Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...

[Minimalist]

Fuck god.  He's a shitty planner.

[Lek]

A very sad conversation occurred. And it hurts. I hate talking about religion with my own family. Just because I highlighted the suffering I have to see as part of employment where I have to read many sad stories people have to send in as part of their application for their disabled person's parking badge. Apparently god sometimes uses cancer for the betterment of an individual I'm told. All humans have to suffer, but it's what you make of that suffering.

A recent story: New family just moved to England (Arabs, I think), they are just adjusting to life in a totally new country and they are burdened with a one year old baby who has spent almost their entire life in hospital. And says this is wrong means I'm speaking for the devil. Apparently pointing that out is an argument from ignorance.  

I can't believe anybody would say this to me. All because I supposedly took Bible verses out of context and don't want to go Church. The devil is deceiving me apparently. I did cite the following verse:

"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."

— Judges 1:19

Apparently this part of god's "plan". I feel so horrible. Couple of days from now, I go on holiday to visit part of the family who think homosexuals are evil and that diseases only apparently after "the fall of mankind".

From my christian point of view I see it as a sad consequence of the sins of mankind, although suffering can make us stronger and better people. I would have compassion for them and try to provide whatever can be done for the child. Why do you say that this situation is "wrong"? From an atheistic point of view it just "is". We evolved to be a species who get sick and die. It's good to treat illnesses and try to eliminate them, but someone being sick is just the way it is. There is no higher reason why the baby has been sick. In this case, it's neither right or wrong, it's just sad.

[dyresand]

A very sad conversation occurred. And it hurts. I hate talking about religion with my own family. Just because I highlighted the suffering I have to see as part of employment where I have to read many sad stories people have to send in as part of their application for their disabled person's parking badge. Apparently god sometimes uses cancer for the betterment of an individual I'm told. All humans have to suffer, but it's what you make of that suffering.

A recent story: New family just moved to England (Arabs, I think), they are just adjusting to life in a totally new country and they are burdened with a one year old baby who has spent almost their entire life in hospital. And says this is wrong means I'm speaking for the devil. Apparently pointing that out is an argument from ignorance.  

I can't believe anybody would say this to me. All because I supposedly took Bible verses out of context and don't want to go Church. The devil is deceiving me apparently. I did cite the following verse:

"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."

— Judges 1:19

Apparently this part of god's "plan". I feel so horrible. Couple of days from now, I go on holiday to visit part of the family who think homosexuals are evil and that diseases only apparently after "the fall of mankind".

From my christian point of view I see it as a sad consequence of the sins of mankind, although suffering can make us stronger and better people.  I would have compassion for them and try to provide whatever can be done for the child.    Why do you say that this situation is "wrong"?  From an atheistic point of view it just "is".  We evolved to be a species who get sick and die.  It's good to treat illnesses and try to eliminate them, but someone being sick is just the way it is.  There is no higher reason why the baby has been sick.  In this case, it's neither right or wrong, it's just sad.

Honestly i don't believe suffering makes us any better if anything is a hindrance. This is why science and technology is amazing 
it fixes the issue of suffering instead of having people default into praying to get better they can take medications and get better and
surgeries. But in the case of god allowing suffering if said being existed no one should worship such a being nor praise it. I say it in the manner
because it would be a monster to allow such human suffering that it's own creations fixes their own problems such a being should not be respected
only thank to a some what limited degree for just starting life and nothing else. The issue of suffering is less of a issue now than it was fifty to sixty years ago
because of science and medical breakthroughs.

[Nihilist Virus]

If they think homosexuality is evil, then it MUST be a choice. Something cannot be evil it is not deliberate.

Once you've established that they believe it's a choice, ask them, "At what point did you choose to be straight? Clearly you must've been tempted to be gay, or else otherwise it would hardly have been a choice for you. Technically I have the choice to eat a bowl of salt, but if I have no desire to do so whatsoever, it's not really a choice. So... how often do you choose to resist your gay urges?"

