Suppose there is a living God, a God that made everything.
Suppose that that God dislikes certain activities -- like any homosexual act.
Suppose that God made a horrible example of some people who constantly performed such acts.
Would you think the horrible example was just to punish the evil doers?
Would you think it was to teach others that such behavior was not good, even dangerous, and that one should not do it at all, ever?
Would you think that God had no right to do that?
Well, whatever you would think, you might read from Genesis 18:16 to the end of Genesis 19.
I think that says that whatever God hates he will destroy, and that we better be careful that we don't do anything that he hates.
You, of course are still free to have your own moral code, but if your code is not God's code you might find yourself in trouble.
Or, I think that if there's a God, she/he would have made people with free will so they can do what they like as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. I also think a living/loving god wouldn't have any hate in their heart.
I suppose, what I really believe is this.
An omnipotent being that can't stop the horrible stuff in the world isn't really omnipotent and if she/he isn't omnipotent, does she/he deserve to be worshipped?
If god can stop the horrible stuff but doesn't, again, is she/he really worth the worship?
Suppose letting humanity do whatever it wants for a more or less fixed period of time before God puts and end to it is really God's plan?
Suppose the Devil, the first rebel, is allowed to corrupt the minds of all who will let him, such as Adam, and that humanity is given a relatively long time to learn that man cannot successfully direct himself before God steps in and removes the influence of the Devil and sets things back to the way he wants them.
Remember, Adam disobeyed a direct order from God, and that led to centuries of pain for mankind before God will purge the universe of all those who refuse to obey him and thus usher in an joyous life for all still living -- living according to God's original plan, obeying his laws, laws which restrain us from doing that which is bad for us or others.
The reason things are so bad now and God is allowing it is to teach us that our ways (taught by the Devil) lead only to grief, that we should do things his way.
Nice set of responses. I couldn't have said it better.
People who hope there is no God always seem to assume that, if He does exist, He will agree with them instead of what He has already plainly revealed to mankind. This is neither logical nor wise.