Question about New Testament (with OT)

[joywitch_m_curmudgeon]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Cindy C." <cindysphynx at c...> 
wrote:

> Personally, I am a Southern Baptist who believes sex outside of 
> marriage is a sin for everyone and that gay sex is a sin as well.  
I 
> also happen to believe that my personal religious beliefs should 
not 
> form the basis for government policy.  So I am in favor of civil 
> unions for gays etc. to grant to them the legal rights and 
> obligations that come with marriage.  Call it civil union, 
marriage, 
> whatever.  Those of us who are religious can still be married in 
our 
> churches, and our unions will conform with our own personal beliefs.
> 
> I just fail to see how allowing two gay men to form a civil union 
> undermines the strength or importance of my marriage.


I don't understand.  It seems like you are saying that sex outside 
marriage, and gay sex, are sins, for everyone, but yet they are your 
personal beliefs and shouldn't affect other people, or at least 
shouldn't affect how other people are governed.  While I agree with 
the second part -- I don't really understand why, in a country 
with "separation of church and state" written into the constitution, 
people feel that their personal religious beliefs should have any 
influence on the law, I am confused about your personal beliefs and 
attitudes towards the acts which you consider to be sinful.

So, your friends who engage in gay sex (within monogamous 
relationships or not), and your friends who engage in straight sex 
who are not married, are people who you consider to be sinners, I 
assume.  How does that affect your relationship with them?  If they 
are sinners, do you refuse to, I don't know, bring your children to 
their houses?  Or does it not have any practical impact?  And if it 
doesn't have any practical impact, how is it meaningful?

It seems like you are saying that these acts would be a sin for you, 
but that other people should be allowed to do what they want, but at 
the same time you say these things are a sin for everyone, so I'm 
confused.

I guess I feel a little offended.  As a bisexual woman who has had 
sex with both men and women and has never been married, I am a little 
disturbed to find out that you consider me to be a sinner.  I know 
you don't have any problem being friends with me, because we've 
shared several yummy plates of sushi together, but it does it mean 
that you disapprove of me, or value me less, or feel sorry for me?  
Or are you saying that we are both sinners, since the amount of sushi 
we ate probably rated the sin of gluttony, so sinning is no big deal?

One time when I was in Mexico, a woman at the place where I was 
staying asked me about my religion.  I told her I was Jewish, and she 
became very apologetic.  Very nice, but very apologetic.  She told me 
that she was very sorry, but that unless I converted to Christianity 
I would burn in hell for all eternity.  She then proceeded to get her 
10 year old son to read the Bible out loud to me, which I didn't mind 
at the time because I needed to practice my Spanish and he read very 
well.  But I did feel her attitude was pretty offensive -- why should 
her beliefs affect my afterlife?

--Joywitch, who if she is sinning is doing it very happily, thank you