A question of/on vocabulary

[beechy]

since I don't like oysters.

Oh, how much you miss!

 

[Fuzzy]

If anyone wants to talk about God I'm open for conversation.

Okay....

What do you think of the following:

"Not only is it extremely cruel to persecute in this brief life those who do not think the way we do, but I do not know if it might be too presumptuous to declare their eternal damnation. It seems to me that it does not pertain to the atoms of the moment, such as we are, to anticipate the decrees of the Creator."

Voltaire, A Treatise on Toleration (1763)

Voltaire's suggesting that any sort of of religiously based persecution of another is rather egotistical, since we're humans and God is, well, God. In short, who are we to judge in God's place?

Trying to prove Bible believing Christians wrong by attacking our vocabulary seems pretty despret to me...sorry I just find it hillarious.

Establishing a lexicon is how we make sure we're talking about the same thing.

 

[Fuzzy]

Oh, how much you miss!

More for you!

 

[beechy]

I personally consider sexuality to be extremely relevent to all of our lives because without it there would be no procreation of our species.

Without meeting of sperm and egg there would be no procreation of our species. But procreation can be accomplished through sex between a man and a woman, IVF, surrogacy, and sperm donors. People of varying sexualities have biological children all the time, and they also adopt and raise other children whose birth parents were unwilling or unable to care for them.

 

[gwenmead]

Trying to prove Bible believing Christians wrong by attacking our vocabulary seems pretty despret to me...sorry I just find it hillarious.

Hmm. My original post came from wondering about differences in vocabulary, and I think this statement continues in the same vein. If "ask" equates to "attack", and "to question" translates as "to try to prove wrong", then we're obviously working with different dictionaries (or at least different attitudes). I think this can only lead to misunderstanding.

Back to the OP, the phrase "the homosexual lifestyle" has never made sense to me. Reading some responses I think I can kind of see the reasoning behind the phrase; thanks to everybody who's offered their definition or understanding of it.

It doesn't make sense to me probably because I've always been taught that the term "lifestyle" doesn't generally refer to the role of sexuality in someone's life. It has more to do with social class and social habits than anything else. So I've heard of things like "a jet-setting lifestyle" or "a hedonistic lifestyle" or "a middle class American lifestyle", things like that. And I guess if I were going to opine about what kind of lifestyle someone had, I'd probably look at what's important to them in their life, what do they focus on so much that it's reflected in everything they do. In other words, how does one style their life?

So I suppose that I might say someone has "a homosexual lifestyle" if being homosexual was the most important thing in their life and their actions, surroundings, and so forth reflected that. But thinking about this even now, it seems like phrases like this are dangerously dependent on stereotypes anyway. Hmm... <----- thinking

Maybe it's just that pesky "the" in there. The word "the" suggests that there's one kind of way to be, one kind of lifestyle, and every gay person falls into that regardless. Which certainly doesn't reflect my personal experience.

I might post another more general vocab thread too, since I've noticed other different vocab use that's puzzled me, and I'm just big on understanding stuff.

 

[Blessed2003]

Hmm. My original post came from wondering about differences in vocabulary, and I think this statement continues in the same vein. If "ask" equates to "attack", and "to question" translates as "to try to prove wrong", then we're obviously working with different dictionaries (or at least different attitudes). I think this can only lead to misunderstanding.

Back to the OP, the phrase "the homosexual lifestyle" has never made sense to me. Reading some responses I think I can kind of see the reasoning behind the phrase; thanks to everybody who's offered their definition or understanding of it.

It doesn't make sense to me probably because I've always been taught that the term "lifestyle" doesn't generally refer to the role of sexuality in someone's life. It has more to do with social class and social habits than anything else. So I've heard of things like "a jet-setting lifestyle" or "a hedonistic lifestyle" or "a middle class American lifestyle", things like that. And I guess if I were going to opine about what kind of lifestyle someone had, I'd probably look at what's important to them in their life, what do they focus on so much that it's reflected in everything they do. In other words, how does one style their life?

So I suppose that I might say someone has "a homosexual lifestyle" if being homosexual was the most important thing in their life and their actions, surroundings, and so forth reflected that. But thinking about this even now, it seems like phrases like this are dangerously dependent on stereotypes anyway. Hmm... <----- thinking

Maybe it's just that pesky "the" in there. The word "the" suggests that there's one kind of way to be, one kind of lifestyle, and every gay person falls into that regardless. Which certainly doesn't reflect my personal experience.

I might post another more general vocab thread too, since I've noticed other different vocab use that's puzzled me, and I'm just big on understanding stuff.

Hey gwenmead,

I also enjoy understanding stuff and I've struggled with the same thing, just different words! It helps a great deal to know if someone is using different words to refer to the same thing, since apparently we do interchange words here frequently, or atleast I seem too. If you do post another more general vocab. thread I'll try to post there since I'm interested.
Blessings,
B~

 

[Toboe]

I have a heterosexual lifestyle. I have a wife,a woman who has born two daughters to me. I stayed with her and helped raise my children. I worked at a trade for 33 years. I don't really know what the homosexual lifestyle is. I imagine that since it starts with two members of the same sex, it can't really be anything like mine.

