Hate the sin, love the sinner?KATHY SAUNDERS' ARTICLE, "MOM, DAD, I'M GAY" (August), really stuck in my throat. The Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. does not now nor has it ever abandoned persons with same-sex attraction. The Catholic Church has consistently said to persons with same-sex attraction: "God loves you, the church loves you, genital sexual behavior sexual behavior A person's sexual practices–ie, whether he/she engages in heterosexual or homosexual activity. See Sex life, Sexual life. with the same sex is a sin, and we, the church, can help you." Tragically her article neglects to clearly and completely state the teaching of the church. She suggests that the church is out of step with contemporary thinking and that it needs to adopt the secular thinking of such pro-gay organizations as Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG PFLAG Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (since 1972; Washington, DC) ), Dignity, the National Association for Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM NACDLGM National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (Berkeley, CA) ), or New Ways Ministry. The quote from Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton best captures the vacuous ineptitude Ineptitude See also Awkwardness. Brown, Charlie meek hero unable to kick a football, fly a kite, or win a baseball game. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 543] Capt. Queeg incompetent commander of the minesweeper Caine. of these groups that seek to enable same-sex genital sexual behavior when he said, "I just don't understand why we in the church would turn them away or create such an atmosphere that they would feel totally unwelcomed." The church hasn't, but unfortunately Gumbleton and U.S. CATHOLIC don't or can't understand this. Robert Cavera Haslett, Mich. Thank you for the very positive article regarding the struggle of homosexual children and their parents with the church. Saunders certainly helps to move the discussion forward. However, we still have a long way to go before openly gay and lesbian persons will truly be welcome in every parish community. We must work and pray for that to happen soon. Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton Detroit, Mich. "Mom, Dad, I'm gay" are perhaps the most devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. words a parent could hear from a child. Not just because what gays do [sexually] is unnatural and wrong, but because that marks the end of a genealogy from that child. That fact should be honestly faced and not denied by so many parents who say they are proud of their gay children. We may accept them and love them and not turn them away, but we cannot be proud of them because what they do is intrinsically wrong and will always be wrong no matter how welcome they are in our homes, our communities, or our churches. Peter J. Riga Houston, Texas “Houston” redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation). Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the 
Sentient Meat (Member): Rejecting your children by not 'being proud' of them is not Christian 12/21/2009 7:19 PM
I was taken aback by the hypocrisy in this note. Rejecting your children by not being proud of them is inconsistent with your injunction to love them. This 'love' is self-congratulating hogwash, not worth the parchment it's written on. You should have the courage to say that gay people make you sick and that you've found a religion which indulges your private prejudice. How nice for you.
--sentient meat sentientmeat.net |
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