You mean like the theory of gravity, or the theory of evolution?

If you 'think through' homosexuality and/or equal marriage and decide that either or both are wrong (or should be treated in any way differently to heterosexuality), then you have not arrived at your conclusion 'with conscience', but with bigotry.

The values you live by might actually be similar to mine but, nonetheless, we differ in that my value system is not based on myth.

According to you.

Who made you the judge of who is bigoted and who isn't?

Really? Oh, I see. So, a person can think through something with conscience but if they happen to conclude differently from yourself then they are bigoted? And yet you say you are not bigoted? You aren't actually worth taking seriously.

I said theory, not theories. You'll have to do better than that.

You do know that 'theories' is the plural of 'theory', right?

But that is no different to anyone else's value system. All our values begin life in a belief system outside of ourselves whether that is a religion or just the beliefs of our parents imparted to us. We all get 'indoctrinated', from birth. And you are as unlikely to change your view as a religious person is to change theirs, if both you and the religious person believe you have come to the correct/appropriate/call it what you will decision.

People are individuals, whether religious or not. It is a sure sign of prejudice and bigotry when you (as in third person you and not literally you) cannot appreciate that all people are different whether or not they happen to source their value system in a religion or elsewhere. Some will have no problem reviewing their position; others will be utterly convinced they have it right and so will not change; others will simply refuse to countenance change regardless of whether they are correct or not. Those stances apply equally to the religious and non-religious, as can be evidenced on this board alone!

There are probably several million people living in this country who are the same vintage as me and who were born into a totally different society to the one we have today, we had values instilled into us by parents and schoolteachers based on their standards and lifestyle.

Those standards included outright racism on a scale that would shock you today, the two main public broadcasters in the 1960s happily broadcast peak time racist shows, those standards included outright homophobia, again the two main public broadcasters happily broadcasting homophobic peak time programming - in short if you name an "ism" then we were subject to it as children during our formative years from our elders who formed us.

To suggest that the several million of us of my vintage are unable to change their views and to form more inclusive opinions based on a more tolorant society, frankly is bunkum, because thats precisely what we have done.

Spot on.
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