First off, hello Russ. Welcome back <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

I hate to say it but it seems every time someone asks you for an explanation to an individual issue (not a dozen, not twenty, just one) - something which really only requires a smidgen of information, not volumes worth - you reply by sending them elsewhere and saying you won't do the homework for them.

Let's take your anti-homosexual remarks for starters. Someone asks you why you believe homosexuality causes self-harm and harm to others and you provide extremely vague answers, suggesting that we rush off to the library and delve deep deep deep into all sorts of distantly related material. You then follow this reply by saying that you won't do the homework for us. Nobody's asking for you to do the homework. We just want a straight forward answer. I'm not asking for volumes worth of information as an answer, I just want something more immediate (and obviously less lengthy.) Could we at least ask that you try to sum up your belief with a paragraph rather than directing us elsewhere and suggesting we perform in-depth research? If you were to ask me why I think cloning is or isn't morally proper (to use a random example) I could at least give you a few sentances to explain my rationale - and if then, ONLY AFTER having done this, I wished to provide a greater depth to my response, I might offer links and lists of 'suggestive reading', etc. Before you say 'Ah, but it's too complex of a question to answer to succinctly', bear in mind I could at least offer a fact-filled SUMMARY to literally any question you ask me about any subject.

With that said, I'd like to pose as brusque and polite a question as possible to you.

Without sending me to do research, without offering hyperlinks to videos and essays, would you please explain in a nutshell why you think that homosexuality causes harm to others. If you believe it has caused the downfall of civilizations, excellent. Can you please explain why you believe this? Can you provide one single example - not of a civilization which, in your opinion, fell solely due to homosexual acts, but of how said acts brought about its destruction? I'm not asking you to do my homework because I believe the answer to this last question should be easily provided in a few short sentences.

Let me give this a try to show you what I mean.

I don't believe homosexuality brings about the destruction of civilizations. But let's pretend I do. I will now give you a brief explanation as to why homosexuality brings about the destruction of civilizations.

"Homosexual behavior encourages additional homosexual behavior, just as drinking alcohol typically leads to a greater consumption thereof. This consequently causes a break down in the natural family structure of male-female parents and children which, in turn leads to the disintegration of all surrounding social structures, including the political framework of a society. Given enough time for homosexuality to be permitted and to persist, we can then see why even entire empires can topple by permitting such behavior. For further reading please see the following links (and then we imagine I have some links listed below.)"

Now, OK, I did just make that up off the top of my head and, furthermore, I don't really believe it, but for the sake of example you see what I'm looking for here. I don't believe homosexuals inflict pain upon themselves and others yet if I had to, I could create a reasonable sounding argument as to why they allegedly do. Now, I don't believe it and I can still make an argument in its favor. Can you make an argument in favor of something you do believe in? Can you give me something along those lines of the example argument I've created above? I'd be much obliged.