4thought.tv

This makes me feel angry.

This makes me feel angry and sad.

This makes me feel disagree.

i completley disagree with what this guy is saying, each to their own and i respect his religion but why, just beecause couples are same sex and they love eachother, not have the right to have a child to share their love with????

the author clearly doesnt know what he's talking about. how dare he say that those who would be amazing parents shouldnt have IVF because it becomes a scientific process and goes against marriage. it doesnt - fact. it allows people to become amazing parents and for childrent to have an amazing life. uneducated fool

This makes me feel sad.

What a shame that some people have this attitude. I am gay, and have paid for IUI treatment which has given me two fantastic children. My life could never have been complete without them. A child needs to have parents who LOVE them; sexuality and gender is, I believe, irrelevant.

This makes me feel angry. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

As a gay man in a same sex relationship and also a Christian, I find Peter Williams to be offensive. One day I intend to raise a child for I know I would be a good father. Having a mum and dad is not important. Having loving parents and being happy is all that matters.

This makes me feel sad.

I do not understand how some one can say same sex couples are not giving a child what they rightly deserve. Surely love is all that is important and we should teach our children that all men and women are equal regardless of their sexuality, race, gender or religion!

it is because of intolerant religious people like you that a child with same sex parents might suffer prejudice. let;s get into 21 st century morals and away from bronze age superstition and trat all people with respect.

Is this really something to air on a national television show? This is exactly the kind of thing atheists etc. don't like about Christians and Catholics - their views on same-sex marriage on parenthood. It is everyone's right to mother or father a child, completely regardless of their sexual preference. It's ridiculous that people are brought up on views that make them completely ignorant to today's society. More same-sex couples these days are becoming more public, but people are still ignorant to the rights they deserve. We're all human, so why shouldn't we all be allowed to be a parent?

I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

I was raised soley by my Mother. The only male influences I had were from family members. How is that different from a same sex parents? They would surely get the same family influences even if both parents were the same sex. Does that mean my upbringing was going against nature?

religious ethics should be used to guide the religious, and can not be the sole justification for laws for everyone.

This makes me feel angry, disagree and sad.

I think two males or two females can be just as good parents as a male and a female.
This has been the worst 4thought.tv I've ever had the discomfort to watch.

This makes me feel angry. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

This in my opinion is just wrong. What about single parents does that mean they should not be aloud to keep their child as it is only being exposed to either the mother or the father not both? It does not matter if it sex couples or different sex couples all that matters is that the parents can give the child the love and support it needs. Many gay or lesbian people would be better parents than many straight couples. It annoys me that the christian churches on one hand spread messages of love and equality while on the other spread messages like these.

RIDICULOUS !! No matter what sex your relationship is, everybody has the right to a family. So because your gay you cant love a child the same way a hetrosexual couple can ?? I totaly disagree !!

The comments made were very prejudice against homosexuality. Using the bible for views such as those displayed is almost absoloutly wrong. The bible has many "wrong" doings such as we should not wear clothes of that are of mixed blend material or threads. Yet things like this are not taken literally so why are passages about homosexuality. God gave human beings free will. So if people wish to use thier free choice to choose homosexuality and parenting who are we to stop them?

I think that this man is so warped by his religious views that he is failing to understand that a child has the potential in any relationship to be without a parent, through break up etc. Any child who has 2 parents is lucky, be them same sex or not; as long as they are well-loved and looked after they will be fortunate to have those parents. I am the daughter of a hetrosexual couple of which broke up before I was even born! I was lucky enough to have an amazing mother and now a fantastic step-father too. There is no right nor wrong family make up, as long as the child is taken good care of.

This makes me feel angry.

I wonder how someone with such an old fashioned mind gets airtime.

i cannot believe in society these days people still believe this, i believe that same sex couples should be allowed a baby, it doesnt matter if theres 2 woman or 2 men, its all about the way the baby is cared for and brought up, times have changed, not everything in the bible i beleive in to be completly honest with you, watching this on tv caught my attention and had to leave my opinion,ignorance is what that was! but i suppose it doesnt really matter what anyone else thinks, but i guess people will always doubt.

I am upset with this 4thought speaker he is so wrong and offencive Im glad it has nothing to do with him as he tries to play god. Same sex couples have the right to decide whether or not they become parents; a child needs love, gidance,and support to grow and learn; same sex couples can give that. I dont understand the speakers ignorance and his point of offended me greatly. I belive that everyone has the right to their own oppinion the rest of the world has the right not to hear it.

