Quote: it all comes down to equality, and no matter how much you think your god loves you and hates homosexuals we're all people.

This is certainly putting words in my mouth. I never once said that God hates homosexuals. In fact, I believe quite the opposite. I do believe that homosexual acts are sinful, but I also believe that Jesus died for SINNERS (which includes *everyone*). His forgiveness comes as we give up our sins, not as we embrace them (forgiveness won't come until we let go of our sins).

I recognize that not everyone shares these beliefs. But the law entitles EVERYONE to vote according to *their own* beliefs.

Anger and hatred are definitely no way to go about resolving things, though. I don't have any bad feelings towards you, though it seems you do towards me.

Let me ask you this, is your hatred based on the fact that I believe what I do? Is it based on the fact that I have the right to freely speak what I believe? Is your anger based on the fact that you can't force me to agree with you, or vote the way you want me to?

Do you believe it would be better to force people to fall in line with your views and force them to enact laws that reflect your own personal views, or the views of groups that you sympathize with?

These are some pretty serious and important questions that you really ought to consider.

Quote: But since you asked, I suppose I would like to hear his homosexual apocalypse theory.

I have no homosexual apocalypse theory. My point was that IF the behavior was universally practiced (which it almost certainly won't be) it would bring disaster upon our species. Knowing this, it would logically introduce the idea that it's not a good thing, since at the individual level it results in the termination of the genetic line (unless reproductive genetic material is obtained from a willing third party, assuming that there is one).

Quote: I see no difference in the question of should gay people be allowed to be married than should black people be allowed to be married. I think we should strive for a government that see us all as equals, and rights should be the same for all people who are doing no harm to others. And I wish people would vote accordingly regardless of their own personal moral decisions. I respect religious people who choose to spread their moral code through their own example. I despise religious people that try to impose their will on others.

First I'd like to respond to the second half of that. When a person goes to the polls and votes according to their conscience and beliefs, are they imposing their will on others? In other words, is voting a form of imposing your will? Have you yet, or do you plan to vote at any point in the future? Do you believe that by so doing you will be imposing your will upon society? Or do you believe that just by speaking their mind, a person is therefore imposing their will on others?

You are perfectly entitled to believe that you know better than the majority, and speak your mind as a result of that belief. But the moment you decide that it's okay to *force* everyone else to fall in line with your beliefs, or that it's okay to use violence to enact the laws you want, that's the moment that you become truly evil.

If gay marriage were voted in tomorrow, I wouldn't start a violent uprising to oppose it. I would continue speaking my mind in an attempt to help others see the merits of my beliefs, and I would seek legislation through the proper legal channels. Anger and violence against those who disagree with you, however, are not the answer, and are truly evil.

When you make statements like - "I wish people would vote accordingly regardless of their own personal moral decisions" - it leads people to wonder how badly you wish that you could enforce your personal will upon the rest of us.

Since you brought it up - black people don't have a choice in the matter of what color their skin is, and neither do white people, or asian people, or any other race of people on earth. Skin color is an inherited characteristic.

You might argue that sexual preference is also inherited. And I would likely even agree with that. However, when you have consensual sex with another person, you're making a choice (the very word "consensual" contains this fact, and if it wasn't a choice for EITHER party, it's called rape). So clearly, the act of engaging in consensual sex is a choice, NOT an inherited characteristic.

I believe that we are all equal. And I believe that God sees us as equals, too. But that doesn't mean that all behaviors are acceptable.

What is truth? Is truth dictated by the will of the people? Is truth dictated by equality? Are peoples' views of equality synchronized enough that they form the basis for a universal truth?

Is truth a self-existent tautology? Personally, I believe that it is. Do I believe that all of my views are in harmony with the tautology of truth? Of course not. To say that would imply that I believe I'm omniscient, which I don't. But like yourself, I feel strongly about my personal views, and I speak and vote accordingly.

But anger and violence are not the way. Open discussion and an attempt to understand one another are the only way we're ever going to reach an acceptable arrangement as a society.