Spirituality is a cornerstone of being human. All people feel the mystery of existance, and the awesome power of the universe. I claim that organized religion bastardizes this feeling in many people, even people that claim to be moderate and private in their religion. That said, if people organize their spirituality in a peaceful way, being Christian/Muslim/Jewish whatever, and don't impose those views on anyone else, then I say that religion is a positive thing. As I have stated before, I believe religion has a place in our world and it can do great good. But in todays' world, we seem to be going backwards on the purpose of religion to the dark ages where intolerance was religions motto worldwide - and it is really dangerous.
The clearest examples of intolerance in the US is anywhere secular liberals gather. Universities, Hollywood, the media, etc. Absolutely no tolerance whatsoever for opposing points of view. And they will do their utmost to act on it and ruin you if you don't submit. Only the brain dead can't see it.
You started off with a few examples of pastors who apparently approved of the gays being murdered by a muslim terrorist. Somehow now you conflate that with Christians regarding homosexual conduct as sinful or immoral and not something to be encouraged. We know for a fact that muslim clerics preach that homosexuals should be killed, and why wouldn't they? It is exactly what their koran teaches and it is part of the sharia law enforced in many muslim countries. There is no parallel whatsoever to the Christian view of hate the sin, love the sinner. No reputable Christian pastor is preaching to kill gays.
You just hi-lighted the problem with having discussions with people on ET. There is no context, no internal state. My post isn't about this incident in particular, it is about all incidents like this and where the disease stems from. My posts are one continuous dialogue, and the dialogue is that religion is a disease. This particular pastor is but one incident in a continuous disease of the mind throughout history called organized religion, where you don't go to worship - you go to be brainwashed into intolerance and obedience. Note I didn't say Christians, Muslims, Jews. RELIGION. In other words, it is just gathering more evidence. This evidence gathering has been going on for thousands of years. Each year, more and more people are being cured of the disease. Another problem with having discussions with a hammer is that if you discuss a house, all they want to talk about in return is the nails in the house. Christians are well known for having problems with their own sexuality. That is why this is such a big deal for them how other people express their sexuality.
Was it a film or a short story I recently saw that depicted a far future where religion had been wiped out, and Mankind was bitterly divided by... iirc... agnosticism vs. atheism?
No, the Bible, which guides Christians, clearly condemns homosexual conduct. It is not a "big deal" to Christians how others wish to conduct themselves, but it is a big deal when we are forced to accept something clearly forbidden by our religion, and all other major religions, as normal. It is also ridiculous to single out Christians for criticism regarding sexual matters. Islam is far more repressive of both women and gays.
To you it's all about Christians vs Muslims vs Jews. I don't give a shit. Organized religion is fucked. You are worried about this Muslim detail, or that Christian detail, in a book written by farmers with a sixth grade education or some fat guy under a tree. Raise your nose from the grind and expand your horizons. You might just enjoy the twentieth century.