This makes me feel angry. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

What about a husband & wife unable to conceive naturally? Is IVF still wrong in that scenario for Peter Williams?

This 'ideal' family life with a mother and father you speak of doesn't guarantee a child a happy healthy childhood. A parent, whether gay or straight, biological or adopted, should only be judged on the love & care they give to their child.

I feel sorry for anyone who bases their values & life choices on a work of fiction. Try observing the real human condition for a while, it should give you all the information you need to form coherent views, and what's more, views you formulated from your own thought processes, not what you read in some book.

This makes me feel angry, disagree and sad.

It reinforced what I already believed.

Yes, I totally agree that same sex couples should not be allowed to make babies as they call it. I find anything related to playing with the creation of a new being, like hiring or buying eggs, sperms or wombs as ethically wrong. It's not a human right to have the freedom to do anything even if it is wrong. This is basically a wealthy minority thinking that their money would allow them to have anything. Human life is much more valuable than to be bought by money as they do. In my opinion civilized societies should not allow such activities.This is reverting us one step closer to slavery when human beings sold and bought other human being as products with controlled destinies.

This makes me feel angry.

I was disturbed by your comments, you assume a child can only be aptly raised by a ˜mother and father,' hence you have passed judgment upon all those single-parent families in society. If a child's parent passes away, would you suggest that we take away this child if the parent wishes not to re-marry. As a Catholic, it is not for you to pass judgment on the actions of others, only your God can judge man.

As for same-sex couples, if a single parent can raise a child, then two parents can also raise a child. Is there any robust evidence to suggest that children raised by homosexual parents are socially or academically maladjusted, or impaired in any way?

Please also note that a mother and father may provide rolemodels, however even they could act inappropriately by harming their children. Many cases may be cited here.

If people take such efforts to conceive, or have children through IVF or other scientific means, then this would suggest they are willing to endure much for their children, and should be encouraged to do so, regardless of sexuality.

Kind regards

Aman

This makes me feel amused. It reinforced what I already believed.

The question on same-sex parenting is not a question but a statement. The fact of the matter is that many, many same-sex couples ARE parents. Some same-sex couples are raising children from previous relationships, other gay people have had or adopted children as couples. Somewhere between one third and one half of all same-sex couples are raising children. So then the question is not should same-sex couples have children, but how does society treat those same-sex families?

And in Britain, the state, the media, the economy and in many respects society at large treats same-sex families very badly. Britain forbids the parents to marry and people like the man in this video undermine the right of these families to exist.

And in terms of the biblical argument, Jesus said nothing about gay people, all he commanded us to do was to love each other and treat others as we want to be treated. I don't question this man's fitness to be a father, so why is he questioning mine?

This makes me feel sad. It helped me understand the speaker's point of view.

I respect many peoples religous beliefs but I feel that in a world when so many children are born unwanted it can only be a wonderful thing when 2 people decide in their own love for each other to share their love with a child regardless of the sex of the parents and a family is not just parents its aunties, uncles, grandparents and anyone else who cares about the child. A child is born with no expectations of what its family should be, its society that constructs that and I believe that any couple willing to provide a loving, nurturing environment should have the chance to be parents as the child they have, by virtue of being wanted, wished for and yes, even prayed for has a much better chance in life than many others ever hope to have.

This makes me feel glad. It reinforced what I already believed.

Insightful views into Catholic sexual ethics. True to his views without being offensive, consistent and coherent. A good advocate for those who share that position.

It reinforced what I already believed.

I was so glad to hear somebody, via the media, expressing all I feel about the forgotten rights of the child. The right to have a mother and a father. Also, marriage is the union of a man and a woman for the appropriation of children, something that a same sex 'marriage' could never achieve. Thank you for restoring my faith in the freedom of expression on television. Yes, I am Anglo Catholic, married with daughters and grand children.

It reinforced what I already believed.

Although I'm not Catholic, I agree with what this man said. I think he's brave to have said it.

It reinforced what I already believed.

How refreshing to hear of someone talking about putting the right of the CHILD first. All we ever hear is about the right of the mother or the couple.

It reinforced what I already believed.

Simple, honest, wisdom. Exactly what is needed. I would have empahasised that surrogacy reduces a woman (the "surrogate mother") to an item in a monetary, commercial, transaction, and is profoundly dehumanising and degrading. A child needs a mother and a father, not "two fathers", nor "two mothers". End of story.

