Posted on 06/04/2013 8:30:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Boy Scouts of America’s newly adopted policy of accepting gay Scouts “is not in conflict with Catholic teaching” and parishes should continue to sponsor scouting, according to a letter from the U.S. Catholic church’s liaison to the Scouts.
“We should be encouraged that the change in BSA’s youth membership standard is not in conflict with Catholic teaching” which is that gays “are to be treated with the same signity due all human beings created by God,” Edward Martin, chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, wrote in a letter.
“Scouting is still the best youth-serving program available to all youth,”Martin added. The letter was addressed to “fellow Catholic Scouters” across the country.
The Martin letter contradicts a vitriolic, name-calling anti-gay letter from a Bremerton pastor, the Rev Derek Lappe of Our Star of the Sea Catholic Church, in which Lappe said he is pulling his parish out of Scouting. Lappe wrote last week:
“Our parish cannot be involved with a group that has decided to ratify or approve the self-identification of a 10-to-18 year old boy as ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual.’ To me, it is cruel and abusive and absolutely contrary to the Gospel to in any way confirm a teenager in the confusion of same-sex attraction, which is what the New Boy Scout policy will do.
“And so we are going to redouble our efforts to create a community that is supportive of happy, healthy, holy marriages. In our marriage preparation we are going to try to get women to stop marrying such loser men who will never be capable of being good dads, husbands, and vice versa.”
The National Catholic Committee on Scouting, in Martin’s letter, takes a very different tack, explaining what the Scouts’ new policy actually means:
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.seattlepi.com ...
So much for taking the high ground...
Treating homo’s with ‘dignity and respect’ would be to straighten them out while they’re on this Earth, instead of tacitly condoning this abomination. There is a Hell, don’t forget.
And by the way, church/spiritual leaders are held to a higher standard because of their influence on so many others.
“So much for taking the high ground...”
Heck, look at the disasters that Georgetown and Notre Dame have become.
I was raised as a Catholic and would really like to go back...but ‘fraid it will not be for a good while.
True... you can BE gay and be Catholic. That wasn’t the question. Can you be gay AND morally straight? That answer is NO from a BSA and Catholic perspective.
Is the American Catholic Church separate from the Roman Catholic Church? If so, when did this occur?
Held to a higher standard by God, that is.
-"Any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting."
-"As Catholics, we believe that engaging in sexual activity outside of a marriage is immoral (CCC [Catechism of the Catholic Church] 2396)."
A previous statement issued by that body immediately after the BSA vote was even more explicit: "The Catholic Church teaches that people who experience a homosexual inclination or a same sex attraction are to be treated with respect recognizing the dignity of all persons. The Church's teaching is clear that engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage is immoral. Individuals who are open and avowed homosexuals promoting and engaging in homosexual conduct are not living lives consistent with Catholic teaching."
I went to the NCCS-BSA website and found the letter. It is very carefully worded, and I suppose does not directly oppose Catholic teaching on the issue.
It’s a pdf file, unfortunately, but here it is:
http://nccs-bsa.org/comment/Response-EPM-130529-v2.pdf
As he says, no sexual activity is encouraged in the Scouts, gay OR straight. Still, I think this is dumb, because you know the libs are going to use this to push this agenda.
And it’s quite right to say that there will be no bullying. But “anti-bullying” is being used by the PC Police to force people to say that gay is good—or you’re a bully for hurting their feelings.
Regretably, a carefully worded letter like this WILL be misinterpreted. And I’m afraid that may be what the writer intends. He is very careful not to go against Christian teaching, BUT he is effectively laying back and encouraging others to do so.
Do return and find yourself a parish with the traditional liturgy.
Yeah, that’s definitely true.
You’ll see this go off the rails the minute a Catholic Scoutmaster tries to straighten one of ‘em out.
You have to acknowledge the existence of an objective standard in order to answer this question.
A lot of them WILL stop sponsoring, despite the directive.
Same with the Methodists, who say they won't withdraw support.
Sounds real official to me.
Hate the sin; love the sinner.
Chaff and the wheat . . .
The American Catholic Church is not in communion with the Holy See.
There are heretics both inside and outside the Church. Quite a few of them work for the USCCB and other organizations claiming to be Catholic.
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