According to this article investigators are finding no evidence he was radicalized and are leaning towards another reason.
Do people seriously still talk like this?
There is no “gay lifestyle.” I know gay people who are married with children, both male couples and female couples. I know singles. I know long term couples. My dear friend who is my son’s godfather is a hockey fan, loves classical music, and doesn’t like show tunes, lol. He bakes bread and makes soup and distributes it to his neighbors.
I would suggest that someone who thinks that they “disagree with the gay lifestyle” is ignorant, or to put it more kindly, uninformed, not necessarily a bigot. (Although the chances of the latter are, frankly, higher than normal, given that these are more enlightened times.)
The article cited above certainly helps to promote the theory we want to believe by dispelling his faith as a factor. It is unfortunate that his faith that is rooted in non-violence, tolerance and compassion failed to restrain him from acting out his compulsion against LGBT.
Of course there is no correlation between this incident and what Farrokh Sekaleshfar preached at the Orlando mosque on how to show compassion towards LGBT people.
Imams/Preachers/Priests/Pundits/Rabbis can fill people’s minds with disdain towards LBGT but sane people don’t turn into mass murderes merely by listening to sermons.
Oh I’m pretty sure that it sure as heck helps if someone is surrounded by racist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc messages.
I’ve met a lot of people filled with hate towards LGBT people in my life. None of them come from a background of family and church which were kind towards LGBT people.
How can acts like this be a stain on a religion if they are in line with its dictats?
Because not all Muslims endorse killing, not all Christians hate LGBT or molest children, not all Jews support every step of Israel. Good people find good in their religions, bad people find bad things and neutral people pretty much live unaffected by what religious inheritance they get at their birth.
If only it were truly that simple. Oversimplifying , as well as overstating, helps to perpetuate hate, prejudice and bigotry.
To brand someone an “Islamophobe” is to condemn them as bigoted, racist, mindlessly fear-driven. Utterly dishonest, the “Islamophobe” smear aims to vilify rational discussion and render legitimate, important questions verboten.
I wish there were more endorsements of voices of reason like those of Tarek Fatah. His testimony (available on YouTube as “Respected Muslim scholar warns Canadian Senate Committee truth about Islam”) is helpful in understanding the root causes of radicalization taking place in Muslim communities in North America.
Likewise, Ayan Hirsi Ali has been dis-invited as a college speaker.
@fallenchemist The problem with the usage of “homophobia, homophobic, homophobe” to label those who disagree with the lifestyle choices others make, without really knowing whether that person has hate is his or her heart or not, is that it in and of itself hateful. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black as my grandparents say. I am a Christian, I believe the Bible, and I disagree with a lot of choices people make. I am just as much against people of the opposite sex being in a sexual relationship outside of marriage as I am people of the same sex, yet I don’t hate anyone. In fact, I have a cousin who I am very close to and love very much who is sleeping with her boyfriend. It makes me sad for her, but I don’t hate her. One of my best friends in college is a lesbian. She knows where I stand, but she also knows I care for her very deeply. Last day of class, she spent about an hour crying on my shoulder because she was going to miss her partner over the Summer. If I hated her, would I have comforted her like that? Of course that doesn’t matter to the people who are themselves the real haters who would label me a “homophobe” simply because I am a Christian.
That is a long explanation for a simple issue. The words under consideration are not specific to the issue you raise, which has often been simplified to “hate the sin, not the sinner”. Which of course only applies here if you think being gay is a sin. That is a personal belief you have chosen and have now expressed. Since the CC terms of service does not allow for topics such as politics and religion, I think that is enough. Not much more to say about it anyway.
@WorryHurry411 is apparently completely unaware of the numerous studies regarding peer pressure, mob mentalities, and related situations. WWII Germany is obviously the most egregious example, but it can happen far more easily than most people think.
People are calling your views, and you, homophobic, by extension, because they hold LGBT people to be inherently lesser. Just because you personally don’t go out and attack gay people, doesn’t mean that your ideology isn’t harmful to the LGB people who follow your faith and are trying to come terms with themselves ( (https://www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/this-is-what-happens-when-you-come-out-as-a-gay-christian?utm_term=.hcK4bVOGA#.grdv8NOKE), and to the broader political climate. I doubt that particular parties in the US wouldn’t hold to an anti-gay marriage stance (something that gave the poor spouses of Orlando victims, the right to visit them in the hospital, as Anderson Cooper pointed out), were it not for your ideology. I similarly doubt that they would oppose gay protections laws. Your views have implications.
It’s not hateful to be scared or wary of people who view gay people in this way. If I was your friend, I would have felt entirely uncomfortable around you. Indeed, you will find for many present-day LGB college students, being considered an ‘person I don’t hate but still a sinner’ for acting on our natural attractions and inclinations to achieve happiness, is not a grand sign of acceptance or tolerance. For people who suffer as a result of your views, your self-victimization will surely fall on deaf ears.
@logcase18 And it must be said – again – that LGBT is not a “lifestyle choice.” If it is, then you must have chosen to be straight. Since I never went though a decision process about my orientation – I’ve just always been straight – perhaps you could enlighten us about how that works. I have known straight, gay, lesbian, trans and bi people over the years, and not one of them has ever spoken even once about how they made the decision to go with their “lifestyle.” So I’m very curious.
A reminder that links to personal blogs are not allowed.
Unfortunately, @WorryHurry411 is fully aware of it but doesn’t agree with stereotyping of any group. Ultimately every individual is responsible for his or her actions.
Completely shifting gears… there might be one more bright spot that comes out of this horrible tragedy. The conversation around MSMs giving blood is intensifying. It has long been the opinion of the majority of health officials that believe the current policy against MSMs giving blood is outdated, discriminatory, and detrimental to people who need blood. We have very effective HIV screening processes that ALL blood goes through.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anywhere near the amount of debate around this as I have in the last week. I think we might be in a watershed moment for changing this policy.
I am also interested in the answer to your question.