This makes me feel happy. It reinforced what I already believed.

These days if somebody doesn't agree with opinion that same sex couples should have right to have children,it means that this person is old fashioned, homophobic and stupid. You don't believe in god? Fine. But if you are believer of mother nature, the rule is always the same: men + women = child. There is no way you can do anything else about that. Everything else is, in fact, against the nature.

I think what Peter is saying is that creation is a gift from God - that we don't own ourselves - and that procreation flows from this. Artificial creation is completely against the Catholic religion as it is not part of what God wants for us. 'Unnatural' is not a slur against gay people but a fact - you can't concieve naturally unless you are a woman with a man.

I am not a Catholic but completely agree with Peter. Homosexual unions are completely unnatural and however politically incorrect it is, the child needs a mother and a father.

Everybody should have the right to create a baby. This guy talks about the "negative effects" of the lack of masculine and feminine parental figure. What exactly are these "negative effects" he speaks of? And what do people that were raised by a single parent have to say about this? Does this make them any less "normal"?

Peter Williams referred to the right of a new born child to experience male and female parents, which I agree with. But as numerous teachers, artists and religious figures over the centuries have demonstrated, male and female qualities are not innate to biological males and females. Religion and art tell us that human beings have not only a body but also a soul. And in all cultures the soul is characterised by its duality, its dynamic of opposites. A male body may be animated by a female soul, and vice versa. Male and female are as much soul qualities as bodily attributes. Let's grow up and stop identifying human beings soley by the form of their bodies and pay attention to the qualities of their beings.

I am a christian woman, Leviticus 18:1-30 says quite clearly, that certain things are not done. I do not think it wise to create children from such unions. Also no priest should be made to fall into sin, by blessing such unions in marriage and baptism.

This makes me feel angry.

How dare someone who is,I assume,heterosexual and so able to have a baby through conventional marriage presume to smugly condemn others to a life of childlessness and back this up with a Bible.Jesus taught us not to judge others and went out of his way to associate himself with those whom society rejected. I am absolutely sick of people misusing the Bible to add weight to discriminatory and cruel views.I would like to think that every child has a right to a loving home - there are many different forms that this can take.

being a gay man who does not want a child. I understand others do and i have no problem with adoption, afterall we are only sorting out problems caused by straight people. which religious people seem to foget. surley a child is better in a home with 2 same sex parents than in a church run childrens home. i do however feel there are to many young girls living in council houses with 5 children from 5 different fathers so it is about time forced sterizalation was brought in.

As a single parent who has successfully raised 4 children after my husband died when I was 7 months pregnant with our fourth child your words make me angry. If what you say is true then are you suggesting that I should have remarried just to provide my children with a father figure? Four children who went on to study at Oxford (2), Nottingham and Cambridge Universities, two of whom are among top scientists/engineers in the world. Another man could not have raised my children the way my Husband and I had planned. I believe that I did apretty good job on my own. If single sex couples are so committed to each other that they want to raise children together I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed and be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. Regards Margaret

children have the right to a normal life, it's hard enough as it is, without putting obstacales in there way.

This makes me feel happy.

It is a simple and compelling articulation of the argument for procreation in its natural, intended context.

Although I understand Peter's point of view, I don't absolutely agree with him. The Bible, whatever religion you belong to, or not, was written down a long time ago from the oral histories of nomadic and agricultural peoples in the Middle East. Families were larger, children were raised in extended families and communities. So it's a little strange to use the Bible as a parenting handbook in the 21st Century.
I can't see that being raised by two fathers or two mothers is going to damage a child's development unduly as long as those two people are in a happy, loving relationship.

I have two concerns. I worry about the effect that being separated at or close to birth from its biological mother has on a child's later development. On the other hand, mothers dying in or soon after childbirth left many children in this situation in the past and other relatives stepped in - the glories, or horrors, of an aunt-filled childhood!
My other concern is that same-sex couples may be falling into the same trap as heterosexual couples in thinking that a child completes a relationship. As a mother, I hasten to assure them that children are the best thing you do in your life - but in today's small family units they also test the strength of relationships to the limit.

What this comment stream shows is that liberals are illiberal. We are plagued by all manner of new social problems! Why are so many people blind to the effects of the break down of family life? Yes, we are living in 2011, but without the common sense spoken by Peter tonight, will life be worth living in 2021? Selfishness seems to have the upper hand. Let's stop now, before it is too late!

