In the post-Michael Sam "coming out" story, the sports world is abuzz with talk of "the gays." As I do many days, I listened to the Paul Finebaum Radio Show today. I'm kinda sorry I did.
There were some very progressive, wonderful calls from LGBT advocates, but the majority were people who expressed one or more of the following views, all in the name if their Christian faith.
It's not natural. Animals are not homosexual.
Homosexuality is a mental illness or disorder.
There is therapy and/or faith to cure homosexuality.
You don't have men and women sharing showers, so straight men and gay men shouldn't share showers.
Maybe we should consider gays a different species, said with "all due respect."
We're not bigots because we are just expressing our religious beliefs.
Why do people hate Christians who stand up for what the Bible says?
Being gay is a choice.
Michael Sam's announcement is part of advancing the "Gay Agenda."
He should have just stayed in the closet.
I actually did call in and made a couple of points. But not all of my thoughts made it on air, so, this is my catharsis.
It's not natural. Animals are not homosexual. Uh, yeah, they are. This is just one FAMOUS example.
Homosexuality is a mental illness or disorder. Uh, no it isn't."[E]mpirical evidence and professional norms do not support the idea that homosexuality is a form of mental illness or is inherently linked to psychopathology."
There is therapy and/or faith to cure homosexuality. No, there isn't. It is not a disease and does not need to be cured. The American Medical Association opposes the application of reparative or "cure the gay" therapy.
You don't have men and women sharing showers, so straight men and gay men shouldn't share showers. Guess what, homophobes! You're already are sharing locker rooms and showers with gay people. 10% or more of the human population is gay. You just don't know they're gay. Gay men are not predators. Unless straight men are, this should not be a concern.
Maybe we should consider gays a different species, said with "all due respect." This guy was actually tearful in his sincere sadness over the poor, put-upon Christians who can't express their contempt for the gays without being called bigots. Boo hoo. You are a bigot. A sincere bigot. But a bigot. You actually suggested gays be considered a different specie "with all due respect." So, you mean, NO respect is due to gay people, then.
We're not bigots because we are just expressing our religious beliefs. Yes, you are. You do not have the "right as Christians" to judge or condemn anyone. Yet you do. You DO have the right as Americans in a free society to be as bigoted as you want. Bigot away, Bigots! But please, for the sake of actual Christians who love God, love their neighbor, and refrain from judging as Christianity teaches, stop saying you're showing contempt and condemnation for gays because you're a Christian.
Why do people hate Christians who stand up for what the Bible says? I don't know anyone who hates Christians. I do know of people who HATE the hypocrisy of choosing the parts of the Bible you want to rely on and ignoring others. Are you joining political campaigns to force widows to marry their brothers in law? Are you signing petitions to prohibit divorced people from re-marrying? Do you eat shrimp? Picking and choosing arcane Biblical provisions to marginalize your fellow citizens is not Christianity. At least, it's not any form of Christianity that I would be a part of.
Being gay is a choice. No it isn't. Even the Mormon church acknowledges this. But if you insist, let me ask, when did you "choose" to be heterosexual? But I'm liberal enough to say this: so what if it is? We live in a free society where we choose with whom we associate. Just mind your own business.
Michael Sam's announcement is part of advancing the "Gay Agenda." Ooooo I hope he gets a new toaster! Come on! The only "agenda" is to be treated with equal respect, equal dignity, and equal legal rights. Is that a threat to you?
He should have just stayed in the closet. This is like the racist who likes "colored folks" just fine so long as they stay on their side of town. Bullshit. It's bigotry. Sickening.
It's not like Utah is a bastion of gay rights (though we do have at least one good federal judge) but the level of ignorance, misinformation, and outright superstition coming from these callers was a little shocking to me. I have no hope that they will get Above Their Raisin'. I'm afraid time and attrition is required to rid our society of this cultural cancer. When faced with this type of hatred, ignorance, and bigotry, I find it comforting to consider what Jesus of Nazareth said about homosexuality.
Not. One. Word.
