From: dfm2@jaguar.uofs.edu
Newsgroups: alt.atheism
Subject: not BECAUSE GOD SAID SO, but it is right
Date: 8 Sep 92 22:13:25 GMT
Organization: University of Scranton

i'm quoting from memory here:
>That's what's wrong with Christianity. People ask, "why can't I have sex"
 and they get answered, "because God said so."

That's whats wrong with many Christians, not with Christianity.
All Christian laws (defined as those in the bible) are for the improving
of society.   
For instance, I'll answer why not have premarital sex.
(this is not meant to start a debate in alt.atheism about the validity
of these viewpoints)
1.  Because marriage is a guarantee that both partners will be responsible
to each other for what their sex causes.  Paying for a vacuum tube to be shoved
up a woman's uterus and rip apart what is growing inside is not considered
being responsible.  Bearing a child you can't take care of isn't either, and
being an absent father sure as hell isn't.  Birth control fails.
2.  Even if sex were okay in certain situations,  sexuality begets sexuality.
How do you tell your child/ younger sibling that its OK for you to have sex,
but not OK for them. * "You're too young?" No-one undrestands their own lack
of maturity. * "Only when you're in love." How much in love?  Doesn't the first
crush seem like love. * "Only when you know the other person isn't taking 
advantage of you?" Let's face it, half of the guys in my dorm will lie about
anything to score, ("No, I mean it this time. I'll love YOU 4ever") Only true
way to tell is to see a ring.
3.  In a sex-dominated society, sexiness becomes a commodity, and everyone
becomes seen as a sex prospect, leading to harassment, assault, date-rape, etc.
Women can get pregnant and can get raped by the opposite sex.  Men can't.
Women lose if the game's sex. "And He Shall Have Dominion Over You" (Gen 3) 
wasn't a commandment, it was a curse.
4.  Freedom becomes necessity.  Hit the schools and see how many kids in NYC
feel they have the choice not to have sex.
5.  People aren't honest.  Marriage is a contract.
6.  Sex is the best way of communicating diseases known to mankind.  Condoms
are 85-92% effective, PER USE when used properly, and are unavailable to 80%
of the world's population

I've got loads of reasons, and I don't have the time to make the one's I've
supplied airtight.  I'm not interested in debating.  My only point is that
there are reasons why society created marriages.  No, they weren't designed
to oppress poeple, they were designed to protect them.  Not until someone
can understand why society makes rules can someone question them, and 
unfortunately, because few poeple follow that principle, others felt
it best to answer "BECAUSE I SAID SO!"  When that person's authority was
challenged, it became "BECAUSE GOD SAID SO." 
ALSO,  WE  don't always know why.  Christians presume that Christ or his
immediate followers wouldn't have siad something without damn good reason.
Keep in mind, a main focus of Christ's teaching was to break people away
from needless ritualizations and laws.  In reality, there are very few
instances of this.   Many of Paul's writings are understood now to be 
specific to certain communities (ie, that hat biz he tells Galatians).
Newsgroups: alt.atheism,alt.politics.homosexuality