Kathryn wrote:
I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to pretend to be someone or something other than I am.
And most people here wouldn't dream of asking you to. You made your comments in a perfectly polite, intelligent, well-thought-out manner to explain your point of view and I cannot see why some people consider that offensive.
I could start raving on about religious tolerance, but I know that religious tolerance is a myth. It only applies to percieved minorities.
Some of us try our best. Personally I'll cut a hell of a lot more slack to someone who disapproves of homosexuality because of their religion than I would to someone who was just bigoted without the religious background. You wouldn't like my views on organised religion at all, but religious people I have no problem with.
One reason why slash discussion has been encouraged not to take place here, but on the Other List, is because it doesn't seem to be possible for people to dialogue happily about it. It is, as Ellynne said, like talking in a foriegn language -- nobody seems to understand what the other person is saying.
I agree that nobody is going to change anyone's mind as a result of these discussions, because both sides believe that they are morally right. Doesn't mean we can't discuss it in a sensible manner, though, as most people have been doing. I don't think the problem is understanding - the folk here are generally intelligent enough to understand where the other side is coming from, they're just never going to agree. Whether it's better not to discuss when you know from the start there can be no resolution is another question, but personally I think discussion is better since it might increase the level of understanding.
Louise