Pro-Gay Atheist: Here’s why you should stand with Christian Mingle

a reply to: DeathSlayer

Also you are not the be all and end all deciding who is christian.
If I did that I would say you do not follow jesus because your heart is full of hate and as black as coal.
"Kill them all and let god sort them out" remember that?.

christian mingle is only a portion of the Spark Network..

www.spark.net...

they offer dating services for not only christians, but also LDS, Jewish, Mature Singles, and African Americans.
they don't offer services for wiccans, or muslims. are they actually preventing christian LGBT from meeting other LGBT in the community? I don't visit dating sites, so I have no idea how they are set up, or how much it would cost to set it up differently to accommodate the LGBT community.

it doesn't matter to me really.
the internet is driven by advertising. it's what makes it possible for so much information to be made available for free. niche marketing does two things, it serves as an effective way for companies to target their advertising audience increasing the chance that they will want the products you are promoting. but it also helps organize the information that is on the web, making it easier to find.
one of the main cosmetic companies has used this method and designed a site that is specifically for african americans, they found it to be a successful campaign.
the point I am making is that niche marketing is purposely discriminatory, designed to limit their audience to a small section of the populaton, those who are most likely to be interested in the products you are catering to. and at the moment, it seems to be one of the best methods of promotion on the internet today.

I'm fully aware that their are LGBT christians, there's even churches that will accept them into their fold. but, I don't believe you can expect the owners of websites to foresee every little special interest group that might feel their site isn't open to them. the owners have to have the freedom to discriminate and select the segments of the population they want to cater to.

a reply to: dawnstar

"the owners have to have the freedom to discriminate and select the segments of the population they want to cater to."

Actually no they don't...however, they can advertise towards selected segments.

a reply to: ketsuko


LOL, oh you.

Yes, if you open a business you CANNOT discriminate, however, having an age range on your daycare (as most would) would protect you from "a millennial who feels overwrought and remembers how much fun daycare was".

But...be careful, if you refuse an LGBT's child that fits the age range, you can be sued

a reply to: cavtrooper7

"The ability to be separate as individuals or organized entities are indeed what we are fighting for here, so long as they don't harm the REPUBLIC.
What ever YOU define it by I'm against...obviously."

PLease correct me if Im wrong but, you want the ability to not talk to gays, be hateful and discriminate? YOU CAN! You can be as miserable and hateful as you want... in your own home and/or church, however, I don't even think a true church would tolerate discrimination these days.

a reply to: dawnstar

But Christian Mingle doesn't advertise itself as a straight only Christian dating site. It is advertised as a Christian dating site. That means all Christians should be able to use it. ALL Christians - black Christians, white Christians, Asian Christians, Hispanic Christians, young Christians, old Christians, gay Christians, straight Christians.

It's very simple. A Christian dating site should cater to all those who identify as Christians. The Christian dating site doesn't have to cater to Jews or Muslims or atheists - but they should cater to ALL Christians.

I don't believe in any myself, but whatever man they are offering a service to who ever the hell they want, why should they have to change that because someone got their feelings hurt. there are millions of sites out therea reply to: veracity

originally posted by: veracity
a reply to: SlapMonkey

If you are going to have a public business, then you must respect equal rights. Not including LGBT is the exact same as putting up a sign out front of your business saying "no blacks allowed".

It is discrimination and now there is no tolerance. Sad that there has to be a law to force people to respect each other

First, this is a private business--you must purchase a membership to join it.

Second, they're not disrespecting anything as it comes to rights, as private businesses have the right to discriminate against people (or include only a certain segment of society...if you call that discrimination, that's on you). Hell, there are tons of places into which one cannot get unless they pay for a membership, or a cover charge, or what have you. Are you going to scream at night clubs to let in homeless people? Are you going to take the Bohemian Grove to court and tell them that they must allow all people into their secret club? Are you going to sue the Curves chain of fitness clubs because they cater only to women?

Come on...get serious about this. We don't live in a world where everything must cater to everyone all of the time, and to claim that this is so "because discrimination and intolerance" is asinine and a strawman argument, as there are plenty of gay-only dating sites out there. This isn't about laws mandating "respect," it's about people using the government to force private companies to change business models because of political correctness, plain and simple.

As Susan Powter used to say, "Stop the Instanity!"

a reply to: SlapMonkey

This is not a private business, lol

Anyone can purchase a membership to it.

And yes...we live in a country where you cannot discriminate on your fellow Americans.

a reply to: veracity

they can advertise towards selected segments.

and, on the internet, how do they do this? usually they do this by providing information their selected segments would be interested in, and not really caring about those they leave out. and they've had the freedom to chose the content on their site.
a dating site uses user generated content, just like ats does, just like many recipe sites do. is a recipe site featuring Latin Cruisine discriminating against you because they won't allow you to post your grandmother's Pork Cordon Bleu recipe? Is www.onescene.com... discriminating against straight people?

