We should boycott Uganda and isolate, ostracize, deny them all economica aid, and drive them to their knees economically.

The Scriptures teach that homosexuality is both a sin and a crime. The law should stand.

Fascistic bigots with absolute dictatorial power don’t care about boycotts or assistance. They are megalomaniacs besotted with power over their own people, and their people’s poverty and despair is of no concern to them.
Nonetheless, I agree that the U.S. should work to isolate and marginalize the Ugandan leadership, until the people there can form a sane government. The other thing the U.S. should do is learn from this situation–learn what happens when fascistic bigots are placed in positions of power.
I won’t say we are close to having a right-wing religious-fascist dictatorship in America, but I am frankly scared of ANY movement in that direction. We saw some movement in that direction during Dubya’s terms as president (e.g., filling federal governmental posts with graduates of bottom-tier Christian law schools that indoctrinate their students with right-wing dogma) and it is still going on today (see NY Times editorial on the educational travesties taking place in Texas).

Well, YourName II:
So the law should stand BECAUSE the Bible condemns homosexuality. That is the textbook definition of theocracy. If you happen to live in America, I suggest a relocation to Uganda or some other place where theocracy is in place.

“The Scriptures teach that homosexuality is both a sin and a crime.”
No, Your Name, it doesn’t. It does say that lieing with a man “as with a woman” is “an abomination” – but it says the exact same thing about eating shrimp. So, I presume you’re in favor of 14 years hard labor for Ugandan shrimp eaters too, no?
And then we’d have to examine what that Scripture verse actually means. Now let’s see … who exactly “lies with” women? That would be heterosexual men. So in reality, the verse is saying that heterosexual men shouldn’t lie with men in the same way “as” they do with women (which, in fact would pertain to BI-sexual men, since homosexual men don’t “lie with” women – in any manner).
We would also have to examine exactly what “as with a woman” means. At that time, women were chattel (aka property) and they could be used for sex at whim. And to “lie with a man” in the same fashion is what would be the abomination – treating a man like another man’s property: THAT is the “abomination”.
Then, too, we would have to examine the fact that this prohibition applied to the nomadic, Bronze Age Levite tribe. They were also told that disobedient children should be put to death, the victims of incest were to be put to death, and communion was to be denied to the disabled.
Yours is an erroneous, simplistic, false ‘understanding’ of Scripture.
Oh, and I noticed you don’t even comment on the American ‘evangelical’ involvement in this heinous miscarriage of justice. Typical, I must say.

TO Heretic_for_Christ… Because Uganda was founded “one nation under God” right? LOL Your foolishness amuses me. You would be having a bitch fit if Uganda was striping away the rights of Christians and not allowing them to spread their religious beliefs in that country.
The truth is there are and always will be LGBT people in the world, in every corner. You need to realize we are HUMANS too. Would you persecute Jews, Muslims, Hindu monks, or other religions because of their CHOICE in faith? I’m assuming you believe homosexuality is a choice and even if it was, that choice would still be a basic human right. And yes, I agree, people agreeing with you should relocate to Uganda.

Josh,
Why are you yelling at me? I’m on your side. In my comment to YourName II, I quoted what he/she had posted (the Bible says, therefore the law is good, blah blah blah) and then that suggested that relocation to some theocratic state might be a good idea for people who think the Bible should be the basis of government.

The New Commandment teaches we should love each other as God loves us. This is not a renegotiation or an amendment. It is the new standard, measurement, and rule. Therefore, hating homosexuals, transexuals, Moslems, Jews, Hindus, Pagans, blacks, hispanics, asians, whites, old people, young people, left handed people, mixed race people, business people, poor people, politicians, military indistrialists, oil executives or rig workers, miners or mine owners, or ANYONE else – violates this commandment (not a suggestion or a guideline).
Hate is not Christian – it is not of Christ – it is not of God. Hate takes your breath away – your life away – so it is not of the Holy Spirit either. Anyone who hates, dismisses, or simply ignores someone because of their hertiage, culture, or affection choices is NOT of God. Their God is their Hate. Until they lose it their faith is in their hate, their joy is in their animosity, and they have no hope for peace.
The problem is – Christians are challenged to love even people who hate. For crying out loud, God sure makes this all difficult.

