All of us are sinners (except those who never reach the age of reason, whose only sin is the one inherited from Adam and Eve). Most of us have committed sins serious enough to deserve, not only physical death, but the spiritual death of eternal damnation. Why stop with homosexuals engaged in consensual sin? How about serial adulterers like Tiger Woods? And fornicators? You could empty out most dorms in the U.S. with that legislation. How about those who rob the taxpayers by diverting money to special interests? How many would be left on the floor of Congress? Then there are the abortionists, crime syndicates, and gangs perpetrating murder and mayhem. Who would be left at the end of the executions?
There are seven "deadly sins;" lust is only one of them.
Uganda and other countries in Africa are trying to protect the family and it's a laudable goal. It's one of the reasons the U.S. had anti-sodomy laws until they were overturned by the 6-3 2003 Lawrence vs. Texas Supreme Court ruling. Law is supposed to protect the common good and anti-sodomy laws are legitimate. At the very least they prevent homosexuals from recruiting the young which is one of Uganda's goals. (Isn't it interesting that most sinners like Tiger Woods are in the closet. Wouldn't it be nice if the homosexuals had stayed there instead of demonizing as homophobes everyone who deplores their behavior?)
The Ugandan legislator who introduced the bill, David Bahati, welcomes "constructive criticism" to improve the law, but thinks serious action is necessary to prevent homosexuals from "recruiting" the young. In view of the experience here in the U.S. with active recruitment efforts beginning in kindergarten it's easy to understand the concern of Africans over negative "western influence."
According to the Associated Press:
The Ugandan legislation in its current form would mandate a death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face capital punishment, but the legislation does not define the term. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment.
Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" faces seven years in prison if convicted. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get seven years and anyone with "religious, political, economic or social authority" who fails to report anyone violating the act faces three years.
Let's pray that Uganda alters their law to eliminate capital punishment for homosexuals, but criminalizing attempts to spread it to the young sounds like common sense to me. Sodomy pushers are at least as dangerous as drug pushers.
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ReplyDeleteSo according to your logic, homosexual relationships are a sin because lust is a sin. They cannot procreate. So a person who cannot have children for one reason or another should not be in a relationship either. If a woman has her ovaries or uterus removed for some unfortunate reason, would her relationship with a man be a sin?
ReplyDeleteHomosexual acts are disordered in themselves. All you have to do to see the logic of that is consider what would happen if everyone engaged in homosexual/lesbian relations. The only moral use of sex is within heterosexual marriage regardless of the ability of the couple to conceive.
ReplyDeleteThere are two purposes for sex within the context of marriage: the unity of the couple ("two shall become one flesh") and procreation ("multiply and fill the earth"). Both are legitimate purposes.
A woman is only fertile a few days out of every cycle so most of the time sex in marriage cannot result in conception. God made women that way. God Himself doesn't expect every sexual act to result in conception.
The use of our sexual powers must always be within a morally good context where neither purpose of the act is attacked. So sex must always be "open" to life which means the couple can't contracept or engage in mutual masturbation, etc. Even if they believe they are infertile the integrity of the act must be maintained and they cannot engage in immoral behavior, e.g. using pornography.
As for the woman who has had her ovaries or uterus removed or has reached menopause, of course she may still have sex with her husband.
So no executions -- then what is your solution? Life in prison? Public floggings? I'm just curious, because I've never heard anyone insistent on sodomy laws outline the punishment they see fit for it.
ReplyDeleteThis country had sodomy laws until the Supreme Court overturned them a few years ago in a divided decision. They were prosecuted under public decency. What were the penalties then? Oscar Wilde served time in jail in England for violating their sodomy laws. I'm not in favor of peeping into folks' windows to see what they're doing, but if they flaunt it, yes I think they should be arrested. We still have public decency laws, but they are regularly ignored at "gay pride" events where people commit sodomy and fellatio in public. (Americans for Truth has documented the behavior at the Folsom Street Fair.) They should be arrested, charged, and receive the penalty the same as I would be if I decided to walk down the public sidewalk nude.
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