This makes me feel amused, glad and happy. It reinforced what I already believed.

well said, well done!! a baby is a gift for a wife and a husband that love each other!! its natural!! husband + wife + love = a miracle!! so easy, but for some reason so difficult to understand for some people!?!
really happy that there is still someone who believes in the REAL life!!

I neither feel happy or sad on Peter Williams views expressed earlier this evening.But,let us not assume for one minute that a parent has to be heterosexual to be a good parent.I have come across "too many"damaged young people.....as a result of "heterosexual lovemaking" and "natural" family life!Guess its the whole God thing again and a case of interpretation.This is not just about same sex couples.There are couples who find themselves unable to conceive for a variety of reasons....and may need fertility support in the medical sense.

This makes me feel disagree and sad.

This makes me feel happy. It reinforced what I already believed.

Gay couples can't "accidently" create a child and go through an arduous process to do this. Surely a couple who go to such trouble to create a child are likely to value that child?

Completely agree that same sex couples should not be able to create babies. This is fundamentally wrong. The baby should be brought up by it's own mother and father and has the right to know who it's real father and mother. This makes me really annoyed when I hear the gay rights agenda undermining other people's beliefs.

This makes me feel angry. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

Religion fuels war and I would rather a child was brought up with two loving parents, very old fashioned opinion,need to modernise your views

If we ban single sex partners having babies we should ban same sex couples who drug abuse, drink abuse who are neglectful!! I know that I would rather have two dads or two mums instead of living with a mum and a dad who are unable to look after me!! Instead we allow these sorts of people to carrying producing babies, harming them emotionally maybe even physically. Just becuase they are the same sex does not mean they will not be loved unconditionally! The bible encourages love, I admit I am agnostic however isnt religion about being non judgemental?

I heartily agree with Peter Williams. It is not for us to make babies to complete our lives. Babies should be a result of lovemaking. In nearly all of the natural world we see male and female, in animals, birds, fish, insects plants and trees.The whole idea is to procreate. In answer to Lucas, I would point out that the bible is astoundingly, frighteningly, true.Hundreds of predictions have so far come true, in great detail, and to the very day foretold. I tell you, I for one am VERY frightened for this world. We cannot go on pleasing ourselves what we do and believe.

Thanks Peter, a very clear outline of what we as Catholics believe and why.
I don't believe that everyone has an automatic right to have children regardless of their situation. We mustn't overlook the right of a child to have a Mother and a Father.

Thanks for this Pete. To elaborate on this, human beings always talk about their "right" to things. What is a "right"? I could say that I have a right to kill a burglar because they have broken into MY house. No one has a "right" to a baby, as if it is some kind of possession like an ipod or new plasma screen TV. What is wrong with adoption? And besides, once you have made a baby, once it's grown up and left home, you have to part with it. It is not yours anymore, "it" (he/she) actually belongs to God.

And what about us people that can't have children?
Religion = War and rediculous thoughts. End of

It helped me understand the speaker's point of view.

One cannot use the Bible as an absolute moral guideline until it is proven to be true in itself as a whole.

No, a child needs a balanced upbringing as in a Mother & a Father, this cannot be given with same sex relationships, it is condemning a child to be gay without having any choice.

I'm not a religious person but I'm TOTALLY against one-sex partner parenting as I've observed a few disastrous consequences of the results with the above over the years, whilst most single person parenting but, (which I've seen much more of with other problems mainly being finances), with heterosexual attitudes seem to enable the children involved to develop normally.

This makes me feel angry.

What a highly opinionated yet ignorant thought. The assumptions made that you have to be female to express femininity and male to express masculinity is both crude and sexist, it insults the modern day individual by demeaning their social ability. What is important is a child's wellbeing which can be promoted by any couple who act in their child's best interests, irrespective of the parents/carers sexual orientation.

This makes me feel angry and sad.

Scared also, that there are still folks out there who have such narrow views. Also that so many like thinking people always quote the bible. A book that was written by men and passed off as the word of God.

