Fargo Faints: Catholic Teen Refused Confirmation After Pro-Gay Marriage Photo Posted on Facebook

Newsbusters.org ^ | November 19, 2012 | Tim Graham

[servo1969]

The media in Fargo, North Dakota were scandalized when a nearby Minnesota priest informed the parents of Lennon Cihak that he would not be confirmed in the local Catholic church after he posted a picture on Facebook supporting gay marriage (or a No vote on the traditional-marriage ballot initiative). Naturally, the liberal parents – who agree with their son – were shocked, shocked that the church would stand for something.

“You kind of know the Catholic beliefs, but I never thought they would deny somebody confirmation because you weren’t 100 percent. I guess that’s what shocks me,” Shana Cihak said. That’s exactly how the Fargo Forum sold it:

BARNESVILLE, Minn. – If you want to be a Catholic, you have to be 100 percent Catholic.

That’s the lesson one family here learned after their 17-year-old son was denied confirmation after the priest at the Assumption Church here found a pro same-sex marriage post on the teen’s Facebook.

Neither the priest nor the local bishop spoke to the newspaper (and reporters somehow aren't smart enough to figure out that "confirmation" is a sacrament where the believer says he or she accepts the entirety of the Catholic faith. It's not a graduation ceremony that you get to attend if you pass a test.)  So they felt free to just champion the liberal family, who agree with their son on the political question:

Lennon said fellow students in his confirmation class “liked” the photo on Facebook, but they were still allowed to be confirmed.

“I just thought it was wrong to single him out,” Shana said.

Her husband, Doug Cihak, agreed.

“(LaMoine) was talking about ‘God doesn’t believe in this.’ Well, God created Lennon,” said Doug, adding that he was baptized and raised in the same church.

But now the family is not allowed to participate in Communion there, Doug said, and he’s worried as to how far the sanctions will go, expressing concern about being able to be buried alongside his parents.

Still, Doug insists he’s not mad at LaMoine, calling him just a “messenger” of the church. The same could not be said for his wife, who said she doesn’t plan on returning to the church ever again, her son nodding in agreement.

“You should be able to go to a church for support, help,” Lennon said. “He pushed me away.”

But the ending was the biggest “facepalm” of all:

“But through it all, Lennon said his faith hasn’t faltered.

“I don’t want the church to be put down. I don’t want the Catholic religion to be put down,” he said. “It’s just the way the priest has things running. He’s so strict. He won’t loosen up about things.”

Naturally, Lennon wanted to "give peace a chance."

Liberals never seem to understand that when you join a church (or even when you are raised from birth in a church), it might take certain moral positions that do not change. They always expect churches to "loosen up about things." The local CBS affiliate WDAY also let the liberal argument dominate:

On Barnesville's Main Street, from the beauty salons to cafes, 17-year old Lennon Cihak was the talk of the town. A much respected teen-ager who is known for his work ethic and music. Ask his next door neighbors, the Raftevolds.

LoAnn Raftevold/Lennon's Neighbor: "The controversy started here at Assumption Catholic Church in Barnesville, where the priest refused confirmation after Lennon made a post on Facebook supporting a No vote on Minnesota's Gay Marriage Ammendment. The priest met with Lennon's parents, that not only supported their son, but shared his opinion. Even the Bishop at the Diocese in Crookston would not grant Lennon an appeal. Friends who liked Lennon's post on Facebook got confirmed, Lennon did not."

Lennon's family did not want to speak on camera about the story, but Grandma Cihak sure did.

Dianne Cihak goes to the same church. She's disappointed in her church. Proud of her grandson.

Dianne Cihak/grandmother: "It is a shock for the family. All baptized, married here at Assumption. Now the couple says they cannot even have communion here. Lennon's mother says she won't return. A church, she says, should be welcoming people, not pushing them away."

We contacted the diocese of Crookston for a comment on the story. The Bishop is out of town right now.

Some responsibility for this liberal tilt has to be put on the doorstep of the church and the Bishop's office. When you make a decision like this, it should be entirely expected that the secular liberal press will be highly agitated. It's a chance to preach the church's message. A "No comment" is no way to win hearts and minds.

As someone who teaches the sacrament of confirmation, if I had been in that parish, I would followed all the reporters around and made sure they balanced the story out. They clearly had no professional interest in a fair and balanced story.

(HT Daily Kos, which wrote, "Pope Ratzinger’s plan for a smaller, purer Church continues swimmingly.")

[HiTech RedNeck]

Maybe he did buy it, but so what. He’s still sassing the church that he wants to get confirmed by. I don’t think that’s going to fly!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Except that a bare unitary God would be like soooooo dull... “hey man I want my idols!” The UUs had (at least past tense) some ideals.

[freekitty]

The priest did not push this young man away; this young man pushed the church away.

