Apoplectic Skeptic

It’s fascinating to me that those who are so “tolerant” of “diversity” of opinion are so vitriolic against those who don’t share their opinions.

That’s sds, writing in response to my reblog of his “This is what love sounds like” post.

For the life of me I can’t figure out what was cruel or harsh (see: vitriolic) in my [previous] commentary. Acerbic, maybe. I suppose I can understand such a defense from modern day fundamentalists, but I refuse to accept any guilt in the vitriol department. :)

As Ayaan Hirsi Ali has said, ”Tolerance of intolerance is cowardice.”

(via apoplecticskeptic)

It seems to me that you believe there are only two categories of people when it comes to this issue: hateful bigots, and open-minded and tolerant people. But this is simply reductive and unfair—an easy way to swat down those you disagree with. Surely you can recognize, even if you disagree with their premises and conclusions, that there are many Christians out there who arrive at a specific understanding about homosexuality not out of an emotional and fearful anti-intellectualism, but instead derive it from a coherent worldview—a carefully reasoned theology of life and what it means to be human. Within the context of that worldview and its understanding of life, sex, God, morality and other big questions, these folks hold to a view you describe as despicable precisely (in their minds) out of love.

(via sds)

Respectfully, again, there’s nothing you offer above in defense of your views that couldn’t be (and hasn’t been) said about issues such a interracial marriage. I do recognize that many Christians arrive at their worldview because of reasons having nothing to do with fear… but that doesn’t mean such views are to be respected simply because their genesis is free of intentional prejudice. Replace ‘gay’ with ‘negro’ and your carefully reasoned theology is revealed for exactly what it is… bigotry. How are they different? I don’t maintain you’re hateful, and I don’t think all bigots are full of hate. Hell, my grandmother, a person who didn’t hate anyone, was basically a bigot or racist (though largely through no fault of her own… that’s all she knew, that black people weren’t to be trusted, and gay people weren’t normal).

I don’t think any argument for a treatment of your fellow human beings as anything other than EQUAL in all ways regarding life, love, or happiness can be honestly defended as something “coherent” or coming from a place of “love.”

So…. there’s my more verbose response to why I find your views bigoted and offensive and un-Christ-like, even if I believe you are likely not a person filled with hate or wishing physical harm on those who prefer people of their own gender.

Source: apoplecticskeptic