Pope Francis on homosexuality:
"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?
"The problem is not having this orientation. We must be brothers. The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worst problem."Precisely. A person who is a sinner (like each of us) and who seeks God and who has good will should not be judged by any of us. The sin itself can be judged, but with discretion and compassion, and with the recognition that all sins-- ours and others'-- are subject to judgement, by God and by men.
People, on the other hand, are created in God's image and should not be judged by men. For gay people who seek God and have good will, the Holy Father says we should temper and even withhold our criticism, as we would hope others would do for us, while the Lord transforms souls.
That does not mean we condone sin. It means that we refrain from creating scandal about others, while they are working out their liberation from sin through Christ.
The Holy Father adds a crucial proviso: the problem is not our brothers and sisters who are gay. The problem is lobbying by radicals who are gay, why work to twist our society and deny natural law and drive Christians from the public square. These ideas and acts are to be opposed with vigor.
Love of sinners, and hatred of sin, is basic Catholic doctrine, and what the Pope is saying is nothing new.
But he says it beautifully, with compassion and gentle candor, which seems to be his way.
The Pope may have gotten it wrong, according to Official Progressive Sources and Catholic Theological Experts (in this case, wonkette.com). In a post entitled "Here Are One Million Words About Why You Gays Are Filthy And The Catholic Church Still Hates You", Official Progressive Sources claim the Catholic Church's perspective on gays will result in a civilizational collapse.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure it was just "sarcasm". Not fomenting hate. Right?
It means that we refrain from creating scandal about others….The problem is lobbying by radicals who are gay, why [sic] work to twist our society and deny natural law and drive Christians from the public square.
ReplyDeleteAnd you’ll start to refrain from creating scandal when exactly?
-KW
Perhaps you should have found a picture of the Pope less likely to set off gaydar.
ReplyDelete-KW
"Perhaps you should have found a picture of the Pope less likely to set off gaydar."
ReplyDeleteHave a 'thing' for older men, do you KW? Fatherly figures? That's quite a kink, sailor.
I like Francis for many reasons. I see him as a man truly seeking a universalism (an actual catholic)within the Christian faith. He does not come of as sectarian or elitist. That makes this Bishop of Rome my favourite in years. His comments on homosexuality reaffirm this view. May God bless him and continue to guide him in a humble and open way.
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Father adds a crucial proviso: the problem is not our brothers and sisters who are gay. The problem is lobbying by radicals who are gay, why work to twist our society and deny natural law and drive Christians from the public square.
ReplyDeleteAs if the RCC isn't heavily involved in lobbying itself. For example, lobbying and spending heavily to prevent extending the statute of limitations on child abuse.
And there is nothing radical about lobbying for gay marriage. Considerable majorities in many western nations (including Argentina by the way) are in support of recognizing same-sex unions.
But what about the shoes, Dhimmi?
DeleteTroy,
DeleteSame sex unions are not the same as marriage. Personally, I do not oppose monogamous unions for homosexuals. I do oppose redefining marriage and family to include sexual and moral deviations of any sort. That includes homosexual, polygamist, and child marriages.
** I should also add to that roster incestuous and bestial relations.
DeleteThe statute of limitations stands as a bulwark against open-ended freedom to indulge in venomous left-wing "psychobabble therapy". To-wit:
ReplyDeleteA few days ago I [Chris French, Prof. Psychology, U of London] sat in a lecture theatre mostly filled with middle-aged or elderly parents living through this [the false memory nightmare]. Typically, their adult children had started therapy with no pre-existing memories of being sexually abused, but had become convinced during the therapeutic process that they had indeed been victimised in this way. So convinced were they that the "recovered" memories were true, they more often than not accused their parents directly of this vile act and then cut off any further contact, leaving their parents devastated and confused, their lives shattered.
The occasion in question was the 15th Annual General Meeting of the British False Memory Society.
--- The Guardian (2009)
There is no shortage of people who have been hoodwinked by Progressive "therapists" who hate men, fathers, normal families, ministers, priests, the Catholic Church, scoutmasters, etc. and have destroyed the lives of innocent people.
In fact, one of the most prominent American experimental psychologists has done fantastic work in this area. Her name is Elizabeth Loftus. Her work is easily accessed by anyone with a modicum of Google skills. See for yourself.
Georgie,
DeleteIf you bother getting out of your bathtub and stop playing with your plastic toy battleships (and also stop watching YouTube videos), a book I'd recommend is 'the Invisible Gorilla' which in part discusses this very topic.
The human brain is very complex, producing a mind which is very useful, but not anywhere 100% accurate or reliable.
The mind is a model of outside reality and the individual's place in the reality. It often sees things that aren't there and doesn't see things that are. Memories that appear accurate and reliable, aren't. Memories are largely confabulated, with details being invented or taken from other occasions.
The book discusses the false or implanted memory scandal.
I'm not certain whether its confined to 'progressive' therapists. I suspect that the so-called therapists were motivated by financial concerns, creating a market to exploit, using pseudoscience.
Similar to the therapists attempting to cure homosexuality.
blowfish: "The human brain is very complex..."
DeleteReally? You must be an anomaly, then. You strike me as quite simple.
Anyway, I know all about the invisible gorilla book. A far, far better book is Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
The "mental model" perspective you cite is merely one theoretical perspective in cognitive psychology. You should read more widely.
The False Memory trials were in fact confined to Progressive "therapists" (you had the scare quotes around the wrong word). And yes, many so-called "therapists" are definitely motivated by financial concerns if they aren't government drones and run private practices. Of course, those who try to "cure" homosexuality are not among that group, since homosexuality is no longer classified as a disorder and therefore cannot be billed to third-party payers, the source of most therapists' remuneration.
And the whole psychotherapeutic enterprise (excluding psychiatrists and neurologists), pretty much, is pseudoscience. Do a little research on the Dodo Bird Hypothesis (sometimes called the Dodo Bird Verdict). Talk therapy is bullshit unless you're just looking for a paid friend to stroke your ego. All most practitioners lack is a bone through the septum of the nose.
Sure, Adm Draft Dodger, the Vatican lobbying against extending the statute of limitations on child abuse (beyond 2 years in some cases) is just to protect innocent men from wrongful prosecution enabled by Progressive Therapists. It has nothing to do with protecting its pervert clergy from rightful prosecution, and it has nothing to do with avoiding huge financial damage - nothing at all, no siree.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love it when Christians appeal to unreliability of testimony when it suits them, considering their religion is based on hearsay upon hearsay of 'testimony' written down decades after the alleged 'facts' occurred.
Dhimmi: "I love it when Christians appeal to unreliability of testimony..."
DeleteI doubt Chris French is either Catholic or Christian, Dhimmi. He is a vocal skeptic of paranormal phenomena, though.
And Progressive therapists are well known for advancing their political agenda through a campaign of hate and lies. One of the most famous was the the Fells Acre Day School trial. It was a modern witch hunt. That must get your juices flowing, eh?