Humorous column on gay marriage, by a Mormon.

[shemp]

linky winky (http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10798657)

What's more harmful to society - two well-dressed men getting married and settling down, or two idiots tying the knot and cranking out any number of additional idiots?

Most people get married when hormones and youth make them about as dumb as they'll ever be.

But if you're really serious about putting a stop to gay sex, let them get married.

[JihadJane]

God told me to do it.

[Travis]

I am letting everyone know I clicked the link for the article.

[Travis]

Link click was successful.

I found this to be what people refer to as "humorous":
"For example, I hear in church all the time about marriage being ordained of God. But I also hear about how the glory of God is intelligence.
Shouldn't it be against the law for stupid people to get married?"

I will now go back to being drab and boring.

[RandFan]

The only serious concern I have about gays getting married is that they'll register someplace pricey.:)

I like this guy. If it wasn't for the Mormon's iron fist on free thought I think you would find a lot more accepting Mormons.

The guy's got chutzpa. I'm not sure why he hasn't been excommunicated yet.

[catbasket]

:D


I'm not sure why he hasn't been excommunicated yet.

RandFan, is that a real possibility?

[JihadJane]

I will now go back to being drab and boring.

Good idea.

[luchog]

RandFan, is that a real possibility?

Having friends who were excommunicated for being similarly liberal and outspoke... I'd say it's a distinct possibility.

[1337m4n]

Recent Comments:

"11/10/2008 4:11:00 PM -- bbllrrgggrg my names wilford brimley and i got diabeetus...if u got diabeetus you need to check it...and check it often"

...Wtf?

[Soapy Sam]

It has occurred to me in the past that if there are "gay genes", they are passed on (like any other genes) via heterosexual sex.
ergo, in a society where homosexual relationships are totally open and unremarkable, there is likely to be an actual decrease in the propagation of such genes in the population as a whole- unless the gene is entirely maternal in origin.

[ImaginalDisc]

It has occurred to me in the past that if there are "gay genes", they are passed on (like any other genes) via heterosexual sex.
ergo, in a society where homosexual relationships are totally open and unremarkable, there is likely to be an actual decrease in the propagation of such genes in the population as a whole- unless the gene is entirely maternal in origin.

Nope. Genetics are more compliacted than that.

First, homosexual behavior may have only some genetic component. Exclusively homosexual or heterosexual behavior as a sexual identity would have looked very strange to, for example, the Ancient Romans. Julius Ceasar was mocked not for having relations with men, but for allegedly "taking the woman's role." Being the "dominant" partner would have ellicited no comment in his time.

Secondly, assuming there is a genetic component to homosexuality that make someone exclusively attracted to their own sex, that gene(s) may have a low penetrance (the tendency of a gene to be expressed.) Many genes you inherit lie dormant for part or all of your life, and the mechanisms behind whether or not they get expressed are largely mysterious at this time.

Thirdly, homosexuality -if it has a genetic component- can be evolutionarily favored and passed on by close relatives. If a homosexual family member devotes more time to helping their family than they've have availble if they took care of their own children, and if that behavior had a genetic component, then they're be helping the genes fr homosexuality survive. There are plenty of situations where exploiting the biological altruism of humans is a good way to spread genes, including the spread of genes for a proclivity to such altruism. This scenario is even more likely to occur in some tribal societies where the mother's family take care of children, since paternity a can be uncertain. A homosexual male can help raise many children and contribute to their survival without ever siring a child himself.

The data do suggest strongly that same-sex attraction has some genetic component.

[Soapy Sam]

I think you missed the "if".

I agree human genetics and society are very complex. This is not a thread about the detail of either.
But IF those most likely to possess a gene which biases them towards non-reproductive sex are freed of societal / cultural pressure to have heterosexual relationships, it's hard to see how the spread of that gene could not be negatively impacted- unless the gay gene is not passed on by gay men at all, even heterosexually, but by their female relatives.

I would not expect it to become extinct in any case, just to settle at a lower stable level.

Perhaps time will tell?

[ImaginalDisc]

I think you missed the "if".

I agree human genetics and society are very complex. This is not a thread about the detail of either.
But IF those most likely to possess a gene which biases them towards non-reproductive sex are freed of societal / cultural pressure to have heterosexual relationships, it's hard to see how the spread of that gene could not be negatively impacted- unless the gay gene is not passed on by gay men at all, even heterosexually, but by their female relatives.

I would not expect it to become extinct in any case, just to settle at a lower stable level.

Perhaps time will tell?

That's the issue of biological altruism, which is a pretty amazing area of research. Consider the bee. There is only one reproductive member of a hive and all the other members are fiercely devoted to improving her reproductive fitness. In this example, there are vast numbers of organisms with no direct reproduction, but their efforts contribute indirectly to the propagation of their genes by making their reproductive relative more fit.

At a lower level, biological altruism leads to "kin selection" at a level we're more familiar with, where organisms including humans are more likely to sacrifice time and energy, even their own lives, to the fitness of their relatives. Complex social environments, which are the rule of how humans live, are an ideal place for elaborate altruistic relationships to arise. We honor those who defend us from harm even when they are not out own family. We applaud the efforts of researchers who cure diseases, even the afflictions of people they are not related to. These behaviors have made us strong, and in such environments, there is plenty of room for the voluntarily non-reproductive and those whose genes give them a tendency to be non-reproductive. In fact, genes which make people altruistic can be passed in this situation even if the most altruistic never breed.

[RandFan]

RandFan, is that a real possibility?Sadly yes. I've read far too many accounts of people who question church authority and are excommunicated. It depends on the leaders. If they perceive that excommunication in this instance will bring too much unwanted publicity they might not. There clearly have been some excommunications that the church has regretted from a PR stand point.

[-=Vagrant=-]

I love that mormon man, in a completely straight way.

[Gazpacho]

...Wtf?
4chan crap. It's everywhere.