I really hate discussing this. My passion is the pro-life issue—not debating sexual sins. But I am extremely tired of watching Christians being bullied about their faith because they believe God placed prohibitions against or limits on human sexuality--specifically homosexual acts.
Since I am Catholic, I will write from that specific Christian perspective.
Sex is Not a Right
Catholicism doesn't pick on homosexuals any more than any other sexual sin. Catholics teach that humans do not have a right to sex. It's that simple. Sex is a gift from God and He doesn't give it to everyone at all times and it is not given without restriction.
Catholicism doesn't pick on homosexuals any more than any other sexual sin. Catholics teach that humans do not have a right to sex. It's that simple. Sex is a gift from God and He doesn't give it to everyone at all times and it is not given without restriction.
Pornography (both written and visual), pedophilia, prostitution, bestiality, masturbation, oral sex (and other non pro-creative types of sex), contraception, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, cloning, sterilization, vasectomy, premarital sex, adultery, divorce, lust, fetishes, cross dressing, gender changes, bigamy, polygamy, forced marriage, rape, incest…. all these things are grave sins. All of these things betray our Creator, steal the gift of sex from God and abuse it. These are hard standards for everyone, not just those who have same-sex attraction.
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| The woman caught in adultery |
Therefore the person who has same-sex attraction and falls to sexual temptation to act on it is the same in the eyes of the Church as the heterosexual person who falls to sexual temptation to act outside of God's gift.
Catholics are no more homophobic than contraceptophobic or polygamophobic, or pornographobic. It is ridiculous and ignorant to call those who follow Christ's commands for sex as exclusive to married men and women as haters or bigots. Remember that popes, cardinals, bishops, priests don't make the call about what is or what is not wrong, the Creator does. We don't get veto power on this anymore than we do about whether pedophilia is acceptable. There is no such thing as an "enlightenment" moment for those who obey Christ.
Everyone Has to Resist Sexual Temptation
Catholics are no more homophobic than contraceptophobic or polygamophobic, or pornographobic. It is ridiculous and ignorant to call those who follow Christ's commands for sex as exclusive to married men and women as haters or bigots. Remember that popes, cardinals, bishops, priests don't make the call about what is or what is not wrong, the Creator does. We don't get veto power on this anymore than we do about whether pedophilia is acceptable. There is no such thing as an "enlightenment" moment for those who obey Christ.
Everyone Has to Resist Sexual Temptation
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| Chivalry was often about loving a woman but remaining celibate. |
But what if a man truly loves another man?
Restrictions on sex doesn't cut off love or respect or tolerance. No one is taking love away from anyone. Love can and must, in some cases, express itself without sex. Humans do it all the time. Just because a married man sincerely, completely falls in love with his secretary, that doesn't give him the right or the reason to have sex with her. That is outside the perimeters of what God created sex for. We all have to show control, even inside marriage.
Do Christians hunt down and persecute those who practice contraception? Those who are living together before marriage? Those who are having affairs or watching porn? Of course no one should do this. Christians aren't going to hurt souls who fall into sin any more than a REAL Christian would hunt down and persecute those with same-sex attraction. Don't confuse us with religions who kill homosexuals. Seriously.
What is difficult for those who are obedient to Christ who have great sympathy for people who struggle against sexual temptations is to watch our culture try to promote same-sex marriage as normal. We also have had to struggle with sexual temptation, struggle almost to the point that feels like death, so we do understand, but we cannot then say just because it's hard, it's okay to fall to temptation.
Come Let Us Reason Together
My best friend is a pro-choice activist and we love each other and respect each other even if our existential, raison d'être for life is in direct opposition. I have family members who are atheists, we love each other and respect each other. Why is it that my pro-choice friend and my atheist family members can kindly and
Restrictions on sex doesn't cut off love or respect or tolerance. No one is taking love away from anyone. Love can and must, in some cases, express itself without sex. Humans do it all the time. Just because a married man sincerely, completely falls in love with his secretary, that doesn't give him the right or the reason to have sex with her. That is outside the perimeters of what God created sex for. We all have to show control, even inside marriage.
