[This is part of a discussion between commentators, spun off from the original blog.]

[AJS wrote "If God created us deliberately short of perfect for his own amusement, unable to tell right from wrong and then punishing us anyway when we did something he didn't approve of, that just tells me God is some kind of sick pervert."]

You assume some things that are contrary to what God has already told us. God originally created a perfect world without death, disease or suffering. It was man who goofed it up. Just because God allowed it to happen doesn't make him an abomination. As a matter of fact, God has a plan that works for the good of his people (Romans 8:28). The important thing for us is to confess our sins and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior so that we can be part of his kingdom. You also assume we don't know right from wrong. But scripture makes it clear that we do know right from wrong, good from evil (Genesis 3:5 & Genesis 3:22). So rest assured that God is holy, and not sick and perverted.

[AJS wrote "If some kinds of Sin do no real harm in this life, and some of use are quite content with this life, then why should we do anything about them? (For my part, I believe there is only one absolute regarding sexual behaviour: the Fully Informed Consent of all parties.)"]

All sin does real harm. You may not recognize the consequences immediately, but they are there, no matter how small. Even a little white lie can hurt someone. Just because you can't detect the harm doesn't mean all is good. And any sexual sin, such as adultery or homosexuality, does harm too, either to others or the individual. Some of the consequences might result in a divorce, STD's, broken relationships, etc. The harm could be long term or short term. But even if the only absolute you personally believe in is full consent, what about those who don't believe in that absolute? What makes you right and them wrong? Why wouldn't rape be okay if it made someone content and happy in this life, and why would it be wrong to harm someone? Who are you to judge someone who finds real joy in harming others? At some point you have to admit there are absolutes greater than man. There really can't be any right or wrong unless there's a God whom you are ultimately sinning against.