God isn't torturing anyone. He wants all to be saved and made a way for them to be saved.
He gave rules because he knows what people like to do can have dire consequences either to health, emotional or spiritual well being.
Can you tell me how two consenting adults having homosexual sex is any different health wise, emotionally or spiritually than consenting heterosexual sex within a marriage?
Well you're the one who believes in evolution. If there is no God and everything just made itself then yes humans are animals.
I agree we are animals, I disagree that we are "just" animals as you said before.
In this system what people think and feel should be uppermost, even if it is diametrically opposed to you because why should you have any more say than anybody else?
In reality, of course, it is always numbers, power and strength that gets heard. Victors write history books, governments bring down laws and if enough people gather with the same thought they can sway those in power. The native community in the US has thoughts, feelings and dreams that get swept under the rug because they don't have the numbers. The black community do too but they get more airtime because they have more numbers.
This all may be true but that does not mean a god exists.
I believe God created us in his image and gave us both spirit and soul that sets us apart from all the animals.
Ok, I just think you believe on insufficient evidence.
If God does not exist as you seem to feel then you are back to mankind being just an animal that arrived through chance random processes.
No I don't. I do believe humans are animals but evolution is not a complete chance random process. I know what you mean though.
So what should we do if God does not exist?
Even if you are a thinking animal then every viewpoint should count. However, man likes to be the boss and always has done so mankind struggles to be 'in power' for his or her view to be the one that counts above everybody else's. which is why Adam and Eve, when presented with the opinion to 'be like God' took it greedily. Because at heart people are selfish and most of what they do is selfish. Sure people can think altruistically from time to time especially if the group as a whole pushes them in one direction (heard mentality) but ultimately man is more focused on himself.
You think the people in 1920 didn't think the same way? They thought they were doing the right and moral thing. Man can't see past his nose, he sees what he wants, reaches and grabs. Like a baby doesn't know that a stove is hot man has no idea of the deeper emotional, physical and spiritual danger he puts himself into. Mankind does not have all the pieces of the jigsaw only God does. Those laws were put in place for serious reasons, just because you can't see them does not mean they don't exist. So when God says something is sinful I acknowledge that it must be whether I personally understand it or not. This is part of trusting in God.
But what is the greater wellbeing? Someone happiness for a short time? Just because something looks and feels good to the human eye does not mean at its very depth doesn't lay danger. A danger that we cannot fathom. People seem to assume they are so smart. Mankind has probably only scratched the surface of what there is to know. God knows it all. God is seen as a father because like a father stops his child running onto the road even when the child cries and makes a fuss, God is guiding us like that.
Did you read about the farmer who chopped of his own leg to escape some type of machinery? If he had not been able to do that he would not be alive today. This is similar to why God made those laws. They seem drastic but were for the overall good of the society. He even says in the New Testament, better to lose a hand than your soul. Now you realize those laws were to people thousands of years ago? Basic barbarians. This isn't the law now and hasn't been for the past two thousand years so it's a bit useless to continually focus on them when you know they are not what we are called to do. You do that because you are trying to show that God is in the wrong- God is the creator he is never in the wrong. They were right for that time period.
That is because you are not seeing the entire picture because you and I and everyone else cannot see the entire picture. We see one piece but not the tiger hiding in the grass ahead.
God says Love your neighbour as yourself. This is the main command of God right now to his people towards people.
Nice but this says nothing about the existence of a god. This is again just you not liking the implications of god not existing.
God says that creation is enough physical evidence.
Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Well then God got it wrong because it does not convince me.
That is what we are called to do through the Holy Spirit. This is what God does. He does separate them. The same way you might love your son but hate that he is taking crack.
I didn't say it was an easy thing to do, but that is what Christians are called to do.
No, it is not the same thing. A crack addiction is not who they are it is an addiction that I can define as bad because it has terrible consequences and negatively affects his well being. If my son was homosexual that is part of who he is and you cannot hate the homosexual sin without hating the person as well. It actually will increase his well being.
Take a look through history and see how mankinds views have changed. Don't think because you live now in this society that it will always continue to think this way either.
God's is unchanging and his morals are unchanging.
He knows everything which is why he can set them.
You have a form of morality because of God. He says he placed it upon our hearts.
Mankind tends to not always show love in the correct way. The parent giving sweets (candy) to their child continually in love is leading them down the road of tooth decay. Not because they don't love them but because they are short-sighted to the long term consequences.
I have seen the affects of gods morality, some good but some bad as well. Christians cannot decide on what that morality is and often times when applied it hurts people just as above when you say homosexuality is a sin. What if god said that being female was a sin and we should love you but hate that you are a female. How would that feel?
Like you I am human I can't see the bigger picture only God can. Part of being a Christian is trusting in God's judgment even if I don't understand. Some reason for laws against sexual sins come to mind
Disease, pregnancy, abortion, deeper heartbreak, emotional and spiritual issues, anger, jealousy, marriage breakdown, addiction.
These don't apply to healthy homosexual relationships.
One case was the women caught in adultery. Under the old law she could be killed. Jesus said 'He who is without sin may cast the first stone" he was talking specifically of sexual sins here. It says they left from the eldest down to the youngest. He then said to her that he forgave her of her sin and also said "Go sin no more" So he didn't say"You're forgiven go do whatever makes you happy" No he said "Go sin no more' he was both loving but also just.
God says that marriage -at least marriage in his eyes- is only one man to one woman. That is what marriage was and is. Marriage under the state can be whatever the state chooses it to be but God does not view it as marriage.
Since I know God only made rules for the ultimate good of peoples emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing no I don't support it because ultimately in some way it will hurt the very people it says it is supporting.
Then you do think it is your business. Biblical marriage is far from one man one woman. Jesus may have said that but that is not how it was practiced in the OT.