This makes me feel angry, disagree and sad. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

We live in the year 2011, Religion creates hate among us with your out dated views on life. If god created us as equals and apparently through the eyes of love, then why can't the rest of existence be like that. It would appear you would penalize everyone, even those who sadly can't create a child. Does that mean their less deserving. Children are created out of one night stands, even in relationship breakdowns and sadly even sometimes through rape. Does that make it wrong. Does that mean the child would be loved less ???? It does not matter what your race, religion or sexuality. If you want to be a parent then you have the right to be. A child is created out of love regardless of which manner it may be in sometimes. As long as they are loved and taught the proper values of life. I'm not an atheist, I believe their is a god; but I like to believe he loves us all as equals. I don't however believe in the bible. All it does is contradict itself and create hate amongst us. If the bible teaches us to love then should should learn to respect how others live instead of standing in judgement of them. Everyone as the right to be a parent as long as you bring no harm to a child. That and only that should take your right away. Not your religion !!!!

This makes me feel angry and sad.

Maybe you'd feel differently if you were gay, Peter. You don't seem to want to think about things from a perspective other than your own sadly narrow-minded one.

This makes me feel superficial. It helped me understand the speaker's point of view.

Pete, this is true as far as it goes - but it is certainly a reduction of the Christian and human position.

The modern emphasis on "creation of a child" actually reduces my individual personality, not only the union between myself and my wife (by the way, I am a dad!).

Being a father or mother is an act of the whole person, not only a biological event (of course it is biological but it's more).

The full text of Genesis (and the whole tenor of Christ's preaching in the Gospel) is that man+woman is the image of God; humanity is a personal thing, not a duality of mind plus body, but an integral person.

It is the humanity of the father or mother, and of the child that is being cencored here, not only a secondary social or ethical relationship.

Need to go deeper to engage beyond the level of this mentality.

Cheers,

M

I write regarding the above program, which caught my attention after the Channel 4 News at 7:00 pm (Peter Williams, Does everyone have the right to create a baby?)

I was positively surprised that such a controversial topic would be aired on TV. Surrogate parenting for couples with difficulty in conceiving children is technically not new, as I learned first-hand after speaking to a US-based agency last month. However, it appears that as a result of celebrity same-sex and heterosexual couples announcing the birth of their children via surrogacy recently, the issue has been thrust into the public eye. However, the matter remains (and perhaps should remain) private for those members of society who are looking to have families using the advances that science and technology have brought to the 21st Century.

Channel 4 has clearly taken this opportunity to "test the waters of public opinion and decided to air positive and negative statements to this effect. I am relieved that at 19.55 today there will be a more forgiving comment on surrogacy provided by a gay dad. I have to admit that I am quite worried about people subscribing to Mr. Williams' train of thought. He may be calm and collected, quoting passages of the Bible, when making such statements, but they are not conducive to a society where the acceptance of diversity is commonplace.

Mr. Williams should not categorically state as fact that children are worse off if they are raised by two mothers or two fathers. This reminds me of the prejudices in our society regarding mixed race marriages, and the damning effect they were forecasted to have on their offspring.

Children are worse off if the parent nucleus has little or no support (i.e. the absence of an extended family network), and this is a statement that I still have to hear from Channel 4's 4thought.tv programme. The parent nucleus comes in many shapes and sizes (single parents, one parent plus grandparents, two parents of same or opposite sex, the possibilities are countless!) and what should concern us is that there are many children out there without this support (the parent nucleus) and who do not become properly integrated in our society.

This makes me feel angry. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

I don't understand why people disagree with same sex couples having children. Shouldn't the focus be on children born into abusive and such families? Children are happiest when born into a family that loves them, not if they strictly have a man and a woman caring for them, it hasn't occured to people that the child hasn't got a male and female role model in single parent families, should we take the children from those adults as well?
Also this talk of it becoming a scientific way of being brought into the world, I'm sure people agreeing with this aren't opposed to scientific ways of being kept in the world, accepting medicene given to them from doctors, doctors who would have studied the sciences, not religious education.

Why has Mr Williams chosen to phrase his question "Does everyone have the right to create a baby?" when clearly his question is "Do gay couples have the right to create a baby?" Perhaps the Religulous should concern themselves more with more tangible, pressing concerns rather than trying to resurrect archaic morality based on a book that is rife with superstition and myth. Human sexuality is far more complex than simply a reproductive necessity. Also, comparisons with animal behaviour is as meaningless as it it is over simplistic. Same sex interaction in the natural world is more than well documented.

This makes me feel confused. I learned something from it.

Personally I think people are too obsessed with children being brought up into a traditional nuclear family. Single parents, same sex parents,step parents and adoptive parents can bring a child up just as well as their biological parents. The most important matter should be the needs of the child and I feel same sex couples can fulfil the needs of a child just as much as any other parent. People should not be judged solely on their sexuality, although of course this should be taken into account just as much (and no more) than any other factor. If same sex couples are so 'wrong' why have laws been enforced such as the civil partnership act or the equal opportunities act? These laws are reflecting the changes over time and thankfully giving same sex couples a more equal chance, so why can this not be enforced when it comes to parenting. As long as the parent, whatever their situation has the full intention to do everything right by the child who are we to argue!

