“Catholicism teaches that homosexuality is not a sin, but that homosexual acts are”
Legalistic sophistry
I disagree - it is the basis of “love the sinner, hate the sin”. Homosexuality - the same-sex attraction - is temptation.
Homosexual acts are succumbing to temptation.
It is not a sin to be tempted - otherwise there would never be redemption.
No, not at all. The urge to murder, for example, is not a sin...but it is if you act on it, or even if you think about it in a way to encourage the eventual act.
“Homosexuality” as such is the inclination of a particular person to a particular sin. I don’t think they’re born that way...and even if they were, it wouldn’t matter...but that homosexual inclinations are probably in most cases the result of upbringing (absent father, sexual molestation by an adult, etc.) and in that sense, the person isn’t responsible for them.
It’s the decision to act and the action that is sinful.
“Legalistic sophistry”
Not really. Pedophiles are wired to want to have sex with kids. Murderers are wired to want to kill people. “Wanting to” is one thing, and not a sin; actually doing the act is a sin, illegal, etc.
Saying that it’s OK for people to have homosexual sex because they’re “born that way” is wrong. Would someone tell a pedophile, “Since you were born with the urge to rape children, go ahead and do it”? Self control and free will (should) work together to make all of us stop when we consider doing wrong things.
A person who is tempted by same-sex attraction is called a homosexual. That is not a sin, but it is a temptation and a danger, just like to an alcoholic, alcohol is a temptation and an danger. He has to flee this temptation, and deny the demands of his desires. Just like we all do.
Not really “legalistic sophistry,” but a statement of fact in the Church’s teaching on sin. Re-word it to read “Catholicism teaches that ‘temptation’ (any carnal or worldly desire) is not a sin, but acting (or excessively fantasizing)on temptation is” and it becomes much clearer. After all, even Jesus was tempted.