If it's true that nuns beat pupils with sticks (wasn't that called caning, and in general practice not so long ago), and if it's true that some children were abused in Catholic institutions, then those were actions taken by individuals and not necessarily endoresed by the entire Catholic Church. Although, strictly speaking, the Catholic Church isn't entirely a Christian Church as it does add a few elements outside of the teachings of Christ. You'd be hard pressed to find anything in the New Testament against contraception, or that says we should pray to Mary.

Also, using a cane in school or committing acts of sexual abuse is not stoning homosexuals. I think the point Emma made about stoning not being a Christian practice still stands, as it was specifically stoning which was mentioned.

Locked Out wrote:
That being said I'd like to make a suggestion. When homosexuals start publicly bleating about how distasteful heterosexual acts are to them,

I don't think I have heard a gay person talk about straight sex being "distasteful", I certainly wouldn't do so myself....

Locked Out, I totally agree with your post (except for the first coupleof sentences about homosexuals bleating about heterosexual acts)

overall a very good post

David, this is the sentence I wrote. I probably gave you the wrong impression. If you read it again you will probably see what I was saying.

"When homosexuals start publicly bleating about how distasteful heterosexual acts are to them, those of us who subscribe to differing sexual mores will have a right to criticise what they do."

That means that I've never heard a homosexual bleating about it either. I don't think they do bleat about it. Which is why the next thing I wrote was;

"In my experience prejudice has a tendency to be rather one sided in this area, and it's the straight community who do most of the shouting."

If I've given you the wrong {and opposite} impression I apologise. Thanks for your compliments!

That'll teach me to speed read, Locked Out!

we only have the author's word that the Bible is from God and which writer wouldn't want to promote that ?

The Dead Sea Scholar Barbara Thiering has claimed that her reading of the texts reveals several things that the bible mis-interprets.

Such as the status of "virgin" actually meaning a woman hadn't yet had her first child..not virgin as we know it.

Therefore Jesus being a 'virgin birth' meant he was the first born.

She also describes a ritual practised by rabbis such as 'walking on the water" where the rabbi would walk a short distance into the sea on a small platform beneath the water. And that Jesus-as an unordained rabbi performed the ritual which was considered an outrage.

We are now lead to believe he actually walked on water.

Why is the current Pope referred to as "Brenda" by his Vatican pals ?. His close friend-the Australian Archbishop Pell, who was considered for Pope but declined has a coterie of young priests who care for him, and they are known as Pell's Angels !

JC wrote:
<snip>

Also, using a cane in school or committing acts of sexual abuse is not stoning homosexuals. I think the point Emma made about stoning not being a Christian practice still stands, as it was specifically stoning which was mentioned.
Quite right, stoning isn't a Christian practice.

Although I don't feel that torture, burning and hanging negate the way God's believers carry on.

They may not stone them but can the official attitude be considered anything but hateful?

It is said that God hates sin, and as the Christian/Biblical angle is that homosexual acts are a sin then I guess it's right to say it's hateful towards homosexual acts, though that might be different from hating the actual people.

That's my 2p worth.

The Cat wrote:
It is said that God hates sin, and as the Christian/Biblical angle is that homosexual acts are a sin then I guess it's right to say it's hateful towards homosexual acts, though that might be different from hating the actual people.

That's my 2p worth.
It wasn't just the sin that got persecuted, it was the person.

It maybe true the persecutor believes they are doing the right thing and doesn't hate the person as such but the act of persecution remains hateful.