Quote Originally Posted by Oneironaut
Well, yes, as a matter of fact I have... If you think Jews deserve to be burned in gas chambers, you hate the Jews, and if you think gays and lesbians deserve to be burned in hell, you hate gays and lesbians.
The fact that the Christian Scriptures teach that sinners who haven't received Christ's forgiveness go to hell doesn't mean they also teach Christians should scream insults at them and mock their dead. Its that simple. In fact, in my post above I already showed two verses from the New Testament that teach just the opposite... that we are to be gentle, kind, loving, and respectful toward non-Christians. It is possible to believe someone is committing an action which may lead to severe punishment and still be gentle, kind, loving, and respectful toward them. And in fact, that is exactly what the Christian Scriptures call us to do. And you have yet to show otherwise. The entire point of Christianity is that the New Testament supersedes the Old Testament. It is based on the teachings of Christ and his disciples (hence "Christ"-ianity) found in the New Testament. Christ changed things. We no longer follow the Old Testmant unless its commands are repeated in the New (as is the case with the 10 commandments you bring up).

The animal sacrifices are not repeated in the New Testament... hence no Christians practice that. Killing people for sexual sins is not repeated hence Christians don't practice that (and Christ even stopped people from stoning a woman for sexual immorality in the New Testament).

God teaches that those who rebel against Him and his morals go to hell. But He also teaches that Christians should be gentle, respectful, kind, and loving toward those who are rebelling... in order to hopefully persuade them that God has their best interest in mind and does not want them to go to hell. 1 Tim. 2:4 says God wants "all men to be saved," and the verses I cited above say we're to be kind and respectful to non-Christians to hopefully persuade them of the truth.

You can cite all the Old Testament verses you want to prove your ill-conceived misconceptions about Christianity... but again, the Old Testament isn't what Christianity is based on. And the Westboro Baptists are not what Christianity is based on. It is based on the New Testament. And you have not been able to answer my New Testament verses showing that love, gentleness, respect, and kindness are the ways Christians are called to treat non-Christians. You haven't even produced a single applicable verse.

I've got family members I love who are homosexuals. They know where I stand (only because they've asked). But they also aren't idiots. They know that it would be just as "intolerant" for me to misrepresent and/or disrespect them for their religious and sexual beliefs as it would be for them to disrespect me for mine. Arguing about whether or not the belief in eternal hell is a "moral belief" (and for that matter, whether or not beliefs in and of themselves can even be moral or immoral) is pointless... without an authoritative moral Being or Guide we both submit to, neither of us can be sure the other is right. All we can do is co-exist peacefully and respectfully.

Also, I didn't say God ordered the execution of kids who tell white lies. I said he doesn't hate homosexuals any more than he hates people who tell white lies. He hates sin, but loved the world so much he died for it. He wants those who are disobedient to turn from their sin and be forgiven. While you (along with the Westboro crazies) focus only on the "hate" of God, you ignore the ultimate act of love God committed on the cross... and in doing so you make yourself look as close-minded and blind to love as you try to make Christians out to be.