This makes me feel angry.

What a load of rubbish. Why is this up for debate? I hope that in the interests of fairness channel 4 will discuss black people's/ jews/ the disabled and fat people's right to have children. Of course they won't, its only Ok to say this crap about gay and lesbian people.

I would have thought that there was enough repression throughout the world without Channel 4 reinforcing the bigotry and hatred that the gay and lesbian and community have long been battling to over come. although i can appreciate that channel 4 did not make this 90 second film, it has endorsed it. As one partner of a same sex couple desperately trying for a baby through IVF procedures, I feel disgusted and let down by the comments that a child needs the masculinity and femininity that only a heterosexual couple can offer. In this day and age really channel 4? really?

totally disgusted by that one that was just on. How dare channel 4 allow such homophobic opinions. There are families and children out there with same sex parents, how the hell do you think they will feel now after watching that? Totally disgusted channel four? How do I make a formal complaint?

This makes me feel angry

This makes me feel glad. It reinforced what I already believed.

Thank you, Peter.

It must be so difficult for people who cannot conceive. I just wouldn't have the first idea how terribly a couple must suffer, even more so for a married couple who would quite clearly be a fantastic mother and father.

What can one say in this position?

Firstly, a child is a gift from God, who is the creator of all life.

Secondly, the sexual act is naturally directed towards: "making babies", and uniting the couple. The Catechsim of the Catholic Church explains why IVF is wrong:

"The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children."

As a previous commenter stated, a child is not something owed to someone, but it is a gift. The supreme gift of marriage is a human person. If you say you have a right to have a child, you lessen the child's dignity to that of a commodity or piece of property.

If a couple really have a heart-felt desire to express their love and generosity, could they not adopt abandoned children, or help others in real need? It is gut-wrenching to think even of the number of children who are killed before they have the chance to be born, not to mention the many old people who are neglected and given the impression that they are a burden for their own family and society. Is this love, I ask you?

Can we not keep those children alive, and spend time caring for the aged with dignity until natural death. Would not that display the type of love that each one of us ourselves would hope for, where all human life is respected from the moment of conception until natural death?

This man makes me feel so sick. He must surely be insane. Ok he is a Catholic fine, but to say everyone who can't concieve children naturally regardless to their sexuality shouldn't have any help, IVF surrogacy etc is totally barbaric.

IF You belive gay people should not have children due to the bibles teachings then you should also believe that people who shave thier beards have tatoos and wear clothes made of mixed fabrics should also not be allowed to have children.

LEVIITICUS 18 says man shal not lie with a man as with a woman. then homophobic people like peter say thier not homophobic this is thier religious view and teaching and they are following gods word.

HOWEVER LEVITICUS 19 says than man shall not cut the hair on his temples and shave his beard, have a tatoo or wear clothes made of mixed fabrics. so why do we never hear people from the church saying people who work in hair salons and marks and spencers should not be allowed to have children
after all, all sin is equal or do you just read 18 and not bother with 19

Hello? Are we in the 21st Century? I haven't heard this kind of nonsense since I was a child living in Ireland, usually spouted by old-school priests - priests who thought nothing of brutal violence by way of 'educating' young children - I'm not talking about sexual stuff, I'm referring to corporal punishment methods.

How many marriages exist because the couple felt compelled into matrimony 'for the appearance and propriety' of things, only to go on to raise a child/children in an emotionally horrible environment, where the parents are together 'just for the children'?

This foolish man is deluded, and I'm sorry for whatever happened to help him on this fools path - I sincerely hope he finds his way to true wisdom, rather a life wasted leaning on outmoded, out of date, generally preduicial if not hateful biblical claptrap.

This makes me feel angry.

This makes me feel angry how people can say just because it is in the bible to two people who love each other an could make a lovely caring home for a child that they don't have the right to have a baby.

I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

what a load of drivel. . . . .

Incidentally, why the straw poll of people's Feelings?

Dunno how many gays this guy has seen, but most of them have plenty of the feminine aspects to offer children...Unless of course he was talking about depriving a child of the right to treat another human as inferior because they have inny genitals instead of outy oness