[Baptists]Poll on whether to open up discussion of homosexuality and gay marriage

[Tallguy88]

"Baptists" Member Poll
Opening up Discussion of Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage

In keeping with the recent updates to the Christian Forums rule regarding marriage and homosexuality (announcement), this poll is to determine what the members of the Baptists forum would like to do. Voting will be open for two weeks (14 days). At that time, votes will be tallied and the majority decision (2/3 majority, 67%) shall be implemented. This poll is only open to members who self-identify as Baptist, though you don't necessarily have to have such listed as your faith on CF. Please be honest and do not misrepresent your faith to vote in a forum that is not your home forum. IP checks will be performed on any member suspected of being a sock account of another member. Any tomfoolery will result in action against that poster and their vote being nullified. Here are the voting guidelines in more detail:

• Only active members of this forum may vote. A specific faith icon is not required, however, you must be a known member of this forum.
• Members are required to have been active at CF for at least three months and have at least 200 substantial posts.
• Votes are public, not confidential. This way the community can help police the results of the poll by contacting staff when they believe that a non-forum member has voted.
• Staff reserves the right to perform IP checks on questionable members.
• No other discussion is allowed in the poll thread.
• Each member may vote in one Christian Communities (denominations) forum and one Faith Groups forum. If a member votes in more than one Christian Communities forum and one Faith Groups forum, their vote will be discounted in all of the forums.

There are two options for the poll:

YES: A yes vote means that there would be open discussion of the topics of homosexuality and same sex marriage, in accordance with a few specific guidelines.
NO: A no vote means that discussion of homosexuality and same sex marriage is allowed, but there is no promotion* of these topics.

*Promotion is defined as encouragement of the progress, growth, or acceptance of something including advertising and publicity.


Guidelines for forums with open discussion:

• All posts must align with the sitewide rules, especially the rule about profanity and vulgarity (no discussions or images that are sexually explicit).
• Members may not make posts which could be considered blatant campaigning for the acceptance of homosexuality or SSM.
• Members may not distribute any blatant propaganda about homosexuality or SSM [propaganda: information of a biased or misleading nature used to promote or publicize a particular point of view].
• Members may not encourage another member to practice homosexuality or enter into a same sex marriage.

 

[Bluelion]

I vote no, as it is it is fine. If you allow promoting it you then allow God's word to be preached against. Sorry but this is not the world, this forum, this is a place for people not of this world.

 

[David4223]

Thank you those who have voted so far, I'm going to bump this up to the top. Please vote if you would like to.

 

[98cwitr]

All this would do is permit more dead horse beating...I think it's pointless and fruitless to open this up more.

 

[mikedsjr]

No.

 

[mizzkittenzz]

In what context? As long as we have the freedom to stand out as Christians and speak the truth that homosexuality is an abomination... It's not beating an old horse to reference the Bible.

 

[RivenSoul]

I vote yes. There's all kinds of sins. It's not like being gay is the only sin and you're deemed to hell. I'm over weight, that's a sin. My disorder makes me vain, that's a sin. I am lustful, that's a sin. There's so so so many. To completely outcast one and be hush hush about it isn't going to help in my opinion. If a good (mature) conversation can be opened and talked about it then there's only growth which can come from it and possibly helping/leading others to Christ. If God/Jesus is willing to talk about it and talk to those who are then we should as well.

Besides, None of us really know what it's like to be in the mind of someone who feels like they are gay, unless you are one. Perhaps I'm more understanding or can see why it'd be difficult because of my disorder and being unable to change the way I think, or struggling with not being able to change it no matter how much I try.

Just some things to think on.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

1 Corinthians 6:9

There are all kinds of sins, and none of them should be openly promoted by anyone who would call himself a Christian. None!

 

[RivenSoul]

Promotion and a open discussion are different though.

 

[Bluelion]

I would like to change my vote to No, that no sin should be promoted on the site.

 

[Tallguy88]

You should be able to change your vote

 

[mikedsjr]

I'm on an app, is there an actual polling spot?

 

[twin1954]

I vote no because it would not accomplish anything but stir up strife.

 

[Bluelion]

You should be able to change your vote

sorry for the confusion it was only my reason for the no vote but its still a no

 

[Tallguy88]

I'm on an app, is there an actual polling spot?

Not sure. I'm on my phone and its at the top of the page

 

[mizzkittenzz]

Yes there are many sins indeed, BUT homosexuality is not just a sin, in fact it's worse! God calls homosexuality an abomination!

 

[Bluelion]

Yes there are many sins indeed, BUT homosexuality is not just a sin, in fact it's worse! God calls homosexuality an abomination!

Abomination is a big word for meaning offense. So it is an offense to God, all sin is an offense to God. Sin is sin and the payment for any sin is one, death.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Promotion and a open discussion are different though.

It's already as open as it can be, without adding promotion. You can call it "open discussion" and be correct in saying so, but the precise change is the addition of promotion to the debate.

By analogy, you might say that you want the whole apple, and I say that the only part of the apple that has been cut out is the rotten part. You already got the good part of the apple, so what you're really asking for is the rotten part. It sounds better to say you're just asking for an entire apple than to say that you want a rotten piece of apple, but it's more honest and more precise to say that you're asking for a rotten piece of apple.

If you're not going to be straightforward about the nature of the debate, then I certainly don't expect that you will participate in that debate in a straightforward way, either.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

I vote NO! No sin should be allowed to be promoted on a Baptist forum—and that includes gluttony, covetousness, greed, selfishness, lust, lying, all forms of dishonesty, arrogance, blasphemy, HOMOSEXUAL behavior, using the euphemism “gay” for “homosexual,” same sex “marriage,” and every other form of sinful behavior.

 

[DeaconDean]

For once, we are in complete agreement.

God Bless

Till all are one.