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Based upon observation from what has happened to other people in similar situations you are dealing with a bunch of potential homicidal maniacs. Be extremely careful not to piss them off to the extent that they will do you physically harm. It has happened to countless people so don't think it won't happen to you.

[Lek]

If they think homosexuality is evil, then it MUST be a choice.  Something cannot be evil it is not deliberate.

Once you've established that they believe it's a choice, ask them, "At what point did you choose to be straight?  Clearly you must've been tempted to be gay, or else otherwise it would hardly have been a choice for you.  Technically I have the choice to eat a bowl of salt, but if I have no desire to do so whatsoever, it's not really a choice.  So... how often do you choose to resist your gay urges?"

I'd say that most of the time homosexuality is not a choice and is not a sin. It is the sexual acts that christians consider sinful. I'm straight and choose to engage in any sexual act I perform, but I didn't choose to be straight.

[dyresand]

If they think homosexuality is evil, then it MUST be a choice.  Something cannot be evil it is not deliberate.

Once you've established that they believe it's a choice, ask them, "At what point did you choose to be straight?  Clearly you must've been tempted to be gay, or else otherwise it would hardly have been a choice for you.  Technically I have the choice to eat a bowl of salt, but if I have no desire to do so whatsoever, it's not really a choice.  So... how often do you choose to resist your gay urges?"

I'd say that most of the time homosexuality is not a choice and is not a sin.  It is the sexual acts that christians consider sinful.  I'm straight and choose to engage in any sexual act I perform, but I didn't choose to be straight.

Well considering homosexuality and act's are natural that itself is not a sin rather that it's considering a sin because 
ancient man didn't like a lot things homosexual acts being on of them. Because of Rome and the fact being homosexual
actions to the biblical writers being probably weird they would have wrote that. Even then suicide not a sin only added
because people back then would kill themselves to get out of debt to go to god faster.

[Rev. Rye]

It is their philosophy which is devilish. Convincing people they are born evil because a mythical woman had a conversation with a snake and ate an apple. Then making us accomplices in a bloody torture murder of a mythical guy named Jesus. The only way to cleanse ourselves of this inherited taint is to take a bath in human blood. Otherwise we go to a place and burn and roast forever. Calling you the devil is but one more attack on your self esteem. This heinous philosophy thrives on poor self esteem. Hold your head up Comrade ! Don't let the mortals get you down.

And honestly, it's points like this that really make me think that, if God and the Devil are real, and all the points of Christianity are true, it makes more sense to think that Satan's would be like O'Brien from 1984: the most brutal torture technician imaginable, who, while pretending to be head of the resistance to the all-seeing, all-knowing Big Brother-God, is actually far closer to Him than anyone would have suspected.

[robvalue]

If they think homosexuality is evil, then it MUST be a choice.  Something cannot be evil it is not deliberate.

Once you've established that they believe it's a choice, ask them, "At what point did you choose to be straight?  Clearly you must've been tempted to be gay, or else otherwise it would hardly have been a choice for you.  Technically I have the choice to eat a bowl of salt, but if I have no desire to do so whatsoever, it's not really a choice.  So... how often do you choose to resist your gay urges?"

I'd say that most of the time homosexuality is not a choice and is not a sin.  It is the sexual acts that christians consider sinful.  I'm straight and choose to engage in any sexual act I perform, but I didn't choose to be straight.

And that is an extremely harmful stance, in my opinion. You're expecting people to deny their nature, and either never have sex or pretend to be something they are not.

Whether you hold that stance, I don't know. But anyone who promotes such a position is a bigot in my opinion, if their justification is religous dogma.

I'd likely consider them a bigot regardless, but I'd be prepared to hear out their reasons. I've yet to hear any rational reason for such a position.

[robvalue]

Just to be clear, you don't have to like gay sex. You don't have to find the idea comfortable even. Maybe you don't even want to hear about it, or think about it. That's up to you.

But the moment you promote a stance that there is actually something wrong with it, further to your own personal discomfort, you are a bigot. You're encouraging people to find real fault with such actions.