Much of our cultural landscape perhaps. Most people aren't from a Christian background.
Geez, I don't think that you understand that people can hold bigoted and evil views towards others, that while not hostile, perpetuate bigotry, leading to real deaths, such as suicide, and also incite others to terror.
That's like saying opposing the abolition of slavery isn't akin to hating black people.
One can certainly support slavery, and not hate black people. But that doesn't make it not evil and wrong.
Many are. No one but an extreme bigot would disagree that a Christian conservative that is anti-gay is evil. But I've never dismissed the entire group. One can be both a Christian, a conservative, a gay minister.
Not sure how you relate Christianity to conservatism.
There are certainly high-profiles and righteous Christians who are not conservative. Justin Trudeau for example - who is a far better Christian than many who are conservative - and seem to to completely fail up to the teachings of Christ.
What a bizarre concept. No, to see evil, you just have to observe those who practice evil. Those who think they can tell people they can't marry, or exterminate those of a certain religion, or that only people from certain religions can lead. That is evil. And that is what we need to keep out of leadership positions in society. I imagine that few are so morally bankrupt, that one thinks that one can only have evil with devils and hobbits and jedi.
Fortunately, we have stepped forward - and I think enough people have seen the light. The Conservative party showed Canada what it was, with their endorsement of racism during the election. And particularly with the bigoted repudiation of same-sex marriage in the Conservative convention before the election.
As long as the Conservative party stands as a party of racism and bigotry, it really has little hope in moving forward. It's on the wrong side of the demographic divide - both in terms of religion and race - but perhaps more significantly of age.
Most Canadians have a Christian heritage as most of our ancestors were Christians (that goes for many atheists as well). Even many current atheists have had some degree of affiliation with Christianity; whether that be from their parents, grand parents, uncles or aunts.
Anyone that commits suicide because of some alleged Christian-based pressure isn't killing themselves purely because of that. They obviously have other psychological issues. Why would someone else's beliefs force someone to kill themselves unless they are really insecure and mentally unstable? No one who is strong in their convictions should be rattled so as to take their own life. Other issues are at play. Any psychiatrist would tell you this. If someone kills themselves because they're gay and were told by others that that is bad, or they are misguided, etc. then that person probably doesn't even know themself as well as they think. Allowing others views to affect them in such a horrible way infers that they are confused/unsure, and in a way they're lending credence to those charges for not standing up for themselves and living how they choose, regardless of what others say or think. Why would anyone let others affect them like that? It's basically surrendering and saying: 'perhaps they're right and I can't live with that'. It's a sad thing to think about.
Are you seriously equating slavery and gay marriage? That doesn't even dignify an answer and it is unbelievably insensitive to the families that were torn apart because of slavery. You could have commented on the issue of procreation in relation to gay marriage, but you chose to ignore that and draw a ridiculous comparison between gays and enslaved blacks. I'd also really like to see the numbers of gay marriages that have occurred since its legalization here and in the U.S. on a per capita basis. How many gays are even exercising that right compared to those that remain unwed? It seems to me that those who pushed the hardest for the legalization of gay marriage are the ones least likely to even get married in the first place; which makes their motives murky. Why fight for the right to do something if one has no intention in doing it (not including those that have made that commitment)?
What is your definition of evil? Anyone that opposes your narrow world view? Do you honestly believe that the majority of Christians are just spiteful, bitter people, trying to suck the joy out of other's lives? Get a reality check, man. You have no concept of what middle ground means. If one doesn't follow your line of reasoning, they are sinister and must be condemned. The extremities in your language are really troubling and pathetic. You've never once proved any of your claims of bigotry, racism, homophobia. You think you have, but you haven't. Most here would agree. And how does not supporting gay marriage equate to being anti-gay? You make it sound as if anyone with a traditional marriage pov wants gays to be cast into oblivion. You are the one who is showing hatred for all that challenge your stupidity.
You're right, one can be Christian, conservative and a gay minister. One can also be a gay conservative that opposes gay marriage. What then do you do? What an enigma for you to digest. Are they anti-gay? How would that work? Don't dodge this.
In my experience, most Christians are socially conservative. That isn't to say there aren't exceptions.
Justin Trudeau is a cultural Christian. If he is steadfast in his beliefs, then why is he pro choice? I don't think Christ wants us playing God and deciding who gets to live and who gets to die. I think Jesus would want all those poor children to experience the gift of life and not have it sucked from them. Trudeau's apparent faith (I can't say for sure what is in his heart, but I have strong doubts) also brings up another interesting subject. Why is it that atheists condemn conservative politicians who are -- or claim to be -- Christians, for their faith (Stephen Harper; I doubt his convictions as well. And Ben Carson; whom I believe is convicted), yet you don't say boo about Trudeau or Obama? Why the double standard? Why are you willing to vote for one Christian (genuine or not), while condemning another for those same beliefs? It makes no sense. God is only objected to when a conservative politician cites Him, but when Obama says God bless America, he is cheered by those that don't even believe in God. It's amusing and ridiculous. Lastly, I think Christ would want us to condemn perpetrators of honour killings and all those who support them, and not acquiesce in calling them what they are: barbaric. Trudeau said that was too "pejorative" a term. Those are the sentiments of a coward that is reluctant to say something politically incorrect. Christ would want us to stand against that evil and not back down under any circumstance.
Where do you think evil stems from? What gave birth to the concepts of right and wrong, if not God? Humans are inheritantly flawed, impulsive beings? How did we break away from that and see the value of loving one another without a perfect truth as a guiding beacon? Who established morals? If we just arrived here without a creator, what instilled in us universal concepts such as love, joy, and the need to connect with others in a spiritual sense? How are we also so vastly different yet the same in our desires and needs? How is there such perfect order to things? How does a bee know to pollinate a plant without some system put in place that allows them to understand this? All of this happening by chance is incredibly unlikely. That would be making the assumption that everything came from nothing. Who created molecules and in what environment did they arrive in? Who created that environment/realm? If one can believe that our existence is possible due to these factors, then the notion of God eternally existing without a creator shouldn't be far fetched. Both theories require faith.
