Posted on 10/24/2004 12:11:59 PM PDT by missyme
(Lynchburg, VA) -- In response to continued attacks against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals and couples, Soulforce is implementing a two prong campaign this year to try to change the hearts and minds of Catholic Bishops, and beseech them to stop the spiritual violence perpetuated by Roman Catholic religious policies, teachings and anti-gay rhetoric.
Local Soulforce groups and other supportive groups in a dozen different cities are trying to dialogue with their local bishops through letters and other correspondence. Soulforce's commitment to the non-violent principles as taught by Gandhi and King dictates that each group first try to dialogue with their local Bishop first. If these attempts fail and Bishops refuse to dialogue, vigils are being planned in front of local chanceries. Local Soulforce groups planning vigils on November 9 include, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York City, Albuquerque, Washington, DC/Arlington, Orange County (Los Angeles), Atlanta, Detroit, and San Francisco. Additionally, supportive groups in Denver and St. Louis are also planning vigils outside their local chanceries on November 9th. (Call media contact above for specific details on each location)
Soulforce Twin Cities will attend Mass at St. Paul's Cathedral on Sunday, November 7 wearing rainbow sashes. The bishop in Oklahoma has agreed to dialogue, so no vigils will be taking place.
"We are praying for these bishops to follow in the footsteps of Oscar Romero, who gave his life to stop the violence against the Salvadoran people. Most of these bishops, know the truth of our lives, but they are fearful to speak out," said Kara Speltz, Chair of the Soulforce Catholic Denominational Team. "They know the gifts we have brought to our church, because they've seen them first hand, in their families, parishes and chanceries. On this day we call down the power of the Holy Spirit to transform their fear and temerity into courage and prophecy. As M.L. King, jr. said in his letter from a Birmingham Jail, 'We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.'"
On November 14, 2004, Soulforce volunteers will gather in Washington, D.C. to try to continue to speak to the bishops, and vigil outside of the USCCB meetings. If the USCCB persists in ignoring Soulforce's requests for dialogue, a civil disobedience will be considered.
This will mark the fifth year in a row that Soulforce has had a presence outside of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) annual meeting. This is the first time Soulforce and Soulforce local groups have done vigils at their local Chanceries prior to the USCCB's annual meeting.
Additionally, Soulforce is encouraging supportive people to individually communicate with their local bishops concerning the devastating effects of their anti-gay rhetoric, their outspoken support of the now-defeated Federal Marriage Amendment, and their involvement in electoral politics. For more information, see www.soulforce.org/denomination/rc/usccb2004/.
Soulforce, Inc. is a national interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Soulforce teaches and employs the non-violent principles of Gandhi and King to the liberation of sexual and gender minorities. www.soulforce.org
Thanks for your comments - and I could agree there too. What is your theory?
If you love the sinner but hate the sin, you do everything you can to get the sinner to stop sinning. The problem with the Cleveland Diocese and its "gay" and lesbian minsitry is that it does not care about the souls of those with same sex attractions. Rather, it is more concerned about making those folks feel good about their sinfulness.
Here is another story about the Cleveland Diocese where the conact for one of its "gay" and lesbian retreats is also a women who runs a "Land Dyke Farm."
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-religion/914519/posts
The use of the "gay pride" rainbow for its logo is also an outrage. Recovering Alcohlics are not proud of their vice. Recovering Cleptomaniacs are not proud of their vice.
The outstanding group Courage which actually tries to help folks save their souls states the following about using the word gay and I am sure the following also applies to the use of "gay pride" symbols.
http://couragerc.net/FAQs.html
Q. Why doesn't Courage use the terms "gay" and "lesbian"?
A. Courage discourages persons with same-sex attractions from labeling themselves "gay" and "lesbian" for the following reasons:
1) The secular world usually uses those terms to refer to someone who is either actively homosexual or intends to be. When a person decides to "come out" and say "I am gay" or "I am lesbian", the person usually means "this is who I am - I was born this way and I intend to live this way. I have a right to find a same-sex partner with whom to have a romantic sexual relationship." To "come out" as being "gay" or "lesbian" doesn't usually mean "I have homosexual attractions and I have a deep commitment to living a chaste life".
2) By labeling someone, we discourage those who may wish to try and move beyond homosexual attractions. Some people, especially young people, are able to further their psychosexual development with spiritual and psychological aid. If we labeled them "gay" and "lesbian", they might think there's no possibility of moving beyond these attractions.
3) There is more to a person than one's sexual attractions. Even if one experienced same-sex attractions for most of one's life, he or she is first and foremost a child of God created in His image. To refer to that person as "gay" or "lesbian" is a reductionist way of speaking about someone. We are even trying now to avoid using the term homosexual as a noun, or as an adjective directly describing the person (i.e. homosexual person). Although it takes more words, we prefer to speak of "persons with same-sex attractions". Fr. Harvey has said that, if he could, he would rename his first book "The Homosexual Person" to something else like "The Person With Homosexual Attractions".
There are people within the Catholic Church who might argue that those who label themselves "gay" or "lesbian" aren't necessarily living unchastely. That's true, but the implications of the terms in today's society don't commonly connote chaste living. Furthermore, they are limiting their own possibilities of growth by such self-labeling, and reducing their whole identity by defining themselