His point about autonomous culture is fantastic, because it's true. If we're going to live in a genuine autonomous culture, then each of us should make decisions about what we do with our own lives, and simultaneously allow others to do likewise. You can say you disagree with homosexuality, and I can say I disagree with your disagreement, and you can live your life without being gay, and someone else can live theirs by being gay. You can speak out against being gay, I can speak out for it. And we can both do that, and gay people can do their thing. By saying God disagrees with being gay, I would hope that you do in a way that recognizes that ultimately, you are leaving the decision to the individual. I would like to think that you're not saying "nobody is allowed to be gay, put them in prison", but that you
are saying "God does not want man to be gay", then leaving it up to the autonomous individual to decide for themselves.
If you believe that sexuality is sacred, and I don't, I think that's a choice we're allowed to make for ourselves. I've always said that I support a Christian's right to speak out, but I also support my own right to speak out, and a gay person's right to speak out, too. I support a Christian's right to practice their faith, I also support an atheist's right not to. I support a straight Christian-preacher couples' right to refuse a gay person a wedding in their church, and I support a lesbian couples' right to a wedding by the state.
If we all get treated fairly in that, then I'm absolutely fine with that culture.
On another note, one question that Mr. Zacharias asks is "we as Christians, consider both race and sexuality sacred. Why do you sacralize ethnicity/race, but desacralize sexuality?"
I have a little problem with that question, because I don't think atheists make race sacred, and I don't think most atheists consider sexuality's default position "sacred" either. He's asking why we desacralize sexuality, but most of us have never believed it was sacred in the first place; we don't believe that sexuality has a default, holy position from whence it has fallen.
Personally, on race, I don't think what colour someone's skin is makes people any different, other than what colour their skin is. It seems like an insignificant thing; it's not important to me. People are people, and black people are black because of melanin protecting them from the sun. That's all it is.
Anyway, thanks for sharing!