Really

Try This.

I have a homosexual lifestyle. I have a husband,a man who I have adopted two daughters with . I stayed with him and helped raise my children. I worked at a trade for 33 years.

 

[Toboe]

Loving relationships have nothing to do with sex. My sexual relationship with my wife has absolutely nothing to do with my loving relationship with her. They happen to exist at the same time but are not necesarily interconnected.

You have sex with your wife not out of love thats kind of sad dude.

 

[Lokisdottir]

I'd love to understand where you got the implication that the lifestyle had something to do with world domination...

Dude, it was a joke.

Loving relationships have nothing to do with sex. My sexual relationship with my wife has absolutely nothing to do with my loving relationship with her. They happen to exist at the same time but are not necesarily interconnected.

I agree that love and sex aren't the same thing, but I do believe they are interconnected.

If it makes you happy, just change my statement from "a loving consensual relationship" to "a sexual relationship built on a strong bond of love and trust."

 

[Ledifni]

Loving relationships have nothing to do with sex. My sexual relationship with my wife has absolutely nothing to do with my loving relationship with her. They happen to exist at the same time but are not necesarily interconnected.

Do you consider that healthy? Are you saying that when you have sex with your wife, it isn't connected to any feeling of love? That your relations with her are nothing but emotionless rutting?

 

[Phred]

"homosexual lifestyle" isn't defined intellectually, it's defined emotionally. I can tell you what it means in one word. "Yuk." That's what guys like Karl Rove depend upon. Stir up the ignorant masses with something that they can feel good about hating. Protect marriage, keep gays out! Protect the family! Keep gays away. Liberals bad, they like gays... on and on.

A so-called "Christian" who stands up against equal rights for anyone is perverting the faith.

 

[KTskater]

Okay....

What do you think of the following:



Voltaire's suggesting that any sort of of religiously based persecution of another is rather egotistical, since we're humans and God is, well, God. In short, who are we to judge in God's place?

I agree no human has the right to pursecute someone one religious bounds, if that was the case then Jews could persucute Christians for eating the wrong foods. But we do have the right to state our opinion and what our religion or system of beliefs has to say on any issue.

I am by no means persucuting those with homosexual urges. If I was, I would be persecuting myself. I simply tell people to view the Bible has on the subject and leave it at that. The Bible says it doesn't not please God, therefore I avoid it.

 

[Ledifni]

I am by no means persucuting those with homosexual urges. If I was, I would be persecuting myself. I simply tell people to view the Bible has on the subject and leave it at that. The Bible says it doesn't not please God, therefore I avoid it.

And that is the right course of action, KTskater. If your beliefs forbid a certain activity then you should avoid it.

Where many go wrong is in assuming that if their beliefs forbid something, and somebody else does it, then it is their responsibility to persecute that person for their "wrong" choice. For instance, it is wrong to forbid homosexuals from marrying one another simply because you do not believe that you should marry somebody of the same sex.

 

[ChristianCenturion]

Hmm. My original post came from wondering about differences in vocabulary, and I think this statement continues in the same vein. If "ask" equates to "attack", and "to question" translates as "to try to prove wrong", then we're obviously working with different dictionaries (or at least different attitudes). I think this can only lead to misunderstanding.

Back to the OP, the phrase "the homosexual lifestyle" has never made sense to me. Reading some responses I think I can kind of see the reasoning behind the phrase; thanks to everybody who's offered their definition or understanding of it.

It doesn't make sense to me probably because I've always been taught that the term "lifestyle" doesn't generally refer to the role of sexuality in someone's life. It has more to do with social class and social habits than anything else. So I've heard of things like "a jet-setting lifestyle" or "a hedonistic lifestyle" or "a middle class American lifestyle", things like that. And I guess if I were going to opine about what kind of lifestyle someone had, I'd probably look at what's important to them in their life, what do they focus on so much that it's reflected in everything they do. In other words, how does one style their life?

So I suppose that I might say someone has "a homosexual lifestyle" if being homosexual was the most important thing in their life and their actions, surroundings, and so forth reflected that. But thinking about this even now, it seems like phrases like this are dangerously dependent on stereotypes anyway. Hmm... <----- thinking

Maybe it's just that pesky "the" in there. The word "the" suggests that there's one kind of way to be, one kind of lifestyle, and every gay person falls into that regardless. Which certainly doesn't reflect my personal experience.

I might post another more general vocab thread too, since I've noticed other different vocab use that's puzzled me, and I'm just big on understanding stuff.

I am pleased to see that it was a sincere question. Too often I see question OP's started simply to get the quarreling going on a given topic.
Thank you too.