[Lucky Dog]

In an attempt to address your charge of “ignorant beliefs” on the part of those who object to homosexuality, review the relevant arguments presented below.

Negative Arguments (note: none of these are founded on “ignorant belief”):

1) Utilitarian Assertion: Homosexual behavior serves no objectively useful/productive purpose [to society or the individual] and causes significant detriments [both to society and individuals].

2) Resource Inefficient Use/Misapplication Assertion: Homosexual behavior results in significant misuse of societal resources:
a. Increases completely avoidable, deadly disease rates (HIV/AIDS/TB/Hepatitis, etc.) among its practitioners with attendant increases in premature death rates.
b. Increases other, completely avoidable, potentially less deadly diseases (STD’s) among its practitioners and potentially others (unavoidably).
c. Inordinately diverts medical resources to the care of completely avoidable diseases (especially in acute stages).
d. Inordinately diverts (in proportion to the percentage of those affected to the overall general population) limited resources into medical research for prevention/cure of these completely avoidable diseases.

3) Societal Degradation Assertion: Homosexual behaviors and open advocacy for their acceptance result in significant detriments to society at large.
a. In ordinate numbers (in proportion to percentage to the total population of perpetrators) of pedophiles are homosexual practitioners.
b. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in general, will likely result in increased numbers of homosexual practitioners and equally likely resultant increases in cases of pedophilia.
c. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in general, will result in legalization of homosexual marriage which will degrade the institution of marriage and its benefits to society, e.g., recent Mass. Supreme Court ruling.
d. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in general, will result in increased acceptance of child adoption by these practitioners and cause increased societal costs for dealing with children harmed psychologically (and otherwise) by this practice.
e. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in general, will result in increased acceptance of bigamy, polygamy, incestuous unions, prostitution, bestiality, etc., which will inordinately and adversely affect the family in general and children (future citizens) in particular, e.g., current UT court case.
f. Homosexual behavior (by the overwhelming majority of its practitioners) focuses on individual pleasure/self-indulgence to the exclusion of any regard for negative impacts on others (hedonism) and causes a resultant decline in antithetical (to hedonism) virtues beneficial to society such as service to others, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, devotion to duty, etc.
g. Society unnecessarily loses potentially valuable contributions from homosexual practitioners who die prematurely due to avoidable diseases resulting from this behavior.

4) Theological Assertion: No major religion approves of homosexual behavior and most discourage and/or prohibit or condemn it.
a. Homosexual behavior is explicitly condemned multiple times in the Judeo-Christian scriptures (both Old and New Testaments).
b. Homosexual behavior is explicitly condemned in the Islamic foundational documents.
c. Tenants of Buddhism strongly discourage homosexual behavior.
d. Hindu documents discourage homosexual behavior.
e. Homosexual “orientation” (if there is such a thing) is not a problem absent homosexual behavior.

5) Biological/Psychological Assertion: Homosexual behavior is contrary to the natural function of sex and normal human social behavior
a. Procreation is impossible to exclusively homosexual behavior practitioners.
b. If homosexuality were a genetic anomaly, it would appear in the population at much lower incidence than is observed.
c. Homosexual behaviors observed (Skinner, et al) in non-human animals are neurotic, abnormal singularities and require artificial, forced conditions (e.g., overcrowding) and is not seen in the normal habitat and behavior of these animals.
d. Homosexual behavior is a conscious choice by its practitioners… homosexual “orientation”(if it exists) no more requires an individual to participate in homosexual behavior than heterosexual “orientation” requires an individual to participate in rape, bigamy, prostitution or any other sexual activity.

Do you have any cogent counter arguments?

[sunryse]

>1) Utilitarian Assertion: Homosexual behavior serves no >objectively useful/productive purpose [to society or the >individual] and causes significant detriments [both to >society and individuals].

Ok, our whole purpose and existance on this earth is to suit society? If I choose to not have children, am I not serving a purpose to society. What if I were a brilliant doctor who could hold the cure for cancer in my mind, am I not useful because I sleep with another woman? While biologically there probably is no "function" in it's purist and simplistic form. But I like to think that we as humans serve more of a 'purpose' on this earth other than to procreate.

>a. Increases completely avoidable, deadly disease rates
>(HIV/AIDS/TB/Hepatitis, etc.) among its practitioners >with attendant increases in premature death rates.

So does smoking, alchoholism, hard drug use and stupid people operating heavy machinery.

>b. Increases other, completely avoidable, potentially >less deadly diseases (STD’s) among its practitioners and >potentially others (unavoidably).

So does 98% of the hip hop culture so I've seen. Noone's making it thier life goal that they go away.

>c. Inordinately diverts medical resources to the care of >completely avoidable diseases (especially in acute >stages).

See above response regarding smoking, alchoholism and hard drug use.

>d. Inordinately diverts (in proportion to the percentage >of those affected to the overall general population) >limited resources into medical research for >prevention/cure of these completely avoidable diseases.

Aaahh, ok, so now that we can say that the homosexual has higher instances of these diseases, than the heterosexual isn't held accountable for all these 'problems' either? Or is that part just overlooked. "It's all those gaaaayyyysss fault".

>3) Societal Degradation Assertion: Homosexual behaviors >and open advocacy for their acceptance result in >significant detriments to society at large.

Please don't tell me you are presenting this as fact or some sort of 'proof' that homosexuality is bad, cause this statement above sounds a whole lot like OPINION.

>a. In ordinate numbers (in proportion to percentage to >the total population of perpetrators) of pedophiles are >homosexual practitioners.

Again, please tell me where this statistic is located.

>b. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in >general, will likely result in increased numbers of >homosexual practitioners and equally likely resultant >increases in cases of pedophilia.

Assuming your statistics (that you haven't listed) are correct...

>c. Increasing acceptance of homosexual behavior, in >general, will result in legalization of homosexual >marriage which will degrade the institution of marriage >and its benefits to society, e.g., recent Mass. Supreme >Court ruling.

Sounds like another big ole OPINION.

As a matter of fact, I'm not going to sit behind each paragraph and scream OPINION. When someone presents thier opinion as fact, the ego is too much to debate with because nothing will be heard.

Therefore, I'll leave you to your prejudices. But I, ME, PERSONALLY think it's none of my business if Jim lives with Tom, or vice versa. If a pedophile attacks my kids, then they'll have to pay, whether they are gay or straight.