General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why are so many Christians so obsessed with homosexuality? [View all]johnnypneumatic
(599 posts)Christianity has mostly been patriarchal and authoritarian vs matriarchal and egalitarian. Authoritarian idealogies need internal and external enemies and need stark good vs evil black vs white dichotomies to focus their thought patterns to enhance their power. Thus Satan, who can be the external force always to beware of, but also one who can corrupt individuals and be the internal enemy, such as through demon possession, and cause disrespectful disobedient children who threaten the authority and moral values of the parent, and gasp! gay children(oh horror).
And for American Christianity and conservatism at least, the hated others, blacks, jews, communists, disobedient children, liberalism, sexual nonconformity, etc, have all been useful to focus attacks on as internal and external threats. But as society has changed, women getting the vote and some equality with men, anti-semitism being no longer acceptable especially after the holocaust, racism being no longer openly acceptable with the rise of civil rights for blacks, etc., the fall of soviet Russia, then the demonization of homosexuality has become the last acceptable phobia to focus hate and fear upon. And they desperately need to hold onto their enemies, or lose their power and purpose. Without Moby Dick, Ahab is a nobody with nothing to do.
Also, religion has in some ways evolved to function as a breeding strategy, and is useful for influencing and manipulation of the sexual behavior of children. A parent's success comes from many children and many more grandchildren. Large families and unlimited reproduction have been encouraged, while birth control, abortion, and unmarried children and homosexuality are the enemy to that goal. And to some extent, religion encourages reproduction to create more followers, and some of them attempt to outbreed other religious denominations that they don't regard as 'real Christians'.
They don't understand evolution however, and don't realize that homophobia is counter-productive to the degree that being LGBT is inborn or genetic. By forcing everyone to be good 'one man one woman' breeding units, they only produce more and more LGBT children, raising those gene percentages in the overall gene pool.
(yes, I can't help sarcasm creeping into everything I write)