Author Topic: The downward trend continues  (Read 34428 times)

Hope

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #150 on: April 10, 2016, 02:50:47 PM »
Brownie

It seems to me that your ideas about "Soviet  countries" is incorrect. On the contrary they seem to be deeply Christian with all the hypocrisy that involves; intrinsically homophobic, etc.
It is interesting that Socialist and Maoist governments came to the same understanding of homosexual relationships as the Church without recourse to the Bible, and by using science as their benchmark.
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ProfessorDavey

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #151 on: April 10, 2016, 03:10:16 PM »
It is interesting that Socialist and Maoist governments came to the same understanding of homosexual relationships as the Church without recourse to the Bible, and by using science as their benchmark.
Where is your evidence that Socialist and Maoist governments used science as their benchmark for this Hope.

And also there are plenty of socialist governments that have championed equality on the basis of sexuality.

Shaker

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #152 on: April 10, 2016, 03:10:50 PM »
It is interesting that Socialist and Maoist governments came to the same understanding of homosexual relationships as the Church without recourse to the Bible, and by using science as their benchmark.
You've already claimed this on the Ole Miss thread.

Are you going to dodge questions about what these supposedly scientific arguments are here, or over there?
Pain, or damage, don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back. - Al Swearengen, Deadwood.

floo

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #153 on: April 10, 2016, 03:12:30 PM »
You've already claimed this on the Ole Miss thread.

Are you going to dodge questions about what these supposedly scientific arguments are here, or over there?

Hope is the Artful Dodger. ;D

Shaker

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #154 on: April 10, 2016, 03:16:06 PM »
Where is your evidence that Socialist and Maoist governments used science as their benchmark for this Hope.

And also there are plenty of socialist governments that have championed equality on the basis of sexuality.
Indeed - in this country alone in less than forty years Labour governments decriminalised homosexuality, equalised the age of consent and introduced civil partnerships.
Pain, or damage, don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back. - Al Swearengen, Deadwood.

Hope

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #155 on: April 10, 2016, 05:30:34 PM »
You've already claimed this on the Ole Miss thread.

Are you going to dodge questions about what these supposedly scientific arguments are here, or over there?
I made no reference to political parties and their stance on homosexual relationships on the 'Ole Miss' thread Shakes:

Quote
Quote
: Shaker on April 07, 2016, 05:47:49 PM

Non-religious homophobia really is a puzzle, since the non-religious (unlike the religious) don't even have the pseudo-excuse of so-called sacred scripture to hide behind.
They don't need to, Shaker - they use scientific and other objective arguments, which many religious people use as well.

As you may have noticed, I have not been on the boards that much the last few days.  This is partly because I have started a new part-time (3 days a week @ 8 hours a day) job which - after nigh-on 9 years of unemployment and a year of ill-health - and I have had other things to attend to when I get home, all of which has left me fairly tired by the end of the day. 

Regarding the science - stats suggest that the percentage of gay couples getting divorced is about the same as heterosexual couples. 

Quote
About 1% of the total number of currently-married or registered same-sex couples get divorced each year, in comparison to about 2% of the total number of married straight couples. Note that the percentage of couples that get divorced eventually is close to 50%, but only 1% or 2% of them get divorced in any particular year. ...

Third, the divorce rate is lower for same-sex couples than straight couples. It would be wonderful to proclaim that this shows that gay folks are more committed to their marriages than straight folks — and given the recent rash of near instantaneous divorces (think Kardashian) this wouldn’t seem that crazy. However, I suspect that this can be attributed to the types of couples getting married in these early years of same-sex marriage, and not a testament to the stability of lesbian and gay relationships. There’s no statistical data out yet on this particular dynamic, but in my experience as a lawyer working with same-sex couples, the partners getting married tend to be those who have already been together for some time. They already have weathered the stormy middle years of coupledom, and they are consciously committed to being a family. For that reason, we should not be surprised that they are not rushing to get divorced so quickly. Of course, there are a fair number of such couples whose relationships don’t last, but on the whole it’s a rather select group. Think about it — the couples with shakier relationships are not likely to travel across state lines to get married — and there certainly aren’t any “shotgun” marriages in the gay community!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frederick-hertz/divorce-marriage-rates-fo_b_1085024.html

We are often told that gay marriages are more stable than heterosexual ones - but as the writer of this report points out, that is currently based on the fact that most gay couples getting married have been co-habiting for many years already.