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

originally posted by: veracity
a reply to: SlapMonkey

If you are going to have a public business, then you must respect equal rights. Not including LGBT is the exact same as putting up a sign out front of your business saying "no blacks allowed".

It is discrimination and now there is no tolerance. Sad that there has to be a law to force people to respect each other

First, this is a private business--you must purchase a membership to join it.

Oh, really?

a reply to: dawnstar

Is ChristianMingle discriminating because it won't accept non-Christians? No. ChristianMingle is discriminating because it will only accept certain Christians.

If onescene refused to accept black gays, then onescene is discriminating.

See the difference?

originally posted by: veracity
a reply to: SlapMonkey

This is not a private business, lol

Anyone can purchase a membership to it.

And yes...we live in a country where you cannot discriminate on your fellow Americans.

While Christian Mingle may be a wholly owned subsidiary of Spark Networks, which is a publicly traded company, Christian Mingle is NOT publicly traded on the stock market. Maybe that makes them a public company by default--I don't know the specifics of how being wholly owned by a parent company work, but I do know that if the definition of a public company is that it is openly traded on a stock exchange, Christian Mingle is NOT a public company.

But here's the irony in your claim (and this lawsuit's claim) that they are illegally discriminating:

Is Christian Mingle owned by a specifically-Christian company? No. It is owned by Spark Networks, a company that calls itself “a leading provider of iconic, niche-focused brands.” Translation: “Christians” are just another niche they market to, along with JDate (Jewish), LDSSingles (Latter-Day Saints/Mormons), Black Singles, and Silver Singles.

source

So, I guess this parent company will have all of these listed sites sued by the same guys because they cater to specific types of people instead of being all-inclusive, yeah? I mean, these guys are only interested in equal justice across the board and not only in making a statement or in their own special interest, I'm sure.

You are wrong about being able to discriminate in America, and that's okay--sometimes the owner's desires can and should trump the wants of a few. My mother-in-law had to shop around for an apartment for a while before finding a decent one that would accept pets. That's discrimination against pet owners, but it's okay.

Regardless, just because a certain group of people are excluded from one hyper-focused online dating site does not mean that it is discrimination that should be legislated against (or, IMO, equates to illegal discrimination). All of these "groups" of people who always want everything that others have and go to court over it are exhausting.

Case in point, these two guys that sued Christian Mingle (or their parent company) could have used Compatible Partners instead. But, no, they have to throw a tantrum about not having access to one particular site. It's pretty pathetic, to be honest with you. My 12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome tends to handle things better than this.

a reply to: kaylaluv

so, if christian mingle changed their name to straight christian mingle and Spark Networks started another site called gay christian mingle?

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Wrong again.

Same lawsuit happened with E-harmony.

All they need to do is put a new site on the network that offers the features for Gay Christians if they don't want it under the same URL.

Compatible Partners

a reply to: DeadFoot

Wow...you set up a free online profile (which they openly mention in their advertisements). Now try connecting with people and see how free it is, there, DeadFoot.

Nah, I'll save you the trouble: Costs.

here, I'll even save you trouble of clicking that link:

ChristianMingle.com offers a standard membership plan. They have plans for 1, 3, and 6 months, and if you signup for longer plans, you save more money. ChristianMingle.com bills you up front for your entire membership length. It is free to view your matches and see who's viewed your profile, but you must signup for a plan to contact other members.

Standard Membership Plan:

- 1 Month: $29.99

- 3 Months: $18.99/mo (billed as $56.97)

- 6 Months: $13.99/mo (billed as $83.94)

So, you were saying?

a reply to: DeadFoot

Oh, so "separate-but-equal," that's okay? I mean, if the site MUST include everyone, then THE site must include everyone. If it's okay to set up a separate site, NOTHING has changed.

And exactly what was I "wrong" about?

a reply to: SlapMonkey

To me, a public company is one that is open to the public, not necessarily on the stock market.

The pet owner discrimination is very different from minority group discrimination. That is really stretching it and comparing apples to oranges.

If a gay man identifies as Christian, then goes onto a Christian website and there is no "male in search of male" option...then that is considered a public company discriminating against a minority and is not allowed.

They could go to other "gay only" websites, yes...but still, many intelligent people care about their rights and rights of others and will go the extra mile...(sue)...to correct the discriminator.

I understand that many people who discriminate to not even realize they are discriminating...that is a huge problem today. That is why it must be enforced.

originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: kaylaluv

so, if christian mingle changed their name to straight christian mingle and Spark Networks started another site called gay christian mingle?

So again, separate but equal?

You really don't see the issue inherent here, Dawnstar?

a reply to: Gryphon66

It goes over the head of many