One of the strongest arguments in opposition to the Church is also the byproduct of a misunderstanding. She finds herself berated in every avenue for her stance regarding homosexuality. It is said that Catholics believe that homosexuality is a choice, a sinful choice made by unrepentant folk, who deliberately turn their back on God, and should not be allowed to receive communion because they are evil and sinful! Oh my, someone save the LGBT community from this adult bullying!
This is not the Catholic stance, and the misunderstanding is rooted in the difference between the colloquial meaning of the term and a more narrow, focused definition. When we think of homosexuality as secular North Americans, we call to mind the entire lifestyle, from the attraction to people of the same sex, right through to that couple's act of lovemaking, and all the various behaviours ascribed, often erroneously, to homosexuals. Not every Lesbian is butch, and not every Gay man is a ninny or obsessed with chaps. Within the descriptions of doctrine, Homosexuality refers simply to the sexual portion of this broad definition. Attraction, what we as a society call "being gay", is just that: Same Sex Attraction.
Homosexual Sex [i]is[/i] proscribed against in various places through the bible, and not just in Leviticus. It is a misuse of Sex, whose proper form is unitive and procreative between married couples. Homosexual sex likely shares the unitive portion, but does not share the procreative. This is what is meant when it is called [i]disordered[/i].
Same Sex Attraction, on the other hand, is a difficult cross to bear, as difficult as any inclination away from Chastity (which, by the way, is not virginity, but the proper sexual state for one in one's current state of life. Married couples remain chaste even in the sex act itself), or any other strong inclination to sin, such as kleptomania. It is not the position of the Church that people must choose to be gay. Quite the contrary, it is they who choose to act upon that instinct, God-Given as it is. It is no greater a sin than the sin of a young man and young women who like to have sex out of wedlock.
The idea of sexual sin has become taboo to discuss in our sexually-liberated society. If a man, of Faith or Not, suggests that he would rather see women modestly dressed than otherwise, he is often seen as less than totally masculine, or somewhat backward or outdated. Similarly, we have taken homosexuality and made it an issue akin to racism or sexism. Those who speak against it, for the protection of those with SSA, are seen as backwards and bigoted.
I strongly urge everyone to consider the Stations of the Cross. What is your cross to bear? Sins of the Flesh? Sins of Anger? There is no man alive who doesn't have something to contend with. The difference between one and another is whether they choose to bear it, or to let it master them.
Strange, that they argue for equality, but at the same time, they would lynch those who make homophobic joke, but let those make religious joke slide. Kinda hypocritical in a way.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what do you think of the gay parade being too sexualized? Its certainly not good for the children, and to be honest, it's too embarrasing to even see it. I mean, through doing all the BDSM clothes, they are making themselves look like attention whores.