“If the Catholic Church is responsible for homophobia, then why isn’t everyone obeying the rest of its teaching?”

Because it significantly easier to judge others than yourself. Knowing that ‘those people’ shouldn’t being doing something makes it easier to simply point and judge. Contraceptives and sex before marriage are personal things which people do in their own privacy. Everyone does them so the mentality is that it really isn’t a big deal. Very different to something a small group of people do.

Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of people in Malta who stupidly do not use contraceptives or who will not have sex before marriage (or more importantly have been married for years and years and believe that others shouldn’t, like Ms. Gonzi).

[Daphne – The fact that it is easier to judge others than oneself has nothing to do with religion. Religion grew out of human psychology, not human psychology out of religion. The three religions of the book originated as a system of law, with authority coming from a deity.]

Of course not. I’m simply saying that a significant number of individuals are strongly influenced by the church, so much so that if the church was to say gay marriage is a-ok then yes their belief would eventually change.

There are obviously also plenty of other individuals who are against same-sex marriage because of their ignorant, bigoted or antiquated beliefs and not because of Catholic belief, I never denied that.

Oh please, are you seriously suggesting that all those who are against same-sex marriage, divorce, euthanasia and abortion give a fig what any religion may say?

OBVIOUSLY if you remove religion you wouldn’t automatically remove homophobia, but again that doesn’t mean the two aren’t linked.

The link you posted below proves it!

Catholic belief is not in any way supportive of homosexuals and forbids same-sex marriage BUT the problem is that nosey twerps like O’Brien are encouraging civilians to take it to a civil level.

Christian marriage should never ever be forced to change for others but legal and civil marriage accommodate all consenting adult couples.

Religion doesn’t create homophobia, but it does encourage it.

[Daphne – I can’t see how, given that everything else it says is ignored, at least where there is no force of law. People do, think, say and believe what they want to do, think, say and believe, and that’s why Noel Arrigo sells so much Durex in Malta despite what the Catholic Church says. If people ignore the Church’s teaching on contraception, you can bet your last cent they’re going to ignore the Church’s teaching on whether you should have sex with somebody of the same gender, just as they already ignore, in their legions, Catholic teaching on any sort of sex outside marriage. If the Catholic Church is responsible for homophobia, then why isn’t everyone obeying the rest of its teaching? ]

And yes, if the Catholic Church suddenly declared that same-sex marriage is fine in the eyes of God, then support for it would increase dramatically.

[Daphne – You are quite wrong there. What would happen instead is that support for the Catholic Church would plummet further, while people’s views on same-sex marriage would remain the same. People reach their own conclusions on these matters, generally as a result of life experiences, at least where society is fairly well developed and people are sort of educated.]

If it feels like marriage and enjoys exactly the same responsibilities and benefits as marriage, why not call it marriage?

Your “argument” would lead to the forced annulment of all childless marriages.

[Daphne – In fact, they are not. Homophobia exists independently of religion and religion merely ‘encapsulates’ it. Religious laws and proscriptions did not come out of nowhere. Misogyny, for instance, is not CAUSED by religion. Religion gave a framework to a pre-existing (still independently existing) suspicion and fear of women. The fact is, if you remove religion, you do no remove homophobia or misogyny.]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/9121424/We-cannot-afford-to-indulge-this-madness.html

Thank you.