Your NameII on May 26, 2010 9:20 AM wrote: “The Scriptures teach that homosexuality is both a sin and a crime. The law should stand.”
Your Name II, the Scriptures also teach: “If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be CUT OFF from their people.” Leviticus 20:18.
How about a Ugandan law punishing all those good Christian men having sex with their wives during their menstual cycles.

This information is just sickening, plain and simple. Outside of the very terrible influence such vitriolic hate has on the spirits of the people in Uganda, gay and straight, is what this does to the reputation of Christ’s people in the world at large. Unfortunately, secular people who encounter something like this take it as another good reason to reject Christianity. Whereas the wonderful things happening in the Episcopal church barely register in the secular mind. These evangelicals are servants of Satan by any serious theological definition, and I pray for their souls.

The one thing I see in this is the hate and loathing that is in the hearts of these “Americans” who went to Uganda and help set this in motion. Again, a wonderful example of say one thing here in the U.S. and do something else in Uganda. This is the truth of these men.
I am a gay man and a Wiccan (one of the Pagan religions) and I find this appalling, disgusting and utterly loathsome. For those of us outside of Christianity, it’s another reminder of the hate we too frequently encounter by ‘good’ Christians. I know not every Christian is like this but those who cause and or assist things like this, here or elsewhere, are the loudest of Christians and generally put in a lot of money to move things as they want. People and Christians are speaking out about this atrocity but still; one doesn’t here much about it on the news. I find myself wondering why so much silence from those who profess their god is love?

jestrfyl, excellent post!!!
The law regarding homosexuality in Uganda is outrageous. The fact that so called Christians, from the US or anywhere else support it, is equally outrageous. They do not represent Christianity at all. Hate is not supposed to be part of that faith, from the teaching I received as a child and young adult.

Excellent question, Gwyddion.
My attempt at an answer (as one who has given up on all religions):
Dogmatic religion, based on some set of sacred scripture, is ALWAYS at risk of drifting toward and slipping into fanaticism. The more dogmatic, the greater the risk. The fanatics, speaking with the absolute assurance that characterizes dogmatism, offer a “stronger” message than more thoughtful people who see beyond binary categories of good-bad, saved-damned, with-against God, etc. Naive people seeking faith are easily seduced into thinking that the stronger, clearer message of the fanatics is the “true faith.” What they don’t get is that binary thinking ALWAYS leads to hatred, for all those who are NOT with-God-and-saved must therefore be without-God-and-damned. Unfortunately, the thoughtful people soon become discouraged if not intimidated at the prospect of telling the fanatics to shut up and stop befouling their faith with their mindless hatreds. And so, fanaticism grows and eventually becomes the dominant persona of the religion. This is why I have said that fanaticism is a cancer; and just as a cancer in medicine not only spreads and kills distantly but also kills the tissue or organ in which it arises, the cancer of fanaticism spreads and kills distantly (those outside the faith) but also kills its source (the faith in which it emerged).

Although I do not doubt some conservative christian influence in the matter, 37 African nations have anti-gay laws. Neither Malawi, or the rest, were completely or even predominantly influenced by Christianity. Sharia also has an influence, and more importantly there is a definitive african cultural taboo against homosexuality that transcends religion. That unspoken taboo has even influenced the african american community’s views on the subject, which are decidely anti gay.

If these intolerant, evil people want to get literalistic, they should at least read into the nonsense they’re spouting.
In Leviticus, Onan would rather “spill his seed on the ground” than impregnate his dead brother’s wife, which was demanded under Jewish law at the time. The “sin” was disobeying this levirate law, and refusing to provide an heir for his dead brother. Not masturbating per se.
Much later, due to the empire-building nature of the Romans when they took over and corrupted the teachings of Jesus at the Council of Nicaea, they wanted the newly created Roman Catholics to “go forth and multiply” and take over the entire Godforsaken World (which they have done ever since, for whatever fabricated reasons) so they twisted the sin of Onan into meaning that any sexual act which could not possibly lead to procreation was a sin.
Aren’t they a lovely bunch of shiny happy people, huh?
Bytheway, yes I was raised Catholic.

