In Response to "Concerning homosexuality and extremists in the Church.."

This blog entry is in response to a blog that was written Saturday by a fellow member of the Newman Club. First, some background information. The Newman Center is a Catholic College organization that is meant to serve as spiritual center for college students, based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Newman Club is simply a student run club associated with the Newman Center.

When I came to college last September, I quickly got heavily involved in the Newman Center, but was distressed by what seemed to be a lack of orthodoxy (faithfulness to Church teaching) in the Center’s attitudes. For example, the Center hosted a talk by a priest who dissented from Catholic teaching on homosexuality, charging the Church with being “homophobic.”

Because this kind of dissenting attitude toward the Catholic Church was not what I was looking for and was not helpful to my spiritual growth, I have been gradually distancing myself, feeling that this was better than a confrontation, which would inevitably lead to a painful and likely unchristian situation.

However, when I was asked last week by another member of the Newman Club why it seemed like I was avoiding them, I simply told him why. I told him that I didn’t agree with a lot of the things they were doing and why I didn’t feel comfortable with them. That was March 11^th and everything was more or less quiet until Saturday, when this blog was written. The link to the blog is http://bernstein09.blogspot.com/ and I would encourage you to read it before going on since I will be addressing the content of the blog itself.

First, a quick word about the tone and word choice of this blog. Ironically, the author of the blog calls for open-mindedness but then calls and/or implies that people who disagree with her on this issue as bigot, terrorist, hateful person, etc. Is this open-minded?

How many people, even among Catholics, actually know what the Church teaches about homosexuality? Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997) says:

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture . . . tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sex act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination . . . constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives, and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. Homosexual persons are called to chastity.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on this matter is consistent with Biblical condemnations of homosexual behavior (check your Bible, Leviticus 18:22-30, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Jude 7). Catholic teaching on this issue is also shared by most religions, including most Protestant Christians, Muslims, and orthodox Jews. All of these faiths teach that sex belongs in marriage and that marriage must be between a man and a woman because the two purposes of sex—the expression of faithful, complementary love and the procreation of children—can be fulfilled only in heterosexual marriage. This is not a “prejudice” but a belief about God’s purposes for sex.

In saying that the Catholic Church is wrong to condemn homosexual behavior, the author of the blog is also saying that the Church is wrong on a matter of faith and morals. According to Catholic belief, this is not possible. Catholics believe that Jesus promised the Church that he would send the Holy Spirit to ensure the truth of its teachings. If you’d like more information about the Biblical backing of this, I would be happy to discuss it with you.

Lastly, the blog states that we must allow homosexual behavior in order to love them. This is not true at all. Jesus loved every person more than we are capable of, but he wasn’t afraid to tell them they were wrong and that they needed to repent and take control of their sinful desires. Being loving does not mean allowing sinful behavior to continue. I by no means support those who abuse homosexuals and discriminate against them. However, to let them do what they want is to stand by while they fall deeper into sin. That is not loving, in fact, I can think of no way to be more unloving. The true Catholic teaching on homosexuals, as shown in the Catechism, is that we are called to love and encourage these people to place God at the center of their lives and take control of their desires. We are to pray for them and help them, not allow them to do whatever they wish.

You might think, “How can you ask people to suppress their natural desires?” Let me give you just one example of a person who is living a chaste lifestyle even though she has homosexual inclinations. She is part of a Catholic support group, Courage, that helps persons experiencing same-sex attraction to lead a chaste life. She says:

A homosexual tendency is not who you are; it’s a tendency in a person. There is a whole deeper reality to who you are. The more you grow internally, the more you can know yourself as you are known by God. The deepest peace you can have is when you are living the way God intended you to live.

Of course, you don’t have to agree with Catholic teaching or any other religious view of this or any other issue. That is your right of conscience, just as it is a right of conscience for other persons to hold the above-quoted beliefs.

Thank you for reading these thoughts with an open mind. I have tried my best to explain my views. I pray that we may all know the truth as God wants us to know it, I don’t wish to debate the issue further, especially not during the holiest week of the year. God bless you all.

Further Reading: Please leave a comment and I will give you some documents that I was not able to upload for furthered reading!