Quote
Gay and lesbians who view the legalization of same sex marriage as the answer to all their relationship problems would do well to take a serious look at the shocking statistics on gay and lesbian infidelity.

Infidelity in one form or another, now affects close to 80% of all marriages or committed relationships today, regardless of sexual orientation.

Gay and lesbian couples are not immune – in fact, based on the statics and research below, same sex couples may be more susceptible to infidelity than heterosexual couples. ...

Precisely accurate infidelity statistics are hard to come by, since not all infidelity studies, polls, and surveys are measuring the same things. ...

Statistics on infidelity among same sex couples are even more difficult to come by, because most infidelity studies do not include lesbians and gays.

However, there at least four studies from which to cite.

Study #1
The book Sex in America: A Definitive Survey, by authors Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, and Kolata, cites a study of homosexual male couples conducted by gay researchers.

The couples who participated had been together between 1 and 37 years.

Findings were as follows:

100% (all) of the couples experienced infidelity in their relationship within the first 5 years. (a proportion that is not reflected in heterosexual couples - ed)

Couples who remained together past the 10-year mark were able to do so only by accepting the painful reality of infidelity in their relationship

More than 85 percent of the couples reported that their greatest relationship problems center on issues related to outside relationships

NOTE: Data from the Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census shows that only 29% of gay/lesbian relationships last more than 7 years.
http://www.examiner.com/article/same-sex-marriage-alert-shocking-statistics-on-gay-and-lesbian-infidelity (I haven't referred to the other 3 studies mentioned, only the last of which suggests that things are improving).

The article also points out that

Quote
Same Sex Couples Should Educate Themselves about Infidelity

Despite the recent decrease in infidelity among gay and lesbian couples, it obvious from the statistics above that same sex couples, especially gay males, are particularly susceptible to infidelity.

Given the strong likelihood that most gay and lesbian couples, are likely to have to deal with the issue of infidelity at some point in their relationship, whether they are in same sex marriages or not, they would do well to educate themselves about infidelity.

I'm also aware that this last item dates from 2012, whereas the first was updated in 2014, but I believe that the figures are still worrying for those who support gay relationships.  That is not to say that the heterosexual picture is rosy - it isn't - but that doesn't mean that the gay option is necessarily correct.

Quote
A consistent finding is that gay men differ from both lesbian and heterosexual couples in their attitudes and behavior about sexual exclusiveness. Data from the large American Couples study conducted by Philip Blumstein and Pepper Schwartz are illustrative. Only 36 percent of gay men said it was important to them to have a sexually monogamous relationship, compared with 71 percent of lesbians, 75 percent of heterosexual husbands, and 84 percent, of wives. In actual behavior, only a minority of lesbians (28 percent), husbands (26 percent), and wives (21 percent) had engaged in sex outside their primary relationship, compared with 82 percent of gay men. Sexual fidelity is positively related to relationship satisfaction for lesbian and heterosexual couples, but not for gay male couples. One reason is that some gay male couples have agreements permitting sex outside their primary relationship.
http://bit.ly/1Ynq1pa

None of the articles I've referred to are all bad news - but I believe that the issues I've highlighted are of concern - as they would be/are within the heterosexual community.
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Shaker

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #156 on: April 10, 2016, 08:20:46 PM »
I made no reference to political parties and their stance on homosexual relationships on the 'Ole Miss' thread Shakes
I never said that you had. I said that you had talked of scientific and objective arguments against homosexuality. In fact you even quoted as much: "They don't need to, Shaker - they use scientific and other objective arguments, which many religious people use as well."

Quote
Regarding the science - stats suggest that the percentage of gay couples getting divorced is about the same as heterosexual couples. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frederick-hertz/divorce-marriage-rates-fo_b_1085024.html
So what?
Quote
We are often told that gay marriages are more stable than heterosexual ones
Told by whom and how often? I've never heard that.

