Gay Life: Tolerate or Celebrate

[BAChristian]

Catholic.net - Gay Life: Tolerate or Celebrate?

 

[Borromeo]

From friends I used to have who were gay or lesbian, they said it wasn't enough to be "tolerated," everyone has to support it and celebrate it. Basically gay fascism... if you didn't support and celebrate it you should be considered an uneducated moron and not be given any employment or even "tolerated."



They didn't realise they are their own worst enemy. I supported and accepted them until I realised just how controlling and evil they were. They want freedom to be what they want to be and want to take it away from everyone else.

 

[Angeldove97]

I invited a gay couple to my wedding-- ceremony and reception. I've been friends with one of them since I was in 3rd grade. I invited his boyfriend out of a sign of respect for my friend--- but my friend is aware of my non-support for the gay crusade as the article talked about.

I will honestly say that I tolerate the gay agenda-- I'm too concerned that if I get started with it I might start to sin with anger and hatred.

 

[BAFRIEND]

neither tolerate nor celebrate

Saint Paul told us not too

and i personally would be and have been very careful about allowing anyone i know his was gay associating with my kids and not just because i do not trust gay people (i dont) but also because of the possibility of sending the wrong message

when we lived in sacramento a neighborhood boy got molested because a gay adult became his friend and put emotional strings on this kid

the gay guy once the kid got close to him said they better not hang out together anymore because he was gay

the kid said it did not matter to him

the gay guy said 'okay, but you will have to kiss me'- they both lauphed and the kid thought it was a joke

unfortunately it was'nt

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

I wonder how powerful the Church could have been in the lives of GLBTs if only it had recognized their struggle earlier and been a proponent for their existence. All while maintaining its views on natural law and marriage.

 

[ebia]

I wonder how powerful the Church could have been in the lives of GLBTs if only it had recognized their struggle earlier and been a proponent for their existence. All while maintaining its views on natural law and marriage.

Nods

 

[BAFRIEND]

I wonder how powerful the Church could have been in the lives of GLBTs if only it had recognized their struggle earlier and been a proponent for their existence. All while maintaining its views on natural law and marriage.

i wonder how powerful Jesus could be in the lives of glbts if only they would recognize that Jesus died for their sins and is their savior all while rejecting sin and trusting God to help them through their struggle

instead of trying to hijack the moral teachings of the Church he created and corrupt and divide and sew the seeds of discontent among the One Body- the heart and soul of God's creation

sad

 

[GrannieAnnie]

Children are molested by hetrosexuals more often than my homosexuals. And I tolerate homosexuals, I certainly don't celebrate them. Love the sinner not the sin !!

 

[JourneyToPeace]

It's a false dichotomy. The only two options are NOT "tolerate gay life" or "celebrate gay life". I vote for another one: genuinely LOVE GLBT people. Not because of their preference, or because of who they're attracted to or how they're wired, but because they are PEOPLE, made in the image of God, humans with sinful inclinations like every single human on the face of this earth, and just like any of us, they need love.

What does that love look like? Feeding the hungry. Clothing the naked. Visiting the prisoners. It looks practical, because it is. It's hands-on. It's offering the needed support, the love.... while at the same time, as SpiritualAntiseptic says, it is NOT denying what marriage is, and not denying natural law. The Church really, really needs to step up for people who identify as GLBT people. They needed to decades ago.

NOT to justify sin, or to celebrate it, but to love these people as God commands us to love them - He DIED for them. And for you. And all of us. They ARE "one of us". As in need of love and salvation as any of us, as sinful as any of us, as hurting and broken as any of us.... and we are in the Church, we're the body of Christ, we NEED to love these people.

Not fear them. Not hate them. And certainly not to celebrate the chaos they're currently in. We have to love them. If we do anything less, I believe with all my heart that we're missing out on the point of being Catholic.

 

[.Iona.]

I do not feel that people should celebrate what they do not agree with. But, we all live on one earth, and are all God's children, so I will tolerate anyone unless they try to kill me!

 

[Aaron_Walker]

It's a false dichotomy. The only two options are NOT "tolerate gay life" or "celebrate gay life". I vote for another one: genuinely LOVE GLBT people.

Amen to that! I agree there's a lot of space in between tolerating (which has something of a negative and hypocritical connotation) and celebrating a lifestyle, whichever one that may be. Love demands an effort on one's part to understand and uphold the person, focusing on the human dignity of that person. Not to mention it's the core principle of Christianity. Lack of love toward LGBT Christians says a lot about those who should be walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

 

[Fantine]

In the first place, I think there is a difference between tolerating or celebrating a lifestyle and how one behaves with the individuals who participate in that lifestyle, particularly if they are close friends or relatives.

