The Reverend Phil Snider’s lecture on gay rights has gone viral, garnering over two million views on YouTube. Unfortunately, there are huge, gaping holes in his ‘argument’ in favor of his position. Whether or not they will be examined in the midst of this emotional and inflammatory context is unclear.
But nevertheless, it is worth trying to offer a rational response. My friend Tom Gilson has offered a thorough debunking of the video – you can read a rational response to the Reverend Phil Snider at his blog Thinking Christian. He’s also put his response into video form, available below:
I hope you’ll think through this hot topic in a reasonable manner. A few questions to consider:
1. Do you believe there is an objective right and wrong to our moral choices? Or is morality relative – true for you, but not for me? If morality is relative, why does it matter? If morality is absolute, where does it come from?
2. Can we draw equal parallels with any other kind of moral opposition? Is moral opposition to all behavior always wrong? Or can there be loving, principled reasons to oppose certain choices?
3. Does the Rev. Snider’s comments represent the best presentation of his opponent’s views? Is his presentation charitable and gracious? Or does he offer a mean-spirited straw man of what others believe?
4. What exactly is the Rev. Snider’s argument? Does it form a rational argument in support of gay rights? What are the premises and the conclusion? What have you done to carefully think through the issue?
For another post on the subject, Austin Gravely has shared a secular argument in favor of traditional marriage.
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