[Morpheus2009]

Not to mention broadcasting it to the world. Seriously, I see people put things on Facebook for the world to see, when I considered some pictures of myself and my girlfriend, then fianceé, then wife, to special to publicly broadcast. Is something seriously wrong with this picture? Seriously, if you have some things to say about yourself, how public you make them says a WHOLE LOT about who you are. I personally don’t bother with plenty of photos about me making political statements. Unless the person knows me I could care less about them seeing some picture of me, and if they know me, well, the photo is irrelevant.

[jboot]

If you read the whole wretched interview, you find that the big reason the family is making a stink about this is because the boy's father is concerned that the family will not be able to be buried together, or near to his parent's graves.

Such things are small potatoes next to the souls of your family, but I don't suppose father really believes in the Living Christ who will judge the living and the dead, either. For him, religion is probably nothing more than smells and bells, baptistries and sepulchres and pretty music. He seems to be merely a consumer of religion-it is beyond the pale for it to make any demands of him.

[HiTech RedNeck]

with a smirk no less... does this not look like the cat that got the canary?

that priest would be amiss if he did nothing less than exhort the lad to get right with the Lord.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Isn’t the boy old enough to choose where he wants to be buried when he is ready to push up daisies? This sounds bizarre of the parents too. It isn’t all the boy’s weirdness.

[manc]

ah got it, the super cool thing going on, .

[SIGH]

[JCBreckenridge]

I teach and run a confirmation class. Yes - nobody is allowed to be confirmed unless they agree to follow all the teachings of the Catholic church.

I’m happy that this diocese did this - I haven’t had to exclude a student yet - but I would if one of them did something like this.

[oh8eleven]

Unitarian Universalists would be the fastest-growing denomination.
Had to look them up and found they describe themselves as:

• a religion that celebrates diversity of belief and is guided by seven principles [that never mention God once].
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
• Our congregations are places where we gather to nurture our spirits and put our faith into action through social justice work ...

My guess is they meet here every weekend ...

[ZULU]

“It has always seemed to me that a few Catholics consider Catholicism to be some sort of club instead of a religion whose teachings they are to follow. “

A GROWING problem with MANY Christian sects in America which is one of the reasons we are losing to Islam.

They believe in SOMETHING, regardless of how depraved we know it to be. It sets limits and is inflexible.

Contemporary Christianity has become a wishy-washy mix of shifting values, dictated by the media and Hollywood elites.

[haffast]

“It’s just the way the priest has things running. He’s so strict. He won’t loosen up about things.”

Wow. The priest is strict? Wait till he meets a Holy God.

[Bitsy]

I personally don’t bother with plenty of photos about me making political statements. Unless the person knows me I could care less about them seeing some picture of me, and if they know me, well, the photo is irrelevant.

Exactly. The same here. It's crazy what some people post. Do they even realize that stuff will be in forever cyberspace? As in, Hey granny, I think I saw a naked picture of you on the internet.

[MinuteGal]

"This is news?"

It is to many of us.

The title of this thread was clear. If you didn't deem it news that you wanted to read, why did you click on to it....and then furthermore, even bother to post a dumb comment?

Leni

[jboot]

The kid isn't driving this. You have to read between the lines a bit, but it was dad who went to the press. Here's how I see it:

Father: the liberal son of an old Catholic family, he loves the physical plant of the church and the "mystical" connection to his ancestors. Real faith? Maybe, maybe not, but one way or the other he is 100% subject to...

...Mother: a liberal agnostic, she tolerated the "church thing" for her husband's sake. Now that repentance has been required she has expressed her intention to leave and never return rather than submit. I suspect that she'll throw herself into the lake of fire on Judgement Day if doing so means that she can continue believing and acting as she chooses.

Son: a typical teenage youth culture drone. I doubt he cares one way or the other. No church means he gets his Sunday mornings back. AWESOME!

[servo1969]

#29

So by wanting to be ‘confirmed’(is that right?) but disagreeing with the churches teachings about homosexuality aren’t they saying that they intend to pick and choose what parts of Catholicism they like and and don’t like? Or do I not understand what we’re talking about? (Happens to me all the time.)

[grimalkin]

Don't misunderstand me. I was making a comment that it should be a given that he would be refused confirmation and it's a sad testament of society that this is a shock to the MSM so much in fact, that they spend an inordinate amount of time making hay out these type of situations. They are vehemently against the Church and the "good guy" according the them, is this very confused kid (The local CBS affiliate WDAY also let the liberal argument dominate).

Once upon a time, it would have been obvious to anyone with any common sense. These days, there is hardly a shred to be found.

[cymbeline]

No one forces those people to be Catholics. If they don’t want to follow the Cathlic beliefs then they can cease being a Catholic and, if they want to continue being a Christian, become, say, a Methodist.

Conversely, the Catholic church can kick them out if they don’t agree with the Catholic set of beliefs.

[jboot]

I've known a lot of UUs. Their core doctrine boils down to this:

1. Believe whatever you want so long as it does not make others uncomfortable.

2. If you simply must believe in something dogmatic (such as a specific God rather than a general "god-spirit"), keep it to yourself.

[windsorknot]

Stop it with the “GAY” crap already. They are HOMOSEXUALS. Besides, “gay marriage” is an oxymoron.