Gay Marriage: Theologil and Moral Arguments - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
• HOW THE SUPREME COURT’S CISN FOR GAY MARRIAGE ULD AFFECT RELIG STUTNS
• CATHOLIC CHURCH ‘WILL PAY PRICE’ FOR STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• POPE SAYS CHURCH IS ‘OBSSED’ WH GAYS, ABORTN AND BIRTH CONTROL

GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS

(CNS photo/Pl Harg)Sce Buildg a Bridge, a book on misterg to lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Catholics, was published, I have been asked—at Catholic parish, retreat centers, lleg and universi and nferenc—a few qutns that recur over and over.

HOW THE SUPREME COURT’S CISN FOR GAY MARRIAGE ULD AFFECT RELIG STUTNS

Buildg a Bridge tentnally steered clear of issu of sexual moraly, sce I hoped to foster dialogue by focg on areas of possible monaly; and the church hierarchy and the majory of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Catholics rema far apart on the issu.

CATHOLIC CHURCH ‘WILL PAY PRICE’ FOR STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE

As an asi, sce the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a pendium of church teachg on var topics, do not addrs bisexual or transgenr persons but rather “homosexual persons, ” I’ll refer here to gay and lbian people to be more teachg at the most basic level is ntaed the Gospels and, even more basilly, the revelatn of the Father’s love J Christ. In fact, gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr Catholics are probably the most margalized group the church today, and so I believe that Christ lov them wh a special to gays and lbians, then, the Gospel valu of love, mercy and passn are the buildg blocks of all church that end, ’s important to state that the ey of the church simply beg gay or lbian is not a s—ntrary to wispread belief, even among ted Catholics. As any reputable psychologist or psychiatrists will agree, people do not choose to be born wh any particular sexual when most people ask qutns about “church teachg” they are referrg not to this qutn, but to rtrictns on homosexual, or same-sex, activy as well as the prohibn on same-sex marriage.

Consequent to that, the homosexual orientatn self is viewed as an “objective disorr” sce n lead to “disorred” we need to make clear that the phrase “objective disorr” do not refer to the person himself or herself but to the orientatn. )The Catechism of the Catholic Church also stat that gays and lbians n and should approach “Christian perfectn” through chasty, wh such supports as “the virtu of self-mastery that teach them ner eedom, at tim by the support of disterted iendship, by prayer and sacramental grace. Perhaps mdful of the specialized philosophil and theologil language, the church teach that “every sign of unjt discrimatn” agast gays and lbians (aga, here “homosexual persons”) mt be avoid, and gays and lbians mt be treated wh the virtu of “rpect, passn and sensivy.

POPE SAYS CHURCH IS ‘OBSSED’ WH GAYS, ABORTN AND BIRTH CONTROL

” In my experience, this is the sectn of the techism’s teachg on homosexualy that is the least known by most the techism, his recent apostolic exhortatn “Amoris Laetia, ” Pope Francis ma three pots related to the issue of homosexualy. That is one reason that ’s important for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people to unrstand the church’s teachg s totaly—the Gospels, the tradn of natural law and s roots Thomistic and Aristotelian reasong, the techism, “Amoris Laetia” and other documents— their sire to bee good Buildg a Bridge mentns, is important for the stutnal church to unrstand the lived experienc of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Catholics. The recent addn of same sex mment ceremoni the Sunday New York Tim weddg and engagement announcements and the populary of shows as "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye…" dite a shift our culture's attu toward gays and lbians.

My purpose today is not to support or fend gay and lbian marriag—ed, many gays and lbians do not want to marry—but simply suggt a theologil approach that might open up the possibily for greater Christian acceptance of, and eccliastil approval for, same sex unns. Catholic sistence: one n uphold the digny of homosexual people while not upholdg their right-to-marry; no unjt discrimatn towards homosexuals is acceptable; they mt be treated wh rpect, and their rights fend. In 2005, the erng body of the Amerin Baptist Church USA affirmed that “God’s sign for sexual timacy plac wh the ntext of marriage between one man and one woman” and that “homosexualy is patible wh Biblil teachg.

” In 2006, the church’s Pacific Southwt regnal board (which clus church California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona) spl om the nomatn bee the nomatn’s natnal learship cled to penalize ngregatns that weled openly gay members.