From: ednclark@kraken.itc.gu.edu.au (Jeffrey Clark)
Message-ID: 

What I cannot understand in these hypothetical arguments is that
God would rather have us dying of AIDS than committing extra-marital
or homosexual sex. Why is God so caught up on sex? What is this
cosmological concern for what these puny bits of animated space
dust do to reproduce or find pleasure? I know, I know, "We cannot
know the mind of God" (tm), right!

It just seems to me that it's our particular culture which is so
caught up in SEX (I hope that shocked you) and not some supernatural
all powerful being. It seems to me that someone somewhere (probably
St.Paul of Romans) decided that in order to ensure continued devotion
of his flock, he must get them to surrender something they take
pleasure in. This way they have a substantial investment in their
belief system (we call it dissonance theory these days, and it's
very powerful). Then they are far less willing to consider alternative
belief structures which are mutually exclusive to their own, because
if they find that the belief structure, for which they have sacrificed
some of their pleasure, is inconsistent with perceived reality, they
will see that they have sacrificed for nothing (this sets up
dissonance). Therefore it is easier to turn a deaf ear on alternative
belief structures; even if they are more consistent with perceived
reality, and therefore the sheep stay in the flock (I'll never accuse
Paul of being dumb).  Anyway so this simple idea caught on and
eventually invaded our entire society (behaviourally, normatively,
politically, and legally), to the point where even those who do not
conform to the belief structure now conform to the sacrifice due to
societally induced normative pressure.  Sick isn't it!!