Do Christians hunt down and persecute those who practice contraception? Those who are living together before marriage? Those who are having affairs or watching porn? Of course no one should do this. Christians aren't going to hurt souls who fall into sin any more than a REAL Christian would hunt down and persecute those with same-sex attraction. Don't confuse us with religions who kill homosexuals. Seriously.
What is difficult for those who are obedient to Christ who have great sympathy for people who struggle against sexual temptations is to watch our culture try to promote same-sex marriage as normal. We also have had to struggle with sexual temptation, struggle almost to the point that feels like death, so we do understand, but we cannot then say just because it's hard, it's okay to fall to temptation.
Come Let Us Reason Together
My best friend is a pro-choice activist and we love each other and respect each other even if our existential, raison d'être for life is in direct opposition. I have family members who are atheists, we love each other and respect each other. Why is it that my pro-choice friend and my atheist family members can kindly and
Why is it that when it comes to the subject of same-sex attraction, all of a sudden I am demanded to concede without discussion or logic or reason? Why is my liberty to obey Christ all of a sudden equated with bigotry and hate?
What I find extremely interesting is that my homosexual friends are far, far more understanding and respectful of my faith than the mean-spirited heterosexuals who try to shame me and bully me into changing my opinions. Very few of my homosexual friends and homosexual family members have shunned me, but I have been shunned and shamed by many of those who think they are standing up for my homosexual family and friends.
While discussion will never change what sin is, what discussion can do is tone down the ugly rhetoric and give us understanding and even love for each other as we struggle through these topics.
Reasoning together will bring us to compassion and a respect for each other.
While discussion will never change what sin is, what discussion can do is tone down the ugly rhetoric and give us understanding and even love for each other as we struggle through these topics.
Reasoning together will bring us to compassion and a respect for each other.
From Whence We Get Our Doctrine
If you do not believe homosexuality to be a sin, I will not harass you, I will not shame you, I will not force you or anyone to believe or act as I am convicted to believe or act. But I will push back if I believe you are trying to silence Christians about the subject or force us to believe as you do or actively attempt to indoctrinate our children into your way of thinking. Just as I would push back if a group of activists try to silence Christians about the sin of pornography, or adultery or pedophilia.
This isn't about stubbornness, or intolerance, it's about being faithful even when we may not fully understand God's commandments. Those who promote homosexuality as just another normal lifestyle believe that if they present a good enough argument I will change my mind. I can't. They don't seem to understand, my opinion simply doesn't count here.
Only God's does.
Christians don't get to be cool and relevant--or even liked. We can't "get with the times."
My commitment means that I follow Christ whether or not I understand why or even if I disagree and don't feel something to be immoral. This isn't even about Biblical interpretation for the Orthodox and Catholic church.
Christians don't get to be cool and relevant--or even liked. We can't "get with the times."
My commitment means that I follow Christ whether or not I understand why or even if I disagree and don't feel something to be immoral. This isn't even about Biblical interpretation for the Orthodox and Catholic church.
Christians who come from the most ancient churches, who go back to the beginning learned—not from scripture—but from Jesus and the Apostles themselves that sex was gifted to man for procreation between a man and woman, married and living together in a committed for life monogamous relationship. So even if someone were to come up with a good alternate interpretation of scripture, that would mean nothing to us. We heard this from the mouth of the Apostles, not from reading the Bible, although we believe scripture records and supports what Christ taught.
Gay-Rights Bullies
No doubt the gay-rights bullies will celebrate for a season their success in silencing Christians. But this will only be temporary, because by definition Christians cannot ever go against their leader, Christ. You will never win over Christians hearts' about the sinfulness of sex outside God's definition of marriage. We are not being mean or ugly or intolerant. Christians are simply being humble and submitting to one who designed marriage.
Eventually Christianity will tunnel its way out of the darkness of apathy it seems to be in and will rise to the surface and bloom. Because what God creates as marriage is marriage no matter what man tries to create. And He gave us marriage to reflect His very nature and to show us His unfathomable love. And nature will always find a way, because nature was created by God.
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