That which converges is not necessarily the truth, the convergence may be a coincidence, or converging on something other than the truth. And indeed, adultery is generally frowned upon, but the many details of what constitutes adultery don't show much convergence even within the Church.
I disagree. I think its the convergence of different independent lines of evidence that makes a strong case. The more independent lines the better. We are rational and moral beings and very astute in this sense. We can reason out why something is the case.
I think lived reality is a big part of what is really going on. We have a long history of making mistakes and treating people badly. We see the pattern over and over again that doing certain things always results in the same negative outcome. We don't need to keep repeating that before we can say we need to make some sort of social or political rule, or law where certain behaviour is wrong regardless of subjective determinations.
Like Human Rights. The 2nd WW made us face ourselves as a world because of the horrors, the extent to which we realised humans will do evil against each other. So we made truth like laws, inalienable Rights that no one, no nation can take away even if they disagree. This is a good example of how lived reality reveals some truths about who we are and how we can better live together.
You would have to agree on what adultery was first.
Lets just take the classic meaning of a married couple where one has an affair. Breaks the marriage through having sex with someone outside the marriage. But we could make a case for De Facto relations as well especially if kids are involved. But certainly adultery within marriage has many negative effects on the kids, the couple and society as a whole.
We could even make a case that the casual attitudes of sex and relationships for young people partly contributes to the high levels of psychological problems and suicide. As they are developing and unable to understand the full implications of a relationship and that ending one is no easy feat it screws young people up and the effects are magnified due adolescence also being a turbulent time emotionally.
This is not based on religious belief though beliefs can align with these truths. They are facts, evidence from Psychology and especially lived reality.
Not for gays, of course, because they don't do sex the way you like.
That is another complete thread if we want to get into this and probably not appropriate for this thread. But I am not stopping Gays from living how they want and simply pointing out some of the issues they face for that lifestyle factually, in reality is not being a bigot.
That is where I think much of the confusion and conflict comes from. That now anyone who may want to point out some of the facts, truth as per lived reality or science are somehow being hateful. Yet we are quite willing or at least the Woke are quick to point out every flaw in whites and heterosexual males and females.
If we can express the facts and truth about issues with heterosexual relationships we should be able to to the same with gay relationships, all relationships without people thinking its targeting or having a go at those groups. Sometimes the identity cartd can be used to stop the truth.
For example we should be able to say that gay marriages and relationship have a very high breakdown rate which is also no good for anyone. Or that there is a high rate of extra marriatl and relationship affairs. JUst like its no good for heterosexuals its no good for gays.
The two examples you gave in your post were about sex.
You got me there lol. But I have also mentioned a range of issues whereas you keep bringing it back to sex and only sex. We also have to remember that much of the conflicts we are seeing is about sex, gender and race and its not just Christians or the Right who are making this all the focus.
I hope you don't mean taunting trans people in public with pronouns.
No I mean all truths. Freedom of speech, belief and conscience. A Consititutional and Human Right. Just expressing those truths is not taunting people.
As you brought up pronouns, a person has a right to their pronouns. The question is do they have the right to force others to use those subjective pronouns. I think this is the crux of the matter for all conflicts along race, gender, sex, religious, any identity lines. How different identities subjective truth clashes with other identities subjective truth and how this all fits with the objective and lived reality.
Its not simple I agree. But if for example some want to force others to use their pronuouns because this fits with how they feel, how they see themselves, their self truth. Then what about if the other person feels uncomfortable with that, goes against their own conscience and identity. What happens then. Thats why identity politics doesn't work. It just divides and antagonises people against each other.
Why not? You make many of your points using right-wing US Christian polemicists.
Really, if that is Right Wing as in a radical ideology then God help us because that is just plain common sense and reality. It can be supported other than any political ideology. The same values, determinations can be backed up by the science and lived reality.
Besides I would have thought being a polemicist is a good thing as its about critical determinations, critical thinking which considers all the facts and conditions to make an informed determination.
Perhaps your talking about delivery, how its politicized and used as a weapon to push those truths.