the lifes of others do so because they have no life of their own worth sticking to 

[Tom62]

those who stick their noses in the lifes of others do so because they have no life of their own worth sticking to 

1+

[The Magic Pudding]

those who stick their noses in the lifes of others do so because they have no life of their own worth sticking to  

1+

I suppose you could fit all manner of evil motivations under that.
There is the What the Fk is wrong with being gay thread.
I'd like a "what the fk is wrong with people with a problem with gays" thread.

[Ivan Tudor C McHock]

As I said that I am a gay man and I had a lot of negative thoughts about my homosexuality when I been believe in God, but not anymore.

I am a member in Arabic Atheist forum and when I talked about my homosexuality there was a members didn't like that at all and they even asked me to don't reply for any subject that they post and they will do the same with my subjects. anyway that make me know that even Atheist people has negative view for homosexual but that doesn't mean because they are Atheist, Atheism it doesn't tell you how to live or what you should do in your life, it is just cares about God existence.

So what I want to know here is what you think about homosexuality??

Thinking atheists don't have a problem with homosexuality for the same reason that they don't have a problem with people who are left-handed or people who have green eyes or people who wear a size 8 shoe.

If you want to understand christianity's (and islam's) hostility towards homosexuality, you must remember the core business of religion. And that is............to separate fools from their money.

When you bear this fact in mind, you can see not only their reason for spreading hatred of gay people, but also the reason for their stance on contraception and abortion. See, it's all about maximising attendances at church and hence contributions to the collection plate.

Gay people don't reproduce at the same rate as straight people. This means fewer offspring handing over their hard-earned to Father Fiddler on Sunday. Therefore HOMOSEXUALITY IS EVIL!!

People who use contraceptives don't reproduce at the same rate as those who don't use contraceptives. This means fewer offspring handing over their hard-earned to Father Fiddler on Sunday. Therefore CONTRACEPTION IS EVIL!!

People who have abortions don't reproduce at the same rate as those who don't have abortions. This means fewer offspring handing over their hard-earned to Father Fiddler on Sunday. Therefore ABORTION IS EVIL!!

And while christianity and islam are spreading their hatred and misery in pursuit of even more tax-free cash, gay people continue to suicide at rates above the population at large.

Have you ever wondered why you never see any religious crazies protesting about people eating shellfish? After all, they should be. It's right there in the "good" book. It's because there's no money in stopping people from eating shellfish.

[Sweetdeath]

Holyshit, Ivan. That was the most A+ post ever! And I honestly agree with you on the reason catholics claim birth control and homosexuality to be so 'evil.'  Because the less idiot kids these religious people pop out, the less religious followers. The less money churches and religious organixations make from the fools.
I cringe everytime I see a catholic family with 4 kids, and the mother is pregnant. They all wear their little gold saint necklaces too. It's nauseating.

[Ivan Tudor C McHock]

Thankyou Sweetie. You are very kind.

It seems that, for some, reproduction is a competition and the one with the most babies wins.

It is understandable from a Darwinian perspective, but on a planet with >7 billion people and finite resources, we need to rise above our base instincts and soon.

[Asmodean]

It's because there's no money in stopping people from eating shellfish.

No, good church-going fishermen would potentially lose money on that, bringing us back to "Less for Father Fiddler"

Power and money... Pretty much everything human-made is about power and money.

[Ali]

And sex. 

Pretty much everything man made is about power and money and sex, and you could argue that power and money are also man-made inventions to get sex.  But only sex that reproduces, apparently.

[The Magic Pudding]

And sex. 

Pretty much everything man made is about power and money and sex, and you could argue that power and money are also man-made inventions to get sex.  But only sex that reproduces, apparently.

Ha?

[Sweetdeath]

And sex. 

Pretty much everything man made is about power and money and sex, and you could argue that power and money are also man-made inventions to get sex.  But only sex that reproduces, apparently.

Sex isnt about reproducing...especially if you are same sex couple or use bc.

[Ali]

And sex. 

Pretty much everything man made is about power and money and sex, and you could argue that power and money are also man-made inventions to get sex.  But only sex that reproduces, apparently.

Sex isnt about reproducing...especially if you are same sex couple or use bc.

That's why the church doesn't like it. 

[Amicale]

And sex. 

Pretty much everything man made is about power and money and sex, and you could argue that power and money are also man-made inventions to get sex.  But only sex that reproduces, apparently.

Sex isnt about reproducing...especially if you are same sex couple or use bc.

That's why the church doesn't like it. 

It's odd. I don't understand the Catholic logic (third or 4th time I've typed this today, I think, LOL) behind the whole reproduction thing. They don't want people using birth control, because it interferes with reproduction. They don't want people engaging in any kind of sex including homosexual sex that interferes with reproduction (and is apparently "disordered"; how, I don't know). At the same time, though... the Catholic church WILL:

- Marry a young straight couple, where one or both of them is infertile and can't have children... because there's always that "chance" God might surprise them.
- Marry a middle aged or elderly straight couple, when one or both of them is infertile due to age... because the "marital union" isn't "disordered", somehow.

*shrug* It's odd to me, but it doesn't bother me in the sense that I don't see the Catholic church as the be all, end all of marriage. Secular authorities as well as several Christian pastors/church groups WILL marry gay people if they want to be married, here in Canada. I wish it were the same in the USA. I really hope it will me. As for whether I'd want the Catholic church to marry me, which they still won't do here -- no, I wouldn't want to force an institution that strongly disliked me to marry me to my partner, simply because the law told them they had to if it ever came to that.... and if or when I marry, I don't necessarily want much of a religious aspect to the ceremony either, although that'll be a compromise, given my gf's a liberal Anglican. So there ya have it. *shrugs again*