@Graviator
I've chosen to take your signature and your stated intent of "bridging gaps" between communities at face value.
However, your actions don't appear to be anything remotely resembling the Christian you claim to be. Instead of being accepting, open, and genuinely committed to learning, you appear to be argumentative, trotting out some old and tired arguments in an attempt to apparently defend some nebulous group's "right" to dislike a group, person, whatever, and not be infracted for it. Whether that attitude extends to real life or not, I don't know.
A true Christian (not the caricature that most people try to present) would probably say something like, "You know, for reasons that I don't fully understand or acknowledge, this topic bothers me and I feel like I should say something to defend the people who express views similar to what I might be feeling. However, I should be like Christ as much as possible, open and non-judgmental. It is not for me to decide whether someone is right or wrong. That is God's job. Instead, I should treat everyone with love and acceptance. It costs me absolutely *nothing* to not use a word that someone has said offends them. This might make me feel like someone is trying to control what I say and I want to object to that on principle, but if I really want to be a Christian, I'll find other ways to make connections that don't involve petty arguing over whether or not a word is offensive."
With all due respect, having observed the arguments you've made in several threads, I've come to the conclusion that you don't really have a desire to bring the Word of God to SV. You just have it in your signature to use as a shield because most people have been raised to respect authority figures in various religions, especially Christianity.
If you are truly on a mission to make bridges I want to see more posts from you that exhibit the best Christianity has to offer. Share your views without arguing any particular side. Understand that because you are open about your religion and your desire to evangelize (because let's face it, that's precisely what every serious Christian does in one way or another, either by word or deed) you will face opposition, possible scorn, and dismissal because a lot of people have been burned by mainstream Christianity, including myself. The only way you're going to see any progress, if any, is if you make the decision to be a Christian in your posts, not just be a religious flavored conservative that is looking for potential converts.
This post is only marginally on topic but I thought it was a perfect opportunity to engage you on this considering what you've had to say on the topic so far.
