Peacetrain, being civil, being considerate, being trustworthy and being humorous are all things we Boomers strive for on this site. Having religion is just an added plus but not a prerequisite of posting here. Heck we have a Wicken active member and I've have seen the word Aethiest bantered around as well so if thats your only trepidation to not hanging around, fear not! Oh and you must also be a woman as no men are allowed here. Do you think you qualify?

Peacetrain, Don't leave just yet. Try us on and see how it works. Sometimes getting into a new board is scary, but there are a lot of lovely people here. I agree - religion is not a mandatory thing. It does not matter what your religion is.

I hope you hang in there and let us get to know you. You sound great!

Sandpiper

Why would religion scare you away?? Hang around and drop your ideas into the pool. More ideas equals greater understanding. Hang in there, Peace.

But if you don't then hope you find birds of a feather with which to flock together.

I believe we can all agree religion is a subject we cannot all agree upon! So many different upbringins, beliefs and viewpoints.
My brother, as mentioned previously, is gay and attends a gay church. He is a very loving person.
Leviticus, as mentioned above by Number 5, is quoted in their brochure. It is quoted with an entirely different interpretation.
Thus I believe the Bible can be interpreted
many different ways. So be it, to each his own..
and that's what makes the world go 'round! Which I think is terrific...otherwise, if we all thought the same, how boring would that be?
I do believe God gave us a free will...and I also believe we can use our will in whichever dirrection we choose, and God is not going to love us less for it. I don't look at someone as being "gay". As my brother is gay, I meet a lot of gay people, I love them for who they are as a person. And we do a lot of laughing. I believe people who have finally come to terms with who they are, are very happy people.

Sandi,

I think that was very well said....

I wonder what people mean when they use the word "religion"? For me, it's an organized religion, distinct from spirituality. Also, I think distinct from the books of religions, including but not limited to the Bible.

Thoughts?

Peace

PS: I'm going to be away for a few days. My son is going to be sentenced and I need to support him.

Casey, What is your son going to be sentenced for? As you may know, my daughter is going to be sentenced also. How are you holding up?

Know this, no matter what you think of my beliefs, I'll be praying for you and your son.

I'm probably not going to post any more about my faith. I don't want to argue. Its pointless. I have to agree to disagree with you sandi and hope that we can find some common ground.

I've met a lot of people who twist the Word to fit their own convenience and its sad. I think its called plagerism.

Anyway, I think there is no question what I believe so I'll leave it at that. One last thing, ignorance is bliss and I ain't happy.

Wanted you all to know I haven't given up on this yet. Number5 and Casey, I worked in a prison/Parole Board for a long, long time and saw lots of families who had been torn apart by twists of fate that sometimes could have been prevented and sometimes not. But keep supporting them, that's what they need. The system is tough, but not all bad. There are some people there who want to help.
Peace

Number 5, please continue to post about your faith. You are an inspiration. You have posted factually from Scripture and you have infused each of your posts with the Scripture's over-riding message of love.

Like a lot of scientists, I am confused as to whether homosexuality is an inborn character trait or a learned behavior. I have seen scientific evidence to support both theories.

Either way, only the homosexual 'act,' not the inclination to homosexuality is deemed sinful in Scripture. Like a lot of sins, the homosexual act is a corruption of a natural tendency. A degree of attraction to the same sex during adolescence is believed to be a part of normal maturation.

Therefore I do not believe homosexual tendencies to be a sin. However, I do believe that 'acting' on homosexual tendencies is a sin. Just as one can be born with an inclination to drink alcohol, but not act on that inborn impulse, someone born with an inclination to homosexuality can choose not to act on his or her impulses. It is the homosexual act that I find sinful, not the tendency.

However, to say the homosexual act is a sin does not prevent me from loving those who engage in homosexual acts. Homosexuality is rampant in theater and I have many friends who are practicing homosexuals. We have discussed these issues a lot. They know I believe them to be sinners, but we still love each other because they know I also believe myself to be a sinner and that I believe all sins are equal in the eyes of God. Most importantly they know that I believe the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ redeemed us all.


There are a lot of important and controversial issues facing our world at this time. We must be able to discuss them factually without personally attacking each other if we are to find the solutions that are incumbent upon the boomer generation.

smile

[ March 14, 2006, 06:40 PM: Message edited by: smilinize ]