Aug 26 2008
The Church and Homosexuality- a week long series
Homosexuality has been a controversial and well-debated topic in our society for many years and perhaps more than any other group, organized religion has made no attempt to hide their disapproval. Some people have even gone as far as to that homosexuals- particularly the males- are violating the first commandment because they look at sex as a god. This is extremely stereotypical because most gay men do not spend their lives consumed by how many people they have slept with. Because of this, those who are against homosexuality are commonly heard quoting Bible scripture or saying, “God hates fags”. This has always been interesting because I was taught that God loves everyone. Furthermore, homosexual activity is condemned as being sinful so a common assumption is that if you are gay you must reject either religion or their sexual identity. There are even treatment centers where homosexuals can be “cured” of their homosexuality, therefore changing how God made them. Today society faces the debate over whether homosexuals should have the right to marry so what better topic could I chose to write about. My goal in writing this is to answer the questions: “Does God hate Gay people?”
Since it is a long and complicated discussion, it will be divided into sections. The first section will contain Sacred Scripture such as the quotes from the Old Testament: Genesis 1:27, Exodus 34:28 Commandment 6, and Exodus 34:28 Commandment 9; and quotes from the New Testament: Corinthians 9 and Matthew 5. The next section will be Tradition, including Church Fathers (Three quotes from St. Augustine), and the Magisterium (Second Vatican Council, Letter of the Congregation, Declaration Persona Humane, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church). The third section will contain thoughts of private theologian such as Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Dionigi Teltamanzi. Section 4 contains the legal aspects of homosexuality - gay marriage. The fifth section will contain my opinion after researching this topic, backing it up with reasoning.
