When it comes to Biblical standard, I am referring to the morals of it, not necessarily the worship of a particular God. For example, if we were to all follow, say the 10 commandments, society would benefit as a whole. [then later] If a society is flourishing, it's not because they chose the correct God or became Christian, but rather they are using techniques that make people around them safe, happy and prosperous, the same that are found in the Bible. Any good moral can be found in the Bible. I am not saying the Bible invented it. I'm saying that nobody likes murder or theft and the Bible clearly defines it too.
Thank you for the response. So we can agree based on this that the religion part of it is entirely superfluous? Your ten commandments example I can take issue with, but how did you decide not to apply the levitican laws, or simply scrap the whole thing for the only commandment Jesus seemed to care about? I'm encouraged to see that you don't think the bible either invented or has a monopoly on morality, but if that's so, then why bring it into the equation at all? Why not just say "let's decide, together, what does the most good for the most people, regardless of faith, and instead base it on demonstrable facts and data?" It doesn't sound like adding 'biblical' to anything helps much at all.
The idea of love thy neighbor as thyself is a great way to limit chaos. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a very useful way of thinking when trying to create harmony within a society of people that have all their own dreams and desires.
These predate the bible by a very long time, so we can't say they are exclusively "biblical" in principle, but that they're much closer to a humanistic view.
So I'm saying a deviation from those concepts is what will destroy us.
Aren't you saying that a deviation from SOME of those concepts will destroy us (taking your example that women are judges and slavery is no longer accepted)? How can we decide which ones will or won't?
I would say that if it were public school, then I still wouldn't send my kids there.
Excellent! This option is absolutely available to Christians today: if you don't like the public schools that have to service the entire American public population, you are free to send your child to some other school, sometimes yes at your expense, but that's just how it is in some places. You certainly don't support preferential treatment for faithful people in public places and publicly funded shared resources, as demonstrated here, and neither do I. I don't care how many hindi people are in my district, I am not going to let them tell me how to feed my kid. I will pack their lunch and tell them why they eat differently. I will organize against it, I'll make civil protest if I feel it necessary. It's exactly what I'd do if there were mandatory prayer in school. Again I think we agree, am I wrong? WHat I won't do, though, is think that my personal opinion or preference means more than anyone else's. If I'm outvoted on the matter, then I have two choices: run for office or find a school alternative.
Looks like there are health issues related to it.
That seems a bit of a fig leaf. No one is carrying a "God Hates Fags" sign because they are just concerned about the health of the homosexual community, right? :) So if it's just a health thing, isn't it their own health to worry about? I mean what they're doing in private is what they're doing in private, and there's no health issues that arise from, say, holding hands with your same sex gender while walking on a public street, right? I'm just not clear on what the solution you would propose to the problem with homosexuality is. In fact I'm not quite clear on what the problem with homosexuality really is, considering your post did say a couple of different ways that the bible isn't the absolute source of morality, that it changes over time, but you cited the bible as the reason homosexuality is wrong. Why are you so sure that's not something that, like women's suffrage, is one of those things we can change without it destroying civilization?
I know these discussions get heated up pretty quick, tempers run pretty high, so I will close by assuring you I'm not trying to condescend, I'm not trying to get any 'gotchas', I respect your right to have any opinion you want. I really do want to understand the way the world looks to you, it's difficult here to actually have these discussions because too many people seem to be concerned about winning something. I continue to engage with you because at least with me you've been honest and cogent and civil, I'm glad to disagree in this way. That's America!