This poll also confirms earlier findings that there is a significant ethnic division among Catholics on this issue, with 55% of Hispanic Catholics believing the church is too conservative on homosexuality, compared to 43% of white non-Hispanic Catholics holding the same view.

…3.9% for Catholics, 8.3% for Latino Catholics…

I’m not sure I see confirmation of significant ethnic division. These numbers – while 12 points apart – are within the margin of error.

And the poll may not be comparing like things. Hispanic Catholics are predominantly located in specific geographies – often places where other Catholics are also more liberal.

So it would be relevant to look at Hispanic Catholics in Los Angeles v. non-Hispanic White Catholics in Los Angeles. Or at the Hispanic/non-Hispanic Catholics in Wichita.

But a sample that finds Hispanic Catholics in Los Angeles are more likely to support marriage equality than non-Hispanic Catholics in Wichita (for example), may be seeing something other than significant ethnic division.

The gospel was good news because… the news was good. No longer was man subject to the Law And Punishment paradigm but instead are to base their lives in love, charity, forgiveness, kindness, and decency towards others.

And, you see, to a Christian (the kind you think aren’t saved believers) that sounds pretty good. That’s news that we can believe in.

But ask yourself, Robert, what exactly is good about the news you bring? Is it that if I don’t worship your deity the way that you say he wants to be worshiped and if I don’t follow his rules then he will torment me for eternity? Is it that your deity demands that I live a life absent of love or romance, never having a first kiss, a walk on the beach, candlelit dinners, falling in love, committing to that relationship, experiencing the ecstasy of physical expression of that love, growing old together, and looking back on a life of fulfillment, joy, and love?

Is it that I get to choose between celibacy and Hell? Is that supposed to be good news?

Because frankly, brother, your deity really sounds like an asshole.

Thank you for illustrating my rule of thumb: those who capitalize “truth” have none to share.

When you speak of “Truth”, it is the “I believe it and don’t care if it is factual” variety. The “my religion says it so I can declare it to be Truth” sort of nonsense that has to value or sway.

It matters not one whit to you that sexual orientation is significantly (though perhaps not entirely) biologically based. It does not matter that sexual non-conformity as observed in very young children is strongly correlated with homosexual or bisexual orientation.

In order for your church’s anti-gay political activism to be anything other than monstrous and evil, you have to believe that you are not persecuting your neighbor but his “choice” instead. So you declare that to be the “Truth.”

It matters not a whit to you that the actions taken and words spoken by you and those who share your version of Christianity are directed to hurt, punish, humiliate, and deprive living breathing gay people. It is of no concern that any unbiased observer would see such behavior as hateful and cruel. Your church wishes to continue in such actions and so simply declares that you are hating your neighbor’s “sin” but – contradictory to every evidence – you actually love the neighbor whom you are treating so poorly.

And as you cannot really in your heart of hearts believe such a thing, you tell yourself – and us – that it it “Truth.” Unable to deal with truth, you replace it with a lie and in order to avoid even considering the subject, you capitalize the word, declare it to be the equivalent of God, and put faith in the lie. The “Truth” is your idol, which you dare not look at too closely.

Sorry, Robert, but God has a higher standard than that. You can’t just go on “my church says so” as evidence when you stand before Him and justify your bigotry, arrogance, and malice. You can’t tell God that it’s “Truth” no matter what he says.

You see, Robert, God has no use for mindless robotic adherence to The Law, absent of any understanding (or desire for understanding) of his grace and love.

If you want to know what God thinks of your “Truth”, read Matthew 25.

Oh and what they said too – my sexuality isn’t a choice anymore than you can choose to breathe or not breathe instinctively.

“Nobody is born gay, it is a choice.”

So, how come only gays have a choice, never heterosexuals? I’ve never heard of any heterosexual expain how, one day when he was 13 perhaps, it was his time to choose and he talked it over with his friends and family, weighed the pros and cons and finally chose heterosexuality. You’d think heterosexuals would reminisce about that fateful day all the time. Gays too.

What about you, did you have a choice? When did you decide? What factors did you consider? Did you do any research?

What, it just happened? You were just horny as hell and had wet dreams and you couldn’t help yourself? You didn’t choose heterosexuality; it chose you?

So, why does God give gays a choice that he doesn’t give heterosexuals? Why does He privilege gays that way? What did heterosexuals do to be denied this grace? Doesn’t God trust heterosexuals?

And, if he gave gays a choice, wouldn’t it be ungrateful and contrary to God’s manifest will for gays to refuse their God-given choice and instead act as if they were heterosexual and had no choice?

Frankly, Robert, like all born heterosexuals, you were born completely ignorant of homosexuality. The only people who can teach heterosexuals about homosexuality are homosexual. Listen to them. They ALL say homosexuality wasn’t a choice.