LGBTQ: A Philosophy out of the Pit of Hell

One of the things you can count on with Christian conservatives is demagoguing LGBTQ issues. Sure, there are verses in the Bible that you can interpret to mean homosexuality is wrong, but there are also verses that say marriage is not ideal (1 Corinthians 7) so the Bible really is a big book of pick and choose. One could also argue that just as our views on slavery have changed so have our views on sexual identity and orientation. But then, what would Christian conservatives have to scare us all with?

Cue Gary Dull who thinks that the "philosophy of the 'LGBT' group comes right out of the pit of hell" and they might be a threat to the current president.

First off, I find it interesting that Dull thinks there is a single LGBT 'group' or maybe he just thinks they are a monolith with no variation. Whatever that refers to, it already reflects the dullness (sorry) of his thinking. Also somehow, orientation and identity are a "philosophy." Yeah, I don't think so. Some people are attracted to the same sex, some to the opposite sex, some are attracted to both; a minority of people are assigned the wrong gender at birth, and they later come to understand their identity. None of that is a philosophy.

Some of the confusion, I think, is that Christianity is an all-encompassing system for many Christians, especially the fundamentalist kind. It is an identity that explains the world, gives the Christian a "basis" for their morality (never mind that different Christians hold different beliefs about morality), assuages their fear of death, comforts them at the death of a loved one, and gives them a way to cope (prayer). It really is a system of interlocking ideas that support one another. It's one of the reasons they have trouble understanding atheists because they don't understand that atheism does not have to link to one political stance, a specific stand on a moral issue or your beliefs about science.

Of course, there are lots of denominations of Christianity, and you can find different stances on all issues, including LGBTQ. There are people like Dull who think that belief in scripture requires one to embrace one view, namely that there are only two genders and being straight is the only correct way of having attraction. There are others who hold that having those feelings is not a sin but acting on them is. And then you have more liberal Christians who think that sexual identity and orientation have nothing to do with sin, that people are born that way.

And, finally, there are LGBTQ individuals who believe in some god, even (gasp) the Christian God! So when he says that they are anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Christian, he really doesn't know what he's talking about.

Now, I have trouble understanding why LGBTQ individuals would want to be part of a church, but we don't choose our beliefs.

As an skeptic, I am always disturbed by people with a microphone to spread misinformation. Further, Dull expresses his approval on Trump's ban on trans individuals serving in the military as well as creating a strong nationalist sentiment, so he is promoting the mingling of church and state, something I oppose very strongly.

Dull is free to have his beliefs and he can use them for his personal morality, but we don't need to nod our heads at what he says because he has a right to say them.

(Via: RightWingWatch)