[Dolphy]

Herein is my biggest point. You and I might believe that the wife must be mentally ill to suffer the abuse. It is probable that she needs therapy to understand why she keeps subjecting herself to such abuse but she would deny anything is wrong until after she has been successfully treated. Afterwords she might thank us, but beforehand she might fight us. Would we be right or wrong to keep silent because the relationship is consensual and nobody else is being hurt?

Again, I don't think a relationship wherein one partner is physically abusing the other is equivalent to a homosexual relationship. You might find the latter spiritually abusive, emotionally abusive and morally abusive, but these are not necessarily abuses that develop any physical symptoms or imperil ones life as in the case of physical abuse.

And, knowing that homosexual attraction is also a mental illness, are we right or wrong for keeping silent?

I don't think you should keep your beliefs silent, but this is about outlawing conduct that you find repulsive and immoral. We do not have laws that make mentally ill conduct, in and of itself, illegal. We have laws that protect others from that behavior should it result in a tangible loss to another party.

I am short of time and will address your other points later tonight.

[ArGee]

Again, I don't think a relationship wherein one partner is physically abusing the other is equivalent to a homosexual relationship. You might find the latter spiritually abusive, emotionally abusive and morally abusive, but these are not necessarily abuses that develop any physical symptoms or imperil ones life as in the case of physical abuse.

Actually, emotional abuse can and does develop physical symptoms and imperil ones life. Why do you think so many gays commit suicide? Is it because they are emotionally healthy?

I don't think you should keep your beliefs silent, but this is about outlawing conduct that you find repulsive and immoral.

Actually, it's about teaching the conduct to children. It's also about creating a new law to create a legal relationship that does not currently exist.

I know there are some who want to create anti-sodomy laws. I don't. I don't see any particular need to try to remove them, but I would not fight that. I don't want to see the definition of marriage, which has existed for millennia, changed. I think we should be honest when speaking about homoerotic attraction that it is a sign of mental illness, but I am not ready to call for outlawing it.

Shalom.