Quite an interesting (I thought) article on USA Politics on Gay Marriage from the ABC on religion and ethics
http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2013/02/09/3686782.htm.
It presents a number of interesting ideas
Both Balmer and Greg Boyd ask whether homosexuality is a frontburner issue among evangelicals because they think it is one sin from which they are free. (Kinnaman and Lyons note that a third of gays and lesbians regularly attend church and nearly 17% are evangelical.) Evangelicals, Boyd writes, think we:
"may be divorced and remarried several times. We may be as greedy and as unconcerned about the poor and as gluttonous as others in our culture; we may be as prone to gossip and slander and as blindly prejudiced as others … These sins are among the most frequently mentioned sins in the Bible. But at least we're not gay!"
It suggests both that the focus on gay marriage is less religious than political
After the demise of the Soviet Union, he writes:
"The religious right desperately searched for a new enemy … I won't dispute that the leaders of the religious right were acting, at some level, out of conviction, but they, along with leaders of the Republican Party, sensed a political opportunity as well."
Balmer finds this opportunism odious, as he finds judging the sins of others, including homosexuals.
and that there is a generational shift in opinions on it
Cizik further noted that 40% of young evangelicals have a gay friend or family member, and that over 50% favour same-sex civil unions or marriages. Moreover, only 29% of evangelicals under thirty hold that the "homosexual lifestyle" is a "major" problem. But Cizik's problems came from the 58% of elderly evangelicals and 46% of baby boomers who do think homosexuality is a serious problem.
What do people think ??
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