What I personally am frustrated as a conservative Christian, is that anyone that disagrees with having a homosexual lifestyle, or gay marriage in particular, is automatically labled homophobic. I don't agree with homosexuality, I don't think you are born with it, and I don't agree with gay marriage either, and it is largely because of religious beliefs that I hold to be true. That most certianly doesn't mean that I fear you, in any way shape or form. If I wet myself on the Ellen Degeneres show, then I guess you can say such.
As to why I believe that homosexuality is a choice, is because I do not think there is sufficient scientific evidence to show otherwise. That does not mean I deny the findings that the scientific community has made. Yes, I understand the studies they have done on the size of the hypothalumus, as well the digit length theory, but nothing concretely proves that it's not your choice.
Rather, I would say it points to genetic predisposition. So that means I agree that homosexuality is indeed, not a choice, correct? Not necessarily. Predisposition just means that you are more likely to act or behave in a certian way than others. Many people are genetically predisposed to be alcoholic, but not all of them are alcoholics. In the same sense that some men are more masculine than others, and some are more feminine than others. Therefore I do not think gays or lesbians are "excused" morally because they "didn't have a choice." After all, how can something be a sin if you had no choice in the matter?
That's not to say that I think hate crimes towards gays and other slander is acceptable either by any means. Granted "Hate the sin, not the sinner" is a much overused cliche, but it holds true for some at least. I think its appalling that gays get hazed, beaten, bullied, and are over three times the risk of suicide than the average person.
Now as for gay marrage, and the whole notion that America doesn't really give "equal rights" to everyone, I don't think marriage is a matter of civil rights in the first place. The government is not against homosexuality. You may date another person of the same sex, you can drink from the same water fountians, go to the same schools, get the same jobs, go to the same restauraunts, etc. The only thing denied to you, is a union legally recognized by the government under the title of marriage. The fact that the gay community for the most part, equates their "plight" to that of the black civil rights movement is possibly the most insulting, fallacious, and down right ludicrous comparison I have ever had the displeasure of hearing. Maybe under president Eisenhower when they had cops arrest gays at restaurants for simply being gay, but definitley not now in 2009.
The reason why the union of marriage is denied to gay couples is because it is historically a religious institution with religious connotations. One may object and point to other cultures, oh what of Rome? India? What about ancient Greece? To me this is irrelevant. You don't live in Rome, you don't live in India, you don't live in acient Greece. In America and most nations of the West, marriage is still by and large not just a religious institution, but a Christian one.
In addition to this, many Christians fear that once gay marriage is legalized that churches will lose their tax exempt status if they refuse to marry a gay couple, and follow their own doctrine. Many object and say that can't happen, and that the government can't force churches to marry gay couples, and that saying otherwise is just plain fear mongering. However when you think about it, unless there is a specific line in the bill or some sort of legal protection for the church, the government coming in and closing the church down or a gay couple suing because they were refused marriage is completely fair game. Especially considering that each state in the U.S. defines its own marriage laws, and Minnesota even has its own constitution. The possibility of the church being threatened by the legalization of gay marriage and its classification as a civil right is a very real scenario and dismissing it is just plain ignorant.
