All this ducking and weaving about what the Bible says or does not say is an object lesson in the problems associated with regarding some bits of paper as "God's word".

There is no quibble, I assume, with the fact that human beings were responsible for the writing? The sources of which are questionable, even today, with a different set of scholars proposing different theories on a regular basis.

The selection of those sources is also a matter for regular scholarly re-interpretation, the only constant being that it was finally a political decision as opposed to a "divine" one.

We have so much human intervention, there are so many lacunae in the "chain of evidence", plus so many opportunities for political corruption along the way, that to assert "this is the word of God" is a pretty thinly supported boast, at best.

Yet whenever a moral question arises, or an ethical question rears its head, we inevitably find the most expedient selection of quotes presented to us as "the Word", while entire rafts of other quotes from the same source are suddenly deemed to be "metaphor", or "parable".

I know, it goes on all the time, and I should be used to it by now.

The sheer smug self-righteousness of it all, and the holier-than-thou attitude that assumes everyone other than the writer to be stupid, occasionally makes me mildly annoyed.

To then use that as a justification for the oppression of minorities just makes me cross.

I would be less cross if those oppressors actually lived by their own creed, instead of picking and choosing the bits they wanted to follow as the whim takes them.

Talk about "make it up as you go".

Incidentally, do "believers" consider the story of the creation of the ten commandments to be factual, apocryphal or parable?

Just askin'

In the debate on gay marriage we need to strengthen marriage and not to water it down. I do not believe that we should change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. My reasons go to the nature of marriage as the societal institution that represents, symbolizes and protects the inherently reproductive human relationship. I believe that society needs such an institution.

Our government needs to do all that it can to STRENGTHEN existing marriages, reduce the rate of divorce, lessen the number of children born out of wedlock, discourage cohabitation, and frame marriage as an honourable and desirable institution to strengthen our nation.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11268#190700

Kipp, spot on mate, i could not have said it better, sweeter or simpler myself, except that you got it the wrong way around.

It is the Homo, CARS, Communist, Anarchist, Radical, Socialists from the Red/green/getup/labour/socialist Alliance who are trying to inflict their ALP,
Associated, Anti Christian, Antisocial
Loony, Left Wing Nut, Lesbian, Lecherous, Lascivious
Perversions & Corporate Paedophilia

on everybody else.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11268#190707

Ramond, again a perfect explanation of why Antisocial behavior should be discriminated against. Maintaining moral, ethical standards, protecting children from neglect & abuse.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11268#190711

Proxy, love your work. The left always seems to be locked into some compulsion to promote the 180 degrees, exact opposite of "the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth, so help them, Satan".

I call it RPP, "Reverse Psychology Psychosis" in which the sufferer is driven to embarrass themselves by being caught out, obviously lying.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11268#190718

talisman, got it perfectly, the wrong way around again.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=11268#190797

Kipp, another excellent example of why the "New Religion" of Communism is dying.

I also note that not one, queer or lefty, has addressed any of the secular or non religious issues raised in my first comment.

Now gay people are communists! The religous fundamentalists appear to also have a paranoia of Reds under the bed, WEIRD!
The last time I looked, I was living in Australia, not North Korea.

Dear ALG

King James bible Luke 17:34;

“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.”

The Family Council of Victoria recieves thousands of dollars in donations, Bill Muehlenberg (the spokesman) is only doing what he is paid to do by posting biased quotes from people, with the intention of creating homosexual marriage myths. That is the truth people.