'God Hates Gays' On Utah Road Construction Sign (VIDEO)

That was my point :) I'm not religious, but I know that according to the Bible, homosexuality is no worse than adultery or divorce. And yet there is no public outrage when a preacher says that adultery is wrong and sinful. Everyone agrees that cheating on one's partner is morally questionable.

Religious morality aside, cheating also increases the STD risk of both the cheater and their steady partner, which is exactly why this taboo was naturally selected for. Socio-religious taboos are the product of natural selection, which tends to select against dangerous behavior.
Of course we also all agree that adultery shouldn't be a criminal offense. It should be up to people's own conscience. But should cheating be openly promoted? Should there be a call for public acceptance and tolerance of adultery? That's the other extreme, imho.

The same goes for homosexuality. Like I said, I'm not religious, so it doesn't matter to me how anybody's god supposedly feels about gays. But it's hard to ignore the fact that taboos, as well as feelings of disgust, are instincts that have been naturally selected for. The reason is obvious in this case: Even in the age of condoms and safe-sex education, the STD rates among men who have sex with men is about 40% higher than among the rest of the population.

It's important to keep in mind that men who have sex with men (MSMs) are a much larger group than gays. This group contains bi-curious, bisexual, pansexual, and even straight-identified men who simply don't care if they have sex with a fleshlight, an inflatable doll, or a person that they don't really find attractive.
Another important point is that many MSMs live in a heterosexual marriage or relationship. In many cases, their only reason to cheat is that their wife or girlfriend can't satisfy their occasional same-sex desires.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with same-sex interests, these men are not only putting their own health at risk. They're also gambling with the health of their female partners. HPV (human papillomavirus) infection, for example, is usually harmless for men, but it considerably increases the risk of cervical cancer in women. Condoms do little to prevent HPV, since the virus can be present in the entire pubic or mouth area. It can also be transferred through hand-to-genital contact, oral-genital contact, and kissing.

Gays actually constitute a rather small percentage of MSMs. While gays have no choice in this matter and shouldn't be discriminated against for their natural feelings, other MSMs *do* have a choice. People who aren't exlusively gay might not act on their same-sex interests if homosexuality was treated like adultery: Perfectly legal, but not advertised as something positive and cute that should be celebrated in parades. If homosexuality is normalized and openly celebrated, there will be an understandable backlash from both religious and non-religious people with strong moral instincts.

I used to be one of those atheist activists after I deconverted :) Everyone wants to change the world when they're young I guess. It's always hard to keep an open mind and try to understand the other side.

I still don't understand religion and spiritual feelings because I lack the spiritual disposition of the majority. But I do understand by now that religion serves an important purpose, which is one reason why I jumped off the liberal "gay is good" bandwagon.

I see religion as a behavioral modifier that promotes moral and family values and increases reproductive success. People often say that God is in all of us, and that's true insofar that religious morality reflects our natural moral instincts. If people with a different moral compass are raised by a religious family, they learn to accept the moral norm of society and are more inclined to act in a way that benefits everyone.

I mean no offense when I explain religion in a naturalistic way. This is simply the only way in which I can understand it. The important part is that while I'm personally not compatible with religion, I can respect it and accept the fact that people like myself are a minority. We have to try and fit in, or at least try and get along with the Christian majority.

The same goes for all minorities, imho. We can't change or reprogram the majority population in our favor. We have to accept that the moral norm is the norm for a good reason. If the norm doesn't work for us, we can do our own thing, but not to the point where we step on other people's toes. That goes for atheists, gays, and the Westboro Baptist church alike.