Chapter 1. Homosexuality
and Scripture
Chapter 2. Homosexuality and Tradition Chapter 3. Teleology, the Philosophical Basis of Ethics Chapter 4. Homosexuality and the Official Teaching of the Church Chapter 5. A Fantasy Encyclical A paper on the exact interpretation of Leviticus 18:22. A paper on the exact interpretation of 1 Corinthians 6:9. A paper on the exact interpretation of Romans 1:26-27.
|
|||||||
Click here for my reaction to a
cry of pain from a gay Catholic,
here for a message of hope from Fr James Alison, here for a very helpful initiative from the Catholic Bishop of Memphis, here for a gay positive Byzantine Orthodox perspective and here for the testimony of Andrew Sullivan. |
Click here for a critique of some typical
Evangelical Anglican thinking; here for a reply to an attack on Boswell by a Conservative Catholic and here for a reply to an attack by a Catholic Bishop. |
||||||
Click here for a review of the mutation
of Church teaching on
Contraception, Slavery, Usury, the perfidy of the Jews, the damnation of all non-Catholics, Religious Liberty, the interpretation of TheBible and here for the story of Galileo. |
Click here for a discussion of
what exactly homosexuality is and is not. Click here for a paper on homophobic
bullying
|
||||||
"Being both gay and Catholic in my
corner of the Diocese of North Carolina is not the most ideal situation.
The gay-friendly parishes are embarrassingly casual, to the point that
one wonders whether Mass has truly been said. There is one parish
in the diocese where the pastor has an indult to celebrate the Tridentine
Mass every Sunday, and it is a parish thoroughly devoted to the present
and most recent Pontiffs and all their pontifications. I can't exactly
call myself traditionalist in that sense, as it is something I've yet to
experience. What I have experienced most of my life in the Church, and
continue to experience, is the kind of Mass so lacking in devotion and
a sense of holy awe that I escaped to the Episcopal (Anglican) communion
for a while, where at least the liturgy was somewhat more inspiring. But,
of course, I came to accept that the Eucharist was watered down in that
barely meaningful, protestant way. I had no choice, I felt, but to return
to the banal liturgies where at least our Lord was truly present in the
Sacred Mysteries.
It was and remains a very difficult choice to return to the Roman Catholic Church. I believe the Vatican's pronouncements on the nature of who I am have exacted a devastating spiritual toll on me. It is all I can do some Sundays to get out of bed and to the church where I will find it a struggle to lift my heart to the Almighty, because the liturgy almost fights me every step of the way. I will go in fear of hearing something hurtful proclaimed from the pulpit, which I will suffer in silence because I remain in the closet, in deference to my career and potential custody issues regarding my children. Why do I stay? Because I know that Christ waits for me there, and He must be my All. There is no misguided teaching that should prevent me from receiving Him, no matter how much pain it might cause me. I shouldn't have to suffer at the hands of Christ's shepherds, but untold numbers of saints through the ages in fact have. Who am I to complain? In the end, all these things shall pass away. And ultimately, I am living for eternity." [An email list member (December 2005)] |
|||||||
Click here for the Gay
Mysteries of the Rosary and
here for some gay-related meditations on the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. Click here for a review of the theology and
Click here for a suggested rite of "same-gender union". |
|||||||
Click here for an annotated version of the 2003
letter
from the Holy Office regarding same-sex marriage. Click here for my critique of a typical Conservative
|
Click here for an annotated version of the
1986 letter from the Holy Office regarding the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals. Click here for an commented version of the
|
||||||
Enter your email and click on the Iconto join my discussion list.
|
I am both a catholic and a man "suffering from"
same sex atraction. Why am I writting "suffering from"? Just because it is a very confusing state, and being an honest guy it is not an easy one for me. Only a few months ago I was strictly obedient
I have many doubts in my head. Maybe I will
|
||||||
"They that shall oppose thee in thy right courses,
as it is not in their power to divert thee from thy good action, so neither
let it be to divert thee from thy good affection towards them. But be it
thy care to keep thyself constant in both; both in a right judgement and
action, and in true meekness towards them that either shall do their endeavour
to hinder thee, or at least will be displeased with thee for what thou
hast done. For to fail in either (either in the one to give over for fear,
or in the other to forsake thy natural affection towards him who by nature
is both thy friend and thy kinsman) is equally base, and much savouring
of the disposition of a cowardly fugitive soldier."
[Marcus Aurelius "Meditations"] |
Click here for Click here to Search this site. | ||||||
"Theology of the Body" related stuff |
|||||||
|
I've read enough of John Paul's Theology
of the Body to know that it doesn't ring true. It deals with so many of the issues that confront us: marriage, celibacy, the relevance of the Book of Genesis, the so-called necessity of male and female complementarity, how the heterosexual family of Father, Mother and Child is supposed to reflect the life of the Holy Trinity, etc. Interestingly, homosexuality gets scant
But we are dismissed as an afterthought,
|
||||||
I would be happy to come and talk to interested parties
and/or advise on the issues raised on this site.
Email Pharsea |