Christian Self-censorship of Dirty Words

[brewer]

That all seems like normal human behavior to me. I find nothing amoral in these thoughts. Just another reason why I don't understand christian sin. 

If you tied these thoughts to an action, that would be another story.

Well in Christianity, it isn't just about actions. It's about what type of heart we have. Imagine a person who hates gay people for the mere fact that they are gay. This person likes to fantasize about hurting them and wishes they would all just be executed. While this person is too cowardly or whatever to actually go out and act on his desires by hurting a gay person, does the fact that he feels this way about them play a role in the type of person he is? If the answer is yes, then hopefully you can understand why we believe "thoughts" can be immoral without actions. Because it all comes down to the type of person someone is, at their core.

I also would like to add that I agree, that dehumanizing people sometimes is "normal" human behavior. But the way I see it, just because something is normal behavior, doesn't mean it's moral behavior. Likewise, when someone is in a super bad mood and going through a rough time in life, it's "normal" to lash out at a completely innocent bystander just because they happen to be close to you. But does that make it moral to do so? I would say not.

Re first paragraph: The individual you describe has taken an action, although it is mental and not physical. Sounds like we're in agreement but I'll not assume.

Re second paragraph: It looks like you just brought up the subjectivity of morals/morality. Does the lashing out become a sin? Or does it remain a normal human behavior brought on by stress, maybe uncalled for, but not a sin? Maybe that depends on the degree of the action and becomes subjective. If I'm angry with a person and yell at them to shut up is that a sin or amoral? It's lashing out.