darth_ender said:
I understand what you are saying in your last sentence, and I am not equating. I am pointing out how we have to judge the actions of people as right or wrong, not the people as hell- or heaven-bound. I don't hold you or other non-Christians to the same standards as a Christian anyway. But you must understand, as a non-Christian you are not bound to live by Christian commandments, but neither are you really in much of a position to interpret them any more correctly than I.
Am I wrong to believe that homosexual acts are wrong? For you to make such a call is, in fact, judging my "sin" (even if you don't believe it's a sin per se). But are you judging me as a person because of that? Well, if you are using merely a moral view to justify calling me a hateful person (*cough*hairy_hen*cough*), then yes you are. But if you are merely thinking, "Wow, he sure is ignorant on this topic, and thinking that a sexual act between consenting adults is sinful is a sure sign of his ignorance," then I think you are merely "hating the sin" (of opposing homosexual behavior) without hating the sinner.
Sin as I say is a goal orientated word.
If your target is to be a good Christian/Mormon you should follow your own ethical code. That is apply a nuanced judgement of your actions within the commitments you make to your faith and not wag the finger at outsiders.
If your target is just to be yourself your goal is not achieved when others throw obstacles in your way.
I as a non-Christian am not bound by any of the codes of the Bible or the Book of Mormon or the Torah or the Koran. I may learn lessons from some passages in those books but as I can't equate their testimony with how I rationalise the world before me I can not commit myself to one doctrine fully. Only fragments of some.
The message of Christ is of relevance to non-Christians. Like the Lotus Sutra it's message of peace and tolerance, something we always need more of.
I can't really see how the borrowed tale of Noah helps me though beyond the entertainment value of playing Wisdom Tree games and the linguistic heritage value it shares with something like Chaucer or Shakespeare (many sayings in the language we share have a Biblical origin so it has that value too).
Something like opposing what other consenting adults choose to do inside the privacy of their homes and outside the confines of your faith requires a bit more go-go juice than ancient texts. Some of which are on the fairy-tale/witch burning side of the contemporary relevance scale.
I doubt if you will be moved to change your mind by my testimony but I do wish you would or at the very least leave other people be.
I don't think you are acting out of hate when you make these sorts of judgements but you aren't saving our souls you are just adding to our Earthly discomfort. If anything anyone else does isn't for you don't do it. If you feel it's a barrier to you reaching your goals negotiate by all means but calling it wrong for everyone because you believe it's wrong for you isn't going to win anyone over to your perspective.
RicII you may have moved on from all those things but much of the rest of the world hasn't due to all that legacy scripture you have clinging to Christ's teachings like barnacles to a humpbacked gay.