[BigV]

rk, you tilt at windmills when you attempt the apply logic, consistency, and rationality to situations such as this.

I *fully* support the position that God's will is that we love Him completely and we love each other as we love ourselves (I'm paraphrasing, so y'all can stop getting ready to whack me wit da scriptural refutations. save your breath).

Some people "get it" and some don't. Curiously, those that don't often say the very same thing. And both sides are speaking the truth when they say that. But I've never been comfortable with the legalist, literalist approach to Christianity, mostly because it was delivered in what always felt like a arbitrary fashion. "this" thing is true but "that" thing is not. Just exactly as you describe. I call BS.

That tactic just doesn't work in any other aspect of my life, and I don't think it works in any faith tradition, and certainly not for me. I mean, sheesh, what ever happened to forgiveness? We're imperfect from the gol-darn get-go, why compound it? That is not "the path", as best as I can tell from here. And I'm tryin.