Quote
I'm also aware that this last item dates from 2012, whereas the first was updated in 2014, but I believe that the figures are still worrying for those who support gay relationships.
"Worrying" in what way?

Quote
That is not to say that the heterosexual picture is rosy - it isn't - but that doesn't mean that the gay option is necessarily correct.
http://bit.ly/1Ynq1pa
Homosexuality is a sexual orientation, not an option. An option is something that people can choose instead of what they inherently and intrinsically are, which is what sexuality generally is.

Quote
None of the articles I've referred to are all bad news - but I believe that the issues I've highlighted are of concern - as they would be/are within the heterosexual community.
"Concern" to whom and with regard to what, exactly and specifically?
Pain, or damage, don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back. - Al Swearengen, Deadwood.

Hope

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #157 on: April 10, 2016, 08:24:05 PM »
I never said that you had. I said that you had talked of scientific and objective arguments against homosexuality. In fact you even quoted as much: "They don't need to, Shaker - they use scientific and other objective arguments, which many religious people use as well."
Yet, in the context of the post you quoted - in which I had referenced political systems - your argument is somewhat of a strawman, Sheakes.
Quote
So what?Told by whom and how often? I've never heard that.
"Worrying" in what way?
Homosexuality is a sexual orientation, not an option.
"Concern" to whom and with regard to what, exactly and specifically?
Good to see that you have read all my pieces individually rather than looking upo the references.  If you had, you wouldn't have asked the questions you have.
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Shaker

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #158 on: April 10, 2016, 08:29:21 PM »
The Artless Dodger strikes again ::)
Pain, or damage, don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back. - Al Swearengen, Deadwood.

Shaker

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #159 on: April 10, 2016, 08:36:14 PM »
Yet, in the context of the post you quoted - in which I had referenced political systems - your argument is somewhat of a strawman, Sheakes.Good to see that you have read all my pieces individually rather than looking upo the references.  If you had, you wouldn't have asked the questions you have.
I am - as vainly as ever - asking you to substantiate your assertions. Goodness only knows why, since you never do and give every appearance of being constitutionally incapable of ever doing so.
Pain, or damage, don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back. - Al Swearengen, Deadwood.

Sassy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #160 on: April 13, 2016, 12:55:54 PM »
Erm, let's think. I've mentioned the CofE.

England, possibly?
So you grew up in the CofE did you in England?  What ALL of England you could speak for the whole CofE in the WHOLE OF ENGLAND.

Possibly.

Growing up where I did people didn't much care for denominations, churchgoing and nobody ever talked about the CofE being
 'established' except maybe in lessons on Tudor history. The CofE was just the place you went to for christenings
 and (first) weddings.


We learned about religion in school. A day act of Christian worship really was just that,
complete with prayers and hymns. Church might not have featured but Christianity certainly did.

So your churches were empty except for weddings and christenings... Tell me where did they do the funerals?
Local tip maybe?

You were taught religion in school but you never knew anything about the history of the CofE?

You never thought about what you were actually saying and being flippant with such a history does you no service.

So you grew up in the CofE did you in England?

If you cannot be civil or even remember what you said, then don't try and be flippant because it only served to make your ignorance more noticable and even less useful the things you were proffering.

I don't except for one minute you actually knew what you were talking about. Your replies seem to support that.
We know we have to work together to abolish war and terrorism to create a compassionate  world in which Justice and peace prevail. Love ;D   Einstein
 "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

Sassy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #161 on: April 13, 2016, 12:59:16 PM »
Interestingly, whilst I went to a CofE secondary school with a sizeable chapel, we only had an assembly twice a week.  The school couldn't all fit in the chapel at once and for some reason it was felt inappropriate to have such an event in the school hall which would have held us all.

The only act of Christian worship in CofE schools and any not Roman Catholic was morning prayer assembly the Lord's Prayer and a hymm.  I do remember one teacher who in our first year of Juniors taught us a prayer we said every day before we went home.
I remember it to this day and still say it sometimes.