My adult children have gay friends, particularly the one who is very involved in the arts. Their friends are welcome in our home, and I enjoy their company. I do not feel that it is my place to criticize or lecture them while they are my guests, and I don't.

What matters most to me is whether they are good friends for my children--loyal, unconditionally loving, supportive, encouraging--and they are.

One of my sons shared an apartment with a few other people while in college. One of the roommates was a control freak, uptight, difficult. Acknowledging his sexual identity apparently changed his entire personality. And, although he was committing the sin of homosexual relations, he was no longer committing the worse sin (in my mind) of making the lives of everyone around him miserable...

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I ask is gay life atomic, indivisible? Or maybe there are there parts that are good (e.g. love, mutiual respect) and parts that are bad (e.g. actual homosexual behaviour) in the Church's eyes. Maybe reducing everything to discussion of a single sinful act is a bit shortsighted.

 

[Fantine]

I ask is gay life atomic, indivisible? Or maybe there are there parts that are good (e.g. love, mutiual respect) and parts that are bad (e.g. actual homosexual behaviour) in the Church's eyes. Maybe reducing everything to discussion of a single sinful act is a bit shortsighted.

QFT

 

[Aaron_Walker]

...parts that are bad (e.g. actual homosexual behaviour)...

I'm not sure what you mean in specific by actual homosexual behavior, but I don't see why all the positive characteristics you listed should be considered something outside the actual.

 

[brightmorningstar]

As an Anglican posting here please let me say what an superb article the link is.
Its not much different from the Anglican one.

Yes there are many people who have same sex attraction and I am even friends with some. We dont fall out because they dont really believe in Jesus and I dont believe in same sex relations, and they can see it is the same sex relations that Christians are claiming is wrong according to God.
So what of the gay lobby groups. They even refuse to recognise the church sees a difference between the person and the act. They are determined that everyone celebrate their lifestyle or anyone who objects shoudl be punished.
They talk of inclusivity and tolerance and then send anyone whose views they dont agree with on a diversity course !!!

There are T-shirts about which say "I am gay, get used to it", perhaps if we had a T-shirt which said "we are bigots, get used to it"
But in fact we can only speak the word of God in love, Jesus taught His disciples will be hated because of Him, anyone who looks at the debate and see from whom the call of hate come can see who His disciples really are.

The RC church is not for me, but as a Christian I pray and give thanks for the Roman Catholic church, especially for its stand on this evil.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Love the individual, but don't love the sin.


Most of the gay people I know are very nice people and I love and respect them.

However, what bothers me is the homosexual activist groups which have become so aggressive, they've become persecutors, especially against the Catholic Church.



Jim

 

[Antigone]

I try not to do either.

I've met so many gay people of all sorts that I honestly don't think of them any differently than I do of heterosexuals: some are bastards, some are nice, some are somewhere in between.

It hardly registers anymore.

 

[brightmorningstar]

There was an incident some months ago on Newsnight. Having explained all the voluntary work churches do the interviewer said out of the blue should they be allowed to if for example they dont allow homosexual people.
The correct response in love to the news interviewer should have been, firstly you are incorrect the church does allow people with same sex attraction, it is same sex relationships that is contrary to God's creation purposes, yes we think they should. So make your mind up, would you rather see thousands of people helped home during the night and crime rates drop, or everyone be forced to accept your idea of same sex relationships being normal?

 

[Aaron_Walker]

...what bothers me is the homosexual activist groups which have become so aggressive, they've become persecutors, especially against the Catholic Church.

Had the Church showed them the same amount of love and respect as you individually have, there would probably be no need for them to be as aggressive. I do agree, though, that some of the tactics employed by the gay rights movement are not the best.

As a matter of disclosure, I have left the Roman Catholic Church over ten years ago over its political stance on a range of issues. In my part of the world it never fails to align with the most reactionary, far-right causes, and as a Christian I had come to a point where I couldn't subscribe to that in good conscience any longer. There are many things about the RCC's social witness that I admire and even feel proud of (such as its commitment to the poor or the strong opposition to death penalty), but I believe on this particular count the Church is falling short on her own teachings regarding human dignity and love. I don't see how the Gospel can be equated with referring to people as evil simply for being gay.

I think this is going to be one more thing that the future Popes will have to apologize for, not unlike the antisemitism or anti-science bias of the previous centuries. Too many people have suffered already.