tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post1687710293101452348..comments2023-10-07T04:19:14.316-07:00Comments on A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS: VATICAN, LDS, AND RELIGIOUS ANTIPATHY TO GAY RIGHTSJerry Manekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-42319126765570052552010-04-12T09:25:03.927-07:002010-04-12T09:25:03.927-07:00Thanks so much, Loukas, for your very thoughtful c...Thanks so much, Loukas, for your very thoughtful comment. One point you raise: "Can we think of avoiding one's responsibility and commencing a counter-attack as a Christian thing to do?" I think as Christians it is our responsibility to preach and do our best to live out the Gospel of grace. <br /><br />And when those who profess to be Christians defame God, and pervert Christianity, by equating their prejudices with what they call "Christianity," and seek to deny civil rights to others "in God's name," we are obligated to publicly confront those lies. Best wishes, Jerry.Jerry Manekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-74469061621704317422010-04-12T09:08:37.340-07:002010-04-12T09:08:37.340-07:00I too have noticed this tendency in the RC Church ...I too have noticed this tendency in the RC Church itself and various groups of its supporters who strive to present themselves as being attacked, as if media and people of the "Homosexual Hate Movement" kind waged war on the righteous Church; as if all the scandals and coverups were exaggerated. It's a very clever strategy, whose point is to persuade people that the statistics presented by media are being misinterpreted, that there weren't so many of these incidents anyway and that the Church did what it possibly could to prevent them from happening again. I don't know whether they realize how this kind of arguing really sounds, i.e. as tough they suggested that the scandals shouldn't be revealed and discussed because they may be interpreted as an attack and, thus, something immoral. And I can't help but wonder what's happened to the Christian attitude? Can we think of avoiding one's responsibility and commencing a counter-attack as a Christian thing to do? I think, by the way, that what matters here is not the statistical aspect of these cases, but the mechanism the Church uses to deal with them. And it is more then obvious that its policy has been controversial, if not criminal. Regardless of what allegations or charges we can produce or come across, it’s an unquestionable fact that the official procedures introduced by the Church in early 60s – by John XXIII to be precise – do instruct to try to prevent the victims from reporting the abuse cases to the authorities and to protect clergy, dealing with everything within the Church. And this document hasn’t been changed since it was issued. I suppose that’s the most important thing the pope ought to do now.<br /><br />And I agree with what you wrote about celibacy or, in a wider perspective, about the whole formation process in the Roman Catholic Church and the impact it's teachings, methods and procedures have on people's psychosexual and emotional development. If one is not able to recognize and accept their sexual needs and this dimension of life is treated as a sinful, unwanted one, than of course - everything pushed into the subconscious comes back, sometimes causing really harmful, pathological effects that can lead not only to various psychological problems, but even such desires that, combined with the general inability to understand or control these feelings, may result in a sexual crime. But there is more to celibacy than that - well, I even suppose that celibacy is of secondary importance here. In fact there is some sense to it, in the image of someone who devotes himself and his life to everybody, every Church member, and feels that a personal relationship would be an obstacle in doing so. Celibacy is in fact about relationships, not sexual activity. Yet again - it shouldn't be introduced by force and made a requirement to serve God and the Church as a priest.Loukashttp://dstp.cba.plnoreply@blogger.com