Don't Box Me In!!

This discussion was based on a chapter about Christianity being a "straight-jacket".  We discussed freedom in life, religion, etc.  However, most of our discussion centered around the controversial issue of how homosexuality is viewed within Christianity.  As you can tell from the following comments, there were many differing opinions among our group.

Video:
There are so many rules out there; why does Christianity try to tell me how to live my life? 

1) everyone is following someone's rules
2) rules allow freedom

All rules are self-imposed at some level.  Rules are also set up by society and culture.  In the Bible, life knowledge and rules are codified in stories.  One argument is that you have more freedom if you have more rules; for example, you will live longer if you eat better and exercise more.

Christianity is different from other religions:
C: accepted -> then -> obey rules  (find a way to serve a God who loves you)
OR: obey rules -> then -> accepted  (do things to gain acceptance)

When you are in love, you change your actions, beliefs and thoughts because you want to please another person.  For that love to grow, the other person also has to do that.  In Christianity, God sacrificed himself for us and we therefore sacrifice for him.

SIDENOTE:
Homosexuality is viewed within Christianity------->
     1) love your neighbors
     2) scripture says it is wrong
     3) you must live within the design that God has set up to be truly happy; if you violate God's design, you will miss out on God's best

Video Debriefing:
In order to continue our discussion, we needed to define "freedom".
 

Freedom: the ability to realize our potential, within constraints placed on us

     "...freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions." (Keller, pg. 47)

Tenants of Freedom:
I) There are some good constraints on complete and utter freedom (or anarchy).  One example would be someone infringing on my right to exist, in that case we would want to impose on his freedom to infringe on my right. 
II) Natural restraints on freedom exist, such as the need to eat and sleep.
III) Self-imposed restraints exist, as well as societal restraints.  Some individual rights are sacrificed for the good of all.  Abiding by a form of government, people surrender certain freedoms and suffer limitations on their freedoms.

The reality is that everyone accepts restrictions on their freedoms.  Are these societal/individual/or universal?  If we are arguing for a universal moral law, where does it come from? 
A) Nature: innate human instinct to work in groups, reciprocal altruism
B) Divine: God set these moral laws in motion

HOMOSEXUALITY:
- nature or nurture or a combination?
- homosexuality exists in other species, so why is it condemned in humans as "unnatural"?
- if you are gay, you cannot "bear children together", so could these laws be holdovers from Israelites trying to breed a nation?

Arguments:
I) God says it is wrong, so it is wrong.  Even if you are born with a propensity for something, God can allow you to overcome it.
II) Socially, homosexuality has only recently been non-taboo.  Where will allowable relations stop?  (man with child?)
III) If we are using the Bible as a guide-book, why are we ignoring other things it has to say?  Like eating shellfish, or women not speaking in church, or wives being submissive, or wearing mixed linens?
IV) Homosexuality being wrong can mainly if not solely be argued from a Biblical stance.

SIDENOTE: All sins are equal in God's eyes, not in society's eyes.  If a person commits an act of homicide and another lies to her Mom, both sins are equal in God's eyes.  This means that we are all sinners and guilty; therefore God's grace is beneficial to us all.