Orlando played host to Muslim speaker’s call for death to gays, just weeks ago

[Igel]

29. And yet there's a difference.

Most of the Xian groups I've heard of that denounce homosexuality denounce homosexuality. Some call for violence (most call for other action), but many still say that they'll go to hell. Not "let's send them to hell." For them, Jesus is the judge and God will recompense or mete out punishment. "Let each person work out his own salvation with fear and trembling." Think of this as "late Paul"--the Paul that excommunicated those who were especially notorious, but otherwise let things be.

That's a very Reformationist view, and it percolated through the Enlightenment. The State has some laws it must have and must enforce, but others are iffy. They come, they go, but blue laws and such tend to be spotty. This thinking has filtered down in various countries at different rates. It's not the case that all people in all cultures in all (Western) countries have equally bought into the Enlightenment viewpoints. But it's there, and it's trickled down with increased education and well being. Still hasn't always gotten to the bottom tier in all societies. Not all education qualifies here--STEM is especially weak in this kind of understanding, while a lot of modern liberal arts education has simply bailed on this project.


There's another kind of view, which is that you're virtuous if you command what is good and punish what is bad. That makes every person an enforcer, and this can potentially, given a tad of Western individualism and greater capacity of individuals to wield force, empower each person to take the law into his own hand. Then you smack barkeeps who sell alcohol inappropriately, you vandalize shops open during religious services, or you mete out the punishment, be it a death sentence or something less. Think of this as Shaul, who consented to Stephen's death and who went around rounding up Xians. It's all about making society pure and good and moral. This is medieval, and it's where much of the world always has been and where much of liberal arts education is heading.