Scott, saying this, “As a Catholic you must believe all of the truths the Catholic Church professes, otherwise you‚Äôre a heretic” is so profoundly ignorant and sad, I assume you have never talked to a thoughtful priest about your view.

Sr. Bernadette shows an attitude and approach Godly Catholic charity and love, as you would expect. Your response is an example of judgment and hate.

Good sentiments and “niceness” do not in any way necessarily mean love. The devil would be nice to you in order to tempt you, would he not? Satan doesn’t need to make you rebel directly against the truth – because you would never succeed a – all he needs is for you to be complacent about serving God and lull you into thinking you’re a “loving” person. So it is with evil.

These are hard teachings. The world offers you comfort, but you weren’t made for comfort, you were made for greatness. Be perfect as you Heavenly Father is perfect.

Actually, you can’t be a Catholic and not follow Church teaching. As a Catholic you must believe all of the truths the Catholic Church professes, otherwise you’re a heretic, and, assuming one refuses to repent, will go for Hell. QED

I have noted that there are many “everyone deserves such and such” statements from those opposed to the Church’s teaching, and they always justify their statements with the idea of “love.” Love is many things, one of them is chastity. Furthermore, Love cannot exist apart from the Truth. Therefore, any attempt to portray Sodomy, which is evil, as part of love, which is good, is lying. I strongly encourage all false “Catholics” to consider whether they actually love God if they will not obey their Father in Heaven.

The teaching on homosexuality is part of those teachings that were handed down. It comes from God. So who am I to say that God is wrong? Truthfully, I believe the homosexual condition is a neurosis, not an intrinsic human condition.

Today I express my spirituality outside the church. I believe in most of what christians profess but do not believe in what some may think is their God given right to demonize and condemn others for being different.

“The use of the words ‘unnatural, or disordered’ then, means that homosexual activity is an aberration. Other actions in which this language is employed is; for example, murder. It‚Äôs not natural for us to murder. It‚Äôs something that happens but inside all of us is something that says that that‚Äôs wrong. The Church teaches that homosexuality is on that same level, and that‚Äôs why they use the word ‘unnatural or disordered’ when explaining its position. Many people clearly see the unnaturalness of murder; it is harder for many to understand why homosexual acts, and other sexual acts, are unnatural.”

How does she reconcile lack of condemnation of gay sex with placing it in the same ballpark as murder and how does he reconcile that comparison with her claim of being non-judgmental? Very odd.

Didn’t the Church once condemn the practice of Usury? Now there’s a Vatican Bank! Teaching does change as knowledge grows.

We are not the judges; God is. We are called by God to love. He can judge when the time is right.

That said, I am concerned for the state of his soul. He made a break from the Church a few years ago, and doesn’t seem to have much of a faith at the moment. I decided to simply keep praying for him, and leave his soul and conversion to God. So far, I have peace with this approach – we’ll see.

‘Fruitless’ unions?

So the two women in my church who have been together for 15 years, and who are now giving a loving home to a daughter who had been in foster care for 8 years have a fruitless relationship? Am I imagining the love and care they clearly have for each other, for our church community, and for their beloved daughter?

Then there is the gay couple whose sons are leaders in the high school youth group, who devote countless hours of their own to being lectors, sacristans, and liturgy planners. How is their union fruitless? How is their service a heinous sin? How is their care and devotion for their family and their church a perversion?

I cannot connect what I see with my own eyes with what you are saying. These are faithful Catholics – most of them better Catholics than I will ever be. God made them as they are, and God doesn’t seem to be rejecting their love and service to others. Why should we?

And does the whole gay thing really affect the world in such a negative way? Don’t we–as humans, as Catholics–have real evils to fight?

Hey, I don’t claim to be the best Catholic around.

Thank you and God bless you Sr. Bernadette and Paul.

I feel for those who have homosexual orientations but God and our church put sexuality in a very sacred and serious spotlight. You can not be a faithful Catholic and devulge yourself in a homosexual lifestyle. It’s one thing if you are struggling with your temptations and trying to overcome, it’s another thing to say that such a lifestyle is OK and that the church just needs to “get with the times”. Our church makes it excedingly clear that Homosexual actions are a sin (period). This has been revealed by God from the beginining of time, I assure you it will not change anytime soon. In fact, the very structure of our church reveals intimatly a man/woman relationship. We cannot understand Christ the Bridegroom and the Church the bride in homosexual deminsions. As Christopher West explains, in a “bride/bride” situation which would happen with a female priesthood, the relationship of the church is defiled. Such unions do not bring about a conjecal union, thay are instead fruitless and a henious sin before God.

and some of my Christian friends agree with the following statement, “HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS ARE CALLED TO CHASTITY.”

Many of my Muslim, Catholic, and Christian friends disagree with both statements above. Speaking as a lesbian Catholic woman, I do not believe that love–by love I refer to spiritual, emotional, and physical love–belongs to those who are “straight” or whatnot. Love belongs to everyone, it is not a privilege that can be given to some and not others. Chastity is also a very courageous act for straight and LGBTQ people who choose this for themselves, not because they are told by others. God’s gift of love is for all, and I’m thankful that I’m blessed with the courage to give and receive love.

First of all the Galileo affair was caused by Galileo’s insistance that some biblical passages should be changed, not because of Galileo’s scientific findings. Although Galileo was treated wrongly, the affair was not a doctrinal one. The church has NEVER changed a piece of doctrine and never will. Issues between certian members of the church and eclestiatical authorities is a different thing all together.

The church has upheld for 2000 years the sanctity of marriage (which can only happen between a man and a women) and sex. The church firmly teaches that although we are always to love the sinner and hate the sin, sodomy and homosexual acts are mortal (or deadly) sins and should not be encouraged by any means.

To hear it from the “horses mouth” please read Article 6 of the Cathecism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 2357-2359.

Chapter 2 Article 6 Pg.2357 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, WHICH PRESENTS HOMOSEXUALITY ACTS AS ACTS OF GRAVE DEPRAVITY,140 tradition has always declared that “HOMOSEXUAL ACTS ARE INTRINSICALLY DISORDERED.”141 THEY ARE CONTRARY TO THE NATURAL LAW. THEY CLOSE4 THE SEXUAL ACT TO THE GIFT OF LIFE. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity.

(and the clincher…)

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN THEY BE APPROVED.

Further reading in the same paragraph:

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, 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.

2359 HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS ARE CALLED TO CHASTITY. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

This is our faith people. It’s not black and white. The Church (and Jesus!!!) have been teaching the SAME thing for over 2000 years. Love it or leave it.

The Church has been wrong on very significant issues before — such as the pre-Vatican II belief that “there is no salvation outside the Church” to “there IS salvation outside the Church” — the new view held after Vatican II.

The Church forced Galileo to recant his views on the universe, and no less than Pope John Paul II apologized for this.

I am confident that the Church — in 50 years or perhaps 100 years down the road — will similarly change its teaching on homosexuality. And perhaps another pope will apologize for the way the Church has treated gays.