Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: ALLEN@mscf.med.upenn.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Imposing Christian morality on nonbelievers Message-ID: Date: 1 Mar 91 07:44:01 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 34 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article lieuwen@mycella.cs.wisc.edu (Dan Lieuwen) writes about homosexuality: Even if it is a basic character trait, that does not imply a person has no choice about actions. [...] A person has the ability to choose not to perform a given action, although it may be difficult. Despite our society's best efforts to the contrary, there are many Christian (and Muslim and Orthodox Jewish) people in this country who practice continence until married. Some Christians choose celibacy for life. I doubt any of these people find this an easy thing to do. This is where your analogy breaks down. Some Christians *choose* celibacy, but the church, if it accepts a homosexual orientation, often *requires* celibacy from homosexuals. I think that homosexuals should be free to choose whether or not to be celibate. One interpretation of the creation story in Genesis is that the Creator created Eve as a helpmate/companion for Adam. People who would require homosexuals to be celibate are denying them the joy of having such a helpmate/companion. Finally, it is illegal for homosexuals to get married (unless one of them happens to be a Danish citizen). Requiring them to be celibate until marriage is equivalent to requiring them to be celibate. -- John Allen allen@mscf.med.upenn.edu --- B4/5 f t w s(-) k r /| *\ |*\ | \o*|/ "Light is the left hand of darkness" -- U. K. LeGuin ---