Very very disturbing AND appaling and yes, “not every Christian is like this.”

Not the first thing christianity has started resulting in death, remember the crusades.
Catholic

I’m not opposed to the law entirely just the death part, maybe kids being raised were it’s illegal to be gay would lessen the interest in experimenting by the young. Drugs are illegal and it’s a crime resulting in less people doing it and society frowning upon it. America has accepted homo-sexuality and it’s exploded in the last 10-20yrs, I guarantee if you legalized recreational drug use(of all narcotics) the same thing would happen.
Christian

steve o,
News-flash #1: Kids do not experiment with homosexuality for the fun of it. There are some adolescents who are genuinely uncertain about their sexual orientation, and they may experiment for a short time until their true nature–whether heterosexual or homosexual or, less commonly, bisexual–becomes evident to them. Try to think! Back when you were a kid, was societal disapproval the main thing that stopped you from bedding down with the boy next door? Or was it that you had a clear sexual orientation that was and is an innate part of your personality, and that is not a function of society’s attitudes?
News-flash #2: Criminalizing substance abuse does not curtail its use. Go to Google and look up the following terms: “Prohibition,” “18th amendment.” “21st amendment.”
News-flash #3: Homosexuality has not exploded in the last 10-20 years. It has been around all the time, but kept hidden because gay people had legitimate fear for their freedom, their jobs, and sometimes their lives if “decent people” (rhymes with bigots) found out. What has happened in recent years is that gay people have, increasingly, stopped trying to live their lives according to the dictates of bigots.
Please review these 3 items carefully. There will be a short quiz later.

Good for Uganda! If only we could enforce a similar law in the so-called “developed” world. It is neither hateful, sinful, nor immoral to oppose (and criminalize) BEHAVIOR God has clearly said He hates and that He has deemed worthy of death. Any other response is calling evil good and good evil, another behavior God hates.
And this is also loving, not hateful, to homosexuals as people, all of whom Christ died for and of whom God wants in His Kingdom. By condoning the behavior, we send a wrong message that those with the orientation do not have any sin they need to settle with God. It may sound nice and inclusive now, but when they are condemned for eternity, they will curse the “Christians” who welcomed them for not warning them instead.

Why is The United States getting involved in another countries affairs? That’s the problem with The United States (US), we concern ourselves with to many other affairs of international origin. Our backyard has to many issues going on but yet, we still focus on what is going on across the street. It is not The United States, UN. or any other countries business what or how this gay bill fall. What we need to be focusing on is certain Muslims from within The United States that are actually trying to bring Sharia Law into the US. How about that? Let Uganda deal with Uganda. The United States, as well as other countries have no business threatening the Ugandan government about what action they will take in their own county if this bill is pass. How dare you? What a group of international bullies!!! For these countries to cut the aid of Uganda because of their government is dirty and disguisting.

Benevolus,
Do you have a tattoo? Have you ever eaten shellfish? Are you divorced? Have you ever played football? Have you ever had a Beatles haircut? Have you ever worn polyester? Then you also deserve to be put to death just as you say homosexuals should be put to death.
“To which I say: If you’re going to ignore the section of Leviticus that bans about tattoos, pork, shellfish, round haircuts, polyester and football, how can you possibly turn around and quote Leviticus 18:22 (“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”) as irrefutable law?”

To Benevolus…continued:
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–Ephesians 2:8
Seems you have forgotten about the New Testament and the age of Grace, through Jesus’ death on the cross…not to mention the love and compassion He demonstrated toward the most despicable people of His time. Read the New Testament..its part of the Bible too ;o