@westside-steve said:

My opinion/theory on that is when the United States started switching from an agrarian economy to an urban, industrial society then it became important to have an education system more conducive to that industrial society. That is why K-12 started to replace a system where people might have had 8 years of schooling. If you want both men/boys and Women/girls to complete 12 years of education then you can't have the women having babies as soon as they are able to. I think that one would find a close relationship to the change of laws, change of societal norms and the rise if K-12 education (plus factory work).

@browns149 said:

1st (ratified) amendment to the U.S. Constituion

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In original intent, you look at that an apply the 9th and 10th amendments.

ninth amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The tenth amendment is what really (or at least used to ) apply:

Tenth Amendment The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.^[3]

Now lets revisit the 1st amendment

Congress shall make no law

Congress...

And in that time period, Congress (the House and Senate) in general ruled the roost.

Congress wrote the laws.

The President executed the laws.

But if you examine the United States after ratification, there was a majority of states that still had official sects of Christianity. It was understood, more or less accepted, and the Supreme Court at that time had not heard of Thomas Jeffereson's "wall of separation between church and state" written from him to the Danbury Baptists.

Under original intent and Federalism, a state could have it's own religions. Congress, and thus the Federal Government was forbidden to establish a religion.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

Okay, I misunderstood what you said. Even in America a hundred years ago the age difference used to be huge.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Name the cultures please.

Thailand? There hasn't always been the 21-year-old limit for adulthood across the world. That seems like a recent development. In the times of the Jacobite wars mid teenagers would be married and or sent to war. I'm assuming that plenty of other cultures begin sexuality earlier than we are expected to here.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

Name the cultures please.

@logicisforsquares said:

I am sure there are circumstances where a guy who otherwise would be into chicks would turn gay just for the human contact in prison. However, those are extreme circumstances and definitely not the norm. I guarantee there are way more guys in jail who don't do that. I say genetics and biology have much more to do with someone being gay or straight than their environment. My step brother is gay and there were five of us. He is the only one who turned out gay.

~So you say.... ~

He has a different mom and maybe she has a little sugar in the bloodlines.

You're probably right, I just think that environment could play a lot bigger part then we pretend. I think the almost universal aversion to homosexuality is beaten into our heads since we are small. Other cultures are not nearly so puritan and don't let early sexual experiences be so traumatic.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

I am sure there are circumstances where a guy who otherwise would be into chicks would turn gay just for the human contact in prison. However, those are extreme circumstances and definitely not the norm. I guarantee there are way more guys in jail who don't do that. I say genetics and biology have much more to do with someone being gay or straight than their environment. My step brother is gay and there were five of us. He is the only one who turned out gay. He has a different mom and maybe she has a little sugar in the bloodlines.

Do you not supposed that Ray in a setting only men would not sway a lot more adolescence toward homosexuality just for the pure human contact? Especially if they grew up with it being commonplace and not a taboo? Do you think homosexuality in prison has anything to do with the surroundings?

Neither side should allow an agenda to trump human nature.

WSS

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Yup. Why wouldn't it be? I think even the most ardent pro-LGBT person could see that biologically being gay is not optimal as a species.

@the-cysko-kid said:

Woody pretty well covered it. Male pattern baldness has been found to be from the mother's genes and not the father's. So the genetic abnormality that would cause one to be gay could be passed down through the generations from the mothers.

In 2004, Italian researchers conducted a study of about 4,600 people who were the relatives of 98 homosexual and 100 heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men tended to have more offspring than those of the heterosexual men. Female relatives of the homosexual men on their mother's side tended to have more offspring than those on the father's side. The researchers concluded that there was genetic material being passed down on the X chromosome which both promotes fertility in the mother and homosexuality in her male offspring. The connections discovered would explain about 20% of the cases studied, indicating that this is a highly significant but not the sole genetic factor determining sexual orientation.

But, are you saying you think it isn't genetic?

@the-cysko-kid said:

There are lots of genetic disorders and abnormalities that have not bred themselves out.

@mld-woody said:

Uhhh..... What?

Morality exists outside of religion. We know murder is wrong without a book telling us it is.

And yes, homosexuality is genetic. It's existed a very long time...

So what are you "squeaking" about?

@mld-woody said:

Force people to follow your religious beliefs (no abortion, no gay marriage)

Or make both a choice for the individual to make. They can follow the religious ideal, or their own.

Seems like an easy choice...

For what it's worth religion plays no part in my opposition of abortion

I would think that anyone as enamoured with science and nature as you are might understand that.

WSS

Morality exists outside of religion. We know murder is wrong without a book telling us it is.

And yes, homosexuality is genetic. It's existed a very long time...

So what are you "squeaking" about?

@mld-woody said:

Force people to follow your religious beliefs (no abortion, no gay marriage)

Or make both a choice for the individual to make. They can follow the religious ideal, or their own.

Seems like an easy choice...

WSS

(and before you start squeaking opposition to homosexuality preceded Christianity and most likely marriage)

Or make both a choice for the individual to make. They can follow the religious ideal, or their own.

Seems like an easy choice...