Robert,

"Ok.. I book your 9 yr old daughter to add to my 50 yr old wife."

I recall seeing that in the thick of things. It was a comment about Mohammed’s alleged sexual behaviour wasn’t it? Actually that was the other Bosy comment that stood out as disagreeable but I never got around to pursuing it. I assumed at the time, and I’d like to think, it was just poor expression and invite Bosy to explain what he meant. I would have thought that a 50 year old had more to offer than a pre-sexual child.

“If the comparison is unfair it's probably unfair to the gay couple rather than the fundies. My guess is that they are less likely to try and convert my son or me to their ways…”

Increasingly, I think you are probably incorrect. That is certainly the history and certainly true earlier in my life time. However these days Christians don’t seem to do any efforts to convert and if you read a few threads in these forums homosexuals are constantly promoting.

These forums also suggest that perhaps Christians don’t have time to evangelize as they are too busy defending themselves from slander.

mjpb, I've not seen a single post on OLO (or any other type of communication) where a gay is suggesting that I should become one.

I've not read a single article suggesting that being gay is the answer for every human being. I've never had to dodge a gay on the streets trying to hand me a tract which tells me that I'm in for an eternity of suffering if I don't turn gay. I've not seen a single taxpayer subsidised school with a stated objective of turning kids into gays.

About the only major gay event I'm aware of is the mardi-gras. Not something I personally like, but trivial compared to the public celebration of the christain faith in this country.

I've seen christains doing pretty much all of the above (their version of it anyway) on numerous ocasions. I've seen hundreds of posts by BD and others on this site attempting to evangelise other posters (almost regardless of the topic).

I have read plenty of articles suggesting that gays be allowed to live their lives with the same legal rights as others (hardy promotion of homosexuality). I've read posts by gays and straights supporting the rights of gays to make their own choices but again none promoting the need for straights to go gay.

Maybe you hang around with a more considerate type of christain than some I've come across.

As I said elsewhere I know some christains who are really good people, some bordering on fundy but doing so with some respect for the rights of others to choose differently. It's not an attack on all christans but a statement about those who attack the freedoms using their version of their faith as justification.

R0bert

mjpb,

"However these days Christians don’t seem to do any efforts to convert and if you read a few threads in these forums homosexuals are constantly promoting."

Promoting what?

This is actually a serious question.

Great post, Robert.

mjpb: yes, promoting what, exactly?

Thank you, Robert.

Entirely to the point.

I could add that religious organisations also make lavish use of public funds. Like the four million dollars for the restoration of Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral, or the subsidies for the upcoming catholic youth convention in 2008.

Not to mention the fact that every dollar donated to a church is subsidised by a deduction from the donor's marginal tax rate. This applies even if the church uses the funds to produce anti-gay propaganda.

The gay event you mentioned receives no public funding, and I'm not aware of any gay rights lobby groups for whom donations are tax deductible.

Snout & CJ,

I don't mind the question at all as I deliberately stopped short. But in the flood of gay persuasion communication it is hard to pin things down with a nice definition. I'll try. There seems to be a broad range that could only be characterised as what homosexuals consider their issues. The concerning ones are generating hatred and disdain for other groups or displays of disrespect for a culture.

Rob,

"I've not seen a single post on OLO (or any other type of communication) where a gay is suggesting that I should become one."

Neither have I seen but I have heard. There was a magazine article I was aware of but I didn't read it. Someone who had told me that it essentially told men the advantages of being gay. I had someone who I did business with verbally taking a similar approach. It was like a sales pitch attributing personality disadvantages to the opposite sex and suggesting that they could be avoided by crossing the fence. Thinking about it that must have happened at least twice. Another that comes to mind is a persuasive attempt centred on the advantages of oral sex from the same sex.

When was the last time you had to dodge someone on the street to avoid a tract? That used to happen in my lifetime but I haven't seen it for a long time. Have you?

Many Christian schools have non-Christian teachers hostile toward Christianity and curriculum resulting in virtually all the kids becoming atheists. They all claim to have an objective but in many cases it is historical and is that objective definitely to convert them or to maintain them?

"About the only major gay event I'm aware of is the mardi-gras. Not something I personally like, but trivial compared to the public celebration of the christain faith in this country."

Christmas and Easter?

I am not sure that it would make much point arguing about our experiences with Christians or gays because they are clearly different. However I'm surprised that you haven't noticed a change.