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by arcbyte
1052 days ago
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A couple things. I understand what you're saying about the judgement of other members, but I think it's misguided. Many, probably most, people fear judgement of their social groups, but conversely it is social groups that also enable the most powerful and free versions of ourselves when we find the right ones. Which ultimately is to say that when the judgement of the group is good, you are empowered to do things you didn't know were possible. So rather than fear judgement, either intentionally pick the group that will judge you well, or more preferably make the changes in yourself that the groups judgement is incentivizing. Homophobia isn't the right word. The church isn't afraid of homosexuality. It has beliefs that are inconsistent with homosexuality but it isnt fear as the word falsely implies. |
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The church encompasses many beliefs and mandates. However, there is a reason anti-LGBT sentiment resonates so strongly with certain church-going crowds, and it's not merely because the clergy is telling them it's wrong. I believe it's because they're playing to a crowd who has a base fear or even disgust of LGBT folks and wants their preconceived notions validated.
In other words, the church is telling a crowd of homophobes what they want to hear. Does that make the church homophobic? To me, that's a distinction without a real difference and not even the most important thing to figure out. The real question is why that base disgust exists in the first place for the clergy to sell to.