Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:34 am
Disagreeing with homosexuality is discrimination.
HomoPHOBIA is being scared of gays.
HomoPHOBIA is being scared of gays.

I think people make way too big of a deal out of it. Do you really think it's creepy when a 50 year old man finds a 25 year old woman to be attractive? (Not that I'm judging you, I'm just curious to know.) People make a big deal out of it to themselves (like you said you feel you should "censure" yourself), because *other* people make a big deal out of it. But I'm sure a lot of those people have or have had the exact same thoughts. In short, I think society is too spastic about age when it comes to being attracted to younger people. You just named the 14-17 range, but like I said before: people are fully grown fysically and can even conceive at this age. In the end, it's all about biology and our natural state as 'animals' (even though some forum members don't want to admit it): our current thoughts about what is or isn't appropriate when it comes to sexual relationships is a product of our society, but it's not the 'natural' state with which we have lived for tens of thousands of years.Disney's Divinity wrote:True, there's nothing wrong with it considering people have adult features around 15 and up, but it's always creepy to me to hear older men/women talking about people half (or a quarter) their age, personally.
But I was mostly thinking about people who are technically underage (14-17 range). Because they are considered "off limits," it is a little awkward to comment on their attractiveness. Occasionally though, I'm thinking, "If I were 16 right now..."
That's all well, but then why *are* so many people "puppets" to their chemicals in their brains? People with Down syndrome, people who are schizophrenic, people who are autistic, people with any other mental illness: all this is caused in the brains; it's not a 'mistake' in the 'soul'. And like I said before: when you get brain-damage, you lose the ability to do certain things, like remember certain past events. Think of Alzheimers: did the 'soul' suddenly give up? No, it's the brains which default. Without them, we can't do anything. There are people who can't feel anything in their legs or arms, because their brains don't send any signals to their veins anymore. They didn't lose the ability to feel because of their 'souls'.David S. wrote:[...] I like to think that there is more to my Humanity than just being a puppet under the control of random chemicals in the brain that control my emotions. And that's where the belief in things like having a unique human spirit, or "soul" comes in. [...]
Well, we obviously disagree there. But we drift away from the actual point and that is that Disney Duster said he didn't "agree" with scientific research on what causes things like love and I said there's no "disagreeing" with them, because you can't disagree with facts. Facts are just there. So, given we know that emotions like love and sadness etc. all stem from signals in our brains, we can't "disagree" with that.David S. wrote:[...] Just because you cannot see something with your eyes, quantify it, study it, classify it, and label it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Amen to that, brother!David S. wrote:But let us agree to disagree as we are unlikely to change each others' minds and neither one can "prove" our position.
Go tell that to the Westboro Baptist Church of Fred Phelps.toplaycool22 wrote:God says hatred over people is like murder, so hatred against a person is a sin in God's eyes. So, Christians do not hate Homosexuals.
I disagree. The way gays and lesbians are treated is a question of human rights. In lots of countries around the world, they are prosecuted, jailed, tortured and even murdered for who they are. Christians are also prosecuted in some parts of the world, so you'd think they'd be more sympathtic to the pledge of gay people, because they know what it's like to be abused because of who you are.toplaycool22 wrote:[...] People need to stop making untrue blanket statements about people who disagree with homosexuality. We have a lot of important things going in this world, arguments on whether being gay is right or wrong should not be on top of the list.
Well yes, I would agree that "chemicals in the brain" can cause mental disabilities. But where we disagree is the idea that ALL emotions and higher consciousness, and things like souls and spirituality, can only originate from the brain. Just because people may have the type of disabilities you mentioned, doesn't mean they don't have a soul.Goliath wrote: That's all well, but then why *are* so many people "puppets" to their chemicals in their brains? People with Down syndrome, people who are schizophrenic, people who are autistic, people with any other mental illness: all this is caused in the brains; it's not a 'mistake' in the 'soul'. And like I said before: when you get brain-damage, you lose the ability to do certain things, like remember certain past events. Think of Alzheimers: did the 'soul' suddenly give up? No, it's the brains which default. Without them, we can't do anything. There are people who can't feel anything in their legs or arms, because their brains don't send any signals to their veins anymore. They didn't lose the ability to feel because of their 'souls'.
If you are talking about physical lust as "love", than I would have to agree that this stems from the "brain", or biology. However, as you said in another post, no one knows why the brain releases chemicals which are associated with certain emotions, so IMO it is plausible that those emotions can come from a higher place than the mere physical matter of the body, and that they, in turn can be the *cause* for these "chemical reactions" in the brain you are talking about, rather than the *effect*. Like if 2 people have a mutual love that is based on feeling a deep, spritual connection based on having common opinions, emotions, beliefs, and interests, and feel like "soulmates", who's to say that this connection is caused by some primal, chemical, signal in the brain? Seems to cheapen the ideas of choice, free will, and love, in my opinion. It's like saying the reason I love the movie, Dumbo more than another movie, Bambi, is because some stupid chemical in my brain has predetermined that I will like Dumbo more than Bambi! So in a way, the idea that all these random "chemicals in the brain" can determine who and what we are, and determine our emotions and spirits, is to me just as OPPRESSIVE as the Calvinistic religious idea of "predestination", which states that souls are predestined from birth to be "good" or "bad", and that the choices we make don't matter. Which is why I said in my other post, that I feel that over-reliance on blind faith in religious dogma OR science to attempt to explain everything, including things that can't be explained, can suck the magic and wonder out of life, and cheapen things like individuality, free will, Love, Art, and the spirit.Well, we obviously disagree there. But we drift away from the actual point and that is that Disney Duster said he didn't "agree" with scientific research on what causes things like love and I said there's no "disagreeing" with them, because you can't disagree with facts. Facts are just there. So, given we know that emotions like love and sadness etc. all stem from signals in our brains, we can't "disagree" with that.
