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It's probably true that the infection rate is higher in gays than in straights in the US. Total numbers are a tougher sell. The world leadership, though, is clearly with straights in countries where birth control is frowned upon; one large institution told people in Africa that condoms...

I think it is only partially true. In practice, the proximate causes are poor witness and bad apologetics, and a tendency to not really confront the underlying questions. Most Christians I know don't really have any clue what atheists believe (and vice versa). That said, if Christians...

I don't. The law of Moses is not the law of God, as Jesus makes abundantly clear when retracting the divorce law. Jesus, I think, made His opinion on the death penalty quite clear: It HURTS. And no, He won't stop us. And yes, He will forgive us. We can just keep hurting Him. Oddly...

What I would see as immoral is putting scare quotes around love to imply that it's not really love. Love is love. God is God. Half-baked analysis of misunderstood Greek doesn't change this.

Arguably so, but the belief system in question is post-medieval. It lacks the medieval willingness to accept metaphorical and symbolic meanings. It does, to be fair, reflect the medieval problems with the absorption of temporal power into the church, with the corrupting effects you'd expect.

I think it depends on what you mean by "tolerated by society". In general, I do not think society should use coercive force to prevent something just because it is morally wrong; I think it requires a much stronger analysis than that.

DP, I think you are gravely mistaken. Liberal Christians are not watering down the Christian tradition; they are living it seriously. Modern Biblical literalism is a modern invention; it's not tradition, it's a fad of the last couple of centuries. Don't mistake "different" for "the same, only...

CF's vision of "Christianity" is not medieval. It's modern. It's absolutely unthinkable in terms of the theology of anyone before the Industrial Revolution. In the medieval period, it was absolutely obvious that Christians should provide housing and food to the unwanted. Advocating such a...

I feel that terms like "abortion mill" are problematic; I have known too many people whose lives were saved by doctors in reproductive health clinics. The term is derogatory and hostile in a way that creates a barrier to engagement and discussion.

Will do. Surgery is scary!

Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain.

Tat, I'm pretty much with you, I think. A friend of mine recently started going to church again after a long absence. He still considers himself a naturalist. What fools we are to let such words divide us, when we agree on the reality! Get out there and love some neighbors; Through you, God...

No, it really doesn't. The NT consistently fails to make that clear, starting with Jesus, who rejects the notion out of hand. And what it means, in the sense that Jesus talked about it, has NOTHING to do with "belief in Jesus" of the form people talk about today. We stand in the fast...

I don't think that's quite accurate. There is, of necessity, an irrational component to any choice of paradigm. You can make a rational decision about your strategies for evaluating paradigms. In my case, I have argumentation that leads me to conclude that Christianity is the most...

My thought on this is: The greatest evil I see in Christians is the tendency to condemn others as unfit, or unworthy, and thus to refuse to associate with them. If, in response to this, I decide that I don't want to be associated with them, how am I improving things? If you see a problem in...

I see your point, and it's a good concern. I don't think for a moment that the badge system affects everyone the same way. I think that it's more likely to be a problem for the people who have been much involved with it; either the accusers or the accused in the heresy trials, for instance...

Of course it's an actual effect! It's just not an effect caused by the thing in discussion; you could replace it with other things and get the same results.

Not all Christians agree on this question. I think it's ludicrous; it's like claiming that only people who believe in gravity are affected by it.

Not from me. Actually, I might go with "saved". Understanding that everyone's been lying to you about the point. Salvation does not mean you're bored forever, but at least you're not on fire. A tragedy. However, you do not need to be trapped by their error. That kind of thing...

Consider the large number of Republicans, and Democrats too, in the US who believe that their party is patriotism. We love to talk up the groups we identify with, while condemning others. If you would understand Christianity, you must learn to filter out the human frailties of the Christians...