[Kaleban]

Rav, I hope you read the replies to this thread, because I must say reading it through has left me with what I can only describe as hope. Hope that one day, disparate viewpoints and opinions can be reconciled peacefully and with understanding, as opposed to now with force and resentment.

If I may interject with a few comments, I will say this. My own, personal view of the universe is that God or gods, in whatever form, started up the whole shebang, rolled the dice, and then went hands off. I believe, from a logical point of view, that something cannot come from nothing, therefore you have the "infinite mirror" sort of problem, for if God created everything, who or what created God, and so on and so forth.

The reasoning behind this belief is simple. I believe in free will. The intervention of a higher power in daily life logically negates the possibility of free will, in whole or in part, and I don't think that a being who wishes us to have free will would circumvent it, especially if the same being is omnipotent and/or omniscient.

The reason behind my distrust of holy books/scripture as uncontestable proof is also simple, it comes from a game played in English class to show the importance of citing sources. 10 children stand in a circle, and each whisper a sentence to the next, given by the teacher. After the tenth child, it usually sounds like "purple monkey dishwasher" or something along those lines. Add in power plays, politics, greed, and basic human fallibility and translations over a period of 2000 years or more, and you may see why I have this distrust.

In the end, I have no dislike for any religion either. In fact, I can see the point of it, looking at it from a historical perspective and "outside the box" so to speak. What I don't agree with quite vehemently is when others not only try to tell me that my beliefs are wrong, but go so far as to tell EVERYONE how to live their lives, even those who do not hold the same beliefs. And what's worse is when zealots grab control of government and actually can make laws to restrict people not of their faith.

As an example, I would tell a man he cannot steal, not because its hurtful in the eyes of God, but simply because it hurts those he steals from, usually the very community he is a part of. Crime is like cancer, a single cell can hurt the whole body if allowed to continue its destruction. Why do you think terrorists operate in "cells"? Because its a perfect way to describe their destabilizing influence on society.

But as to the homosexual example. My argument is very simple. A gay couple across the street from me, in no way influences my life decisions. I won't suddenly start dressing in flamboyant colors as they do, nor will I be drinking girlie drinks, except martinis! ;-) These two do no harm to the community, in fact, they usually throw the best parties, and people have a lot of fun. What they do in their own personal space is their own business. They don't suddenly break out with the sex in the middle of the children's playground, but from the way some people talk you'd think that's what they expect.

I dunno, some people's attitudes and concers are just beyond me I guess. I just cannot comprehend why someone would tell another person what they can do with their life, unless they're a parent or some egotistical bully type who enjoys the power of telling others what they can or cannot do.