I think we will just have to agree to (respectfully) disagree. I still say that the "chemicals in the brain" theory works best when describing physical attraction or lust, rather than love. As for why relationships fail, there are many reasons this can happen beyond "chemicals in the brain" starting to fade away. This was discussed by many other posters in the now-locked "Malta divorce" thread. Sometimes people DO change, or they think the other person is a certain way and then they realize they aren't who they thought they were. These are just a few examples. In these cases, it's not so much "chemicals in the brain" changing, as much as people realizing that they were a poor judge of character, or the other person fooled them, or changed, etc.Goliath wrote: As for 'soulmates' and all that: whether or not you like someone and how you feel about them is also a direct result of chemicals coming from your brains. It's like when you've just fallen in love and have just started a relationship. Everything about her seems great to you: she's perfect, she can do no wrong, all her quirks are cute to you. But then after a few months, suddenly she doesn't seem 'perfect' anymore, and what was first cute to you, is now starting to annoy you. What happened? She didn't change, you changed, because the chemicals that make you feel 'in love' are starting to fade away. That's why couples who've been together for a long time often say they're not "in love" anymore, yet they still "love" each other.
In the end, it all comes down to our brains. Take them out of the equasion, and you won't feel a single thing anymore.
Again, I feel we are talking about two completely different things and you may have misinterpreted me. I didn't mean to say people never change, or that "chemicals" are the (sole) reason why relationships go bad. All I said, was that people think their partner is 'perfect' in the first stage of their relationship, when they're "in love", but don't feel that way anymore after a few months, when they're not "in love" anymore, but still "love" their partner. That doesn't mean their relationship has gone bad. It can still be a great and loving relationship. It's just that whatever made us feel that the other person was 'perfect' is not working anymore. And that's our brain at work.David S. wrote:[...] As for why relationships fail, there are many reasons this can happen beyond "chemicals in the brain" starting to fade away. [...] Sometimes people DO change, or they think the other person is a certain way and then they realize they aren't who they thought they were. [...] In these cases, it's not so much "chemicals in the brain" changing, as much as people realizing that they were a poor judge of character, or the other person fooled them, or changed, etc.
Yes, that's what I think is most likely. I'm not saying this is 100% true, because I don't know, but I think it's true.David S. wrote:I believe in the immortality of the soul (aka the "afterlife" aka Heaven). And if these things are tied ONLY to the brain, by that logic, when the brain and body are dead, a person or animal would cease to exist, and not be conscious of their spirit.
I have responded anyway, because I thought I had some point to clarify. Obviously, if you don't feel like responding, there's no pressure to do so. But if you choose to do so, I welcome your response. Just know I respect your opinion.David S. wrote:This idea goes against everything I believe in. But if you have a different opinion, I would really prefer not to continue to "debate" this, as neither side can "prove"our point in a scientific manner, because of the intangible nature of the subject.
But why does Dylan resonate with me, but not with others? Why do I like certain of his songs and albums that have been trashed by fellow fans? Why do I like Rapunzel while someone else hates her? Like you said: not because of logical reasons, but for emotional reasons. But I think you are mistakenly tying 'logical' or 'rational' with 'brain functions', while at the same time placing 'emotions' outside of the realm of brain functions. Just because something resonates with me emotionally, doesn't mean that isn't caused by a reaction in my brains. It may not be logical or rational, but that doesn't matter. *Everything* is regulated by our brains, including emotions. We don't choose them; we don't choose which emotions we want to experience. The thing I'm trying to say, which I don't think David or you grasp, is that our brains and nerve system react a certain way without us knowing why they do.Disney Duster wrote:In fact(pun strangely fitting), a forum is not just a place for facts. You like Bob Dylan's music not because you logically understand it, but you just believe it means something because it feels like it does to you, and feels so great. You said you like Rapunzel more not because of logical reasons, but you just find her more endearing. So I can say that if even science says it's a fact chemicals make my feelings, I feel inside myself that that is not the case, it does not feel that way to me, my feelings feel much more than that, and so it is perfectly fine for me to argue or state my opinion with that.
I didn't say that because it was *you* who was saying it. I would've said the same to *anyone* who would come up with such a post. Your hypothetical story about "my soul would still know it would love Disney, even though I wouldn't know what Disney was" (all that stuff) is ridiculous. Because it has no basis; it has no support; it doesn't come from anywhere; it's not even plausible; it's totally unreal; in short: it's a figment of your imagination. And I don't feel bad about telling you that, because frankly, Duster, after having read a lot of the things you wrote on the forum the past months, you're feeling "hurt" awfully, awfully easy, to a point where even somebody's opinion about a Pixar film "hurt" you. And I simply can't take such things into account when I'm writing a normal reply.Disney Duster wrote:What you said was rather awful, I never said to anyone "your posts aren't good enough for anyone to have to respond to you anymore" like you basically said to me!
Thank YOU!Disney Duster wrote:David S., you are just flat out awesome and very good at debating this. Thank you.
That reminds me of Shakespeare's "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." But I think most people who see through that are just self-aware. Most people realize over time that their emotions blind them to reality and force themselves to confront it in their relationships.Disney Duster wrote:Well Goliath, not everyone thinks their partner is perfect when they're in love.
That's probably best. However, if you have any thoughts on my last reply to you, I'll be glad to read it.Disney's Divinity wrote:As for the debate, I'm really not getting involved here.