It was never any forced teachings or anything like that. Sunday School and Church is where we hear the things Christ did.
But I was taught the OT first, the stories of Moses etc. I never had anyone force me to go anywhere or teach me anything I did not choose for myself.
We know we have to work together to abolish war and terrorism to create a compassionate  world in which Justice and peace prevail. Love ;D   Einstein
 "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

ippy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #162 on: April 13, 2016, 09:21:14 PM »
The only act of Christian worship in CofE schools and any not Roman Catholic was morning prayer assembly the Lord's Prayer and a hymm.  I do remember one teacher who in our first year of Juniors taught us a prayer we said every day before we went home.
I remember it to this day and still say it sometimes.

It was never any forced teachings or anything like that. Sunday School and Church is where we hear the things Christ did.
But I was taught the OT first, the stories of Moses etc. I never had anyone force me to go anywhere or teach me anything I did not choose for myself.

Sounds like you were the ideal candidate for being indoctrinated Sass, it obviously worked.

ippy

Brownie

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #163 on: April 13, 2016, 09:27:33 PM »
Ippy, Bible study was really interesting back in the day.  The Old Testament stories - as Sass mentioned, Moses, and Elijah going up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, Lot's poor wife being turned into a pillar of salt - were so exciting and very pictorial.  Jesus was nice, kind, very charismatic and unafraid to stick up for what he believed.  No harm done there.  Indoctrination happens in the home!  Not at school.  We left school mid afternoon and went home.  If parents weren't interested we forgot about it, watched kids' TV and ate.
Let us profit by what every day and hour teaches us

Owlswing

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #164 on: April 14, 2016, 12:35:32 AM »

Ippy, Bible study was really interesting back in the day.  The Old Testament stories - as Sass mentioned, Moses, and Elijah going up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, Lot's poor wife being turned into a pillar of salt - were so exciting and very pictorial.  Jesus was nice, kind, very charismatic and unafraid to stick up for what he believed.  No harm done there.  Indoctrination happens in the home!  Not at school.  We left school mid afternoon and went home.  If parents weren't interested we forgot about it, watched kids' TV and ate.


What bothers me is that all the teaching that you and Sassy have described lacks what I consider to be an essential.

That, included in the teaching, be some portion that explains to children under the age of eleven or so that what is being taught is conjecture not fact; that this is a matter of faith not fact.

I know that there was never any mention whatsoever of this fact when I was at school and to question what was being taught usually resulted in some sort of extra work as punishment - I was required, on one occasion when I questioned something from the Bible, age 9 or 10, to write out 100 times "I am not qualified to question the revealed Word of God and in doing so I have committed blasphemy".

I was then given the same thing to write out 200 times because I wrote "Word of God" without the capitals.

Needless to say my father saw absolutely no problem with this.


This is my prime problem with Sassy's form of Christianity, that she cannot and will not accept that it is a matter of faith and not fact.

   
The Holy Bible, probably the most diabolical work of fiction ever to be visited upon mankind.

An it harm none, do what you will; an it harm some, do what you must!

floo

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #165 on: April 14, 2016, 08:37:47 AM »
Ippy, Bible study was really interesting back in the day.  The Old Testament stories - as Sass mentioned, Moses, and Elijah going up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, Lot's poor wife being turned into a pillar of salt - were so exciting and very pictorial.  Jesus was nice, kind, very charismatic and unafraid to stick up for what he believed.  No harm done there.  Indoctrination happens in the home!  Not at school.  We left school mid afternoon and went home.  If parents weren't interested we forgot about it, watched kids' TV and ate.

Even as a child I found the OT Biblical fairy tales pretty boring, give me Harry Potter any day. :D As for Jesus, I wouldn't have described him as nice and kind. Charismatic, possibly, having a high opinion of himself, saying some sensible things, but others with which I would take issue. He let himself down by frightening the pigs over the cliff, trashing the Temple, which was vandalism, cursing the fig tree, which was very silly, and telling people to leave their responsibilities and follow him.

Brownie

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #166 on: April 14, 2016, 08:46:36 AM »
You even thought that as a child floo?   I can understand thinking that way when older because we analyse things more but children tend to be more imaginative and become engaged in stories.  We used to actually play some of the Bible stories at school and draw fantastic pictures!

Imagine if we had been taught about Hinduism, what a wealth of pictures that would have conjoured up, a never ending tapestry.

I know someone called ''Durga'' (not a Hindu lady), and was out somewhere last year where she was asked the meaning of her name.   She told us all about it, acting it out as she spoke (she does work in theatre), and we were completely spellbound.  I looked up her name and found this:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/hindugoddesses/a/durga.htm
« Last Edit: April 14, 2016, 08:53:48 AM by Brownie »
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floo

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #167 on: April 14, 2016, 09:22:39 AM »
You even thought that as a child floo?   I can understand thinking that way when older because we analyse things more but children tend to be more imaginative and become engaged in stories.  We used to actually play some of the Bible stories at school and draw fantastic pictures!

Imagine if we had been taught about Hinduism, what a wealth of pictures that would have conjoured up, a never ending tapestry.

I know someone called ''Durga'' (not a Hindu lady), and was out somewhere last year where she was asked the meaning of her name.   She told us all about it, acting it out as she spoke (she does work in theatre), and we were completely spellbound.  I looked up her name and found this:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/hindugoddesses/a/durga.htm

I thought the OT was extremely boring indeed, from a very young age.  I have always liked reading, but the Bible is not one of my favourite books, although I do read it just to ensure I am not missing anything. However, with each read it just makes me more agnostic, rather than less.

ippy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #168 on: April 14, 2016, 10:57:50 AM »
You even thought that as a child floo?   I can understand thinking that way when older because we analyse things more but children tend to be more imaginative and become engaged in stories.  We used to actually play some of the Bible stories at school and draw fantastic pictures!

Imagine if we had been taught about Hinduism, what a wealth of pictures that would have conjoured up, a never ending tapestry.

I know someone called ''Durga'' (not a Hindu lady), and was out somewhere last year where she was asked the meaning of her name.   She told us all about it, acting it out as she spoke (she does work in theatre), and we were completely spellbound.  I looked up her name and found this:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/hindugoddesses/a/durga.htm

Most children like blue elephants, wonderfull stuff ?

ippy

floo

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #169 on: April 14, 2016, 12:02:46 PM »
Most children like blue elephants, wonderfull stuff ?

ippy

I can't say elephants appealed to me as a child.

Brownie

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #170 on: April 14, 2016, 12:14:21 PM »
I like elephants too, blue or pink, it figures  :D.
Let us profit by what every day and hour teaches us

floo

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #171 on: April 14, 2016, 12:21:35 PM »
My favourite soft toys as a very small child were a red and white gingham ragdoll, called wigglewaggle, and a golly.

ippy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #172 on: April 14, 2016, 12:42:12 PM »
I can't say elephants appealed to me as a child.

Proves my point Floo, Your parents obviously weren't hindus.   :) ;)

ippy

ippy

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #173 on: April 14, 2016, 12:54:24 PM »
Ippy, Bible study was really interesting back in the day.  The Old Testament stories - as Sass mentioned, Moses, and Elijah going up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, Lot's poor wife being turned into a pillar of salt - were so exciting and very pictorial.  Jesus was nice, kind, very charismatic and unafraid to stick up for what he believed.  No harm done there.  Indoctrination happens in the home!  Not at school.  We left school mid afternoon and went home.  If parents weren't interested we forgot about it, watched kids' TV and ate.

An essential part of indoctrination is little and often, so both home and school would be adding to the overall scheme; I thought Hansel and Gretle were better stories and as both are equally as likely to be true.

ippy

 

Owlswing

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Re: The downward trend continues
« Reply #174 on: April 14, 2016, 08:26:19 PM »

So you grew up in the CofE did you in England?  What ALL of England you could speak for the whole CofE in the WHOLE OF ENGLAND.




Why not? You seem to think that you speak for all Protestant Christians and all Protestant Christianity.
The Holy Bible, probably the most diabolical work of fiction ever to be visited upon mankind.

An it harm none, do what you will; an it harm some, do what you must!