Something being normal doesn’t make it right. Obesity is normal. Shoplifting has become normal in many places. People getting drunk is normal. Normalcy doesn’t equal moral rectitude.
Why do the opinions of my ancestors bear on that, and which ones are you talking about? Most of the ones I can think of, unless you run back to the days of tribal europe, would see the culture today as hideously liberalized. Regardless a lot of my ancestors probably did a lot of things I don’t think are right. Heck, I’ve done plenty of things I don’t think are right. None of that effects what actually is and isn’t morally good.
If I’m not running around telling off couples who leave the bar together, what do you care?
Hijacking this comment because it seems to be the most recent. I’d love to start a private email thread with you if you’re willing to do so.
After the previous election, I felt wildly out of touch, and I’ve been trying to find people who I can talk to who might be able to help me improve understanding of my (metaphorical) neighbors. I suspect that our beliefs will be quite different, but I appreciate your willingness to provide long-form, respectful responses to so many comments here.
What makes me a "homophobic bigot"? If I believe sleeping with a woman before y'all marry is wrong, am I a premarital-sex-phobic bigot? Maybe standing with signs and saying mean things to people who do so, or lobbying to ban doing so, would qualify, but I'm not doing those things with either belief.
Most of the BS from modern christians is a byproduct of the church trying to control every aspect of a person's mind and body rather than being an expansion of their spiritualism. Traditional religion does not like free thinking amongst its worshippers. Puritans were amongst the worst and they have a huge influence on early Americans and their religions.
I agree with this to an extent actually, which has led me to conflict strongly with the structure of most denominations. There are a few exceptions (the Roman Catholic Jesuits are a good example) but I'd actually say the Roman Catholic Church contributed far more to the Church-as-a-power model than Puritans overall. That aside, some days, I get as much from reading Eckhart or Kierkegaard as a Newman or Aquinas.
Those "degenerate sex acts" were normal enough when the Bible was written that they were included in the Bible.
Most of our ancestors would regard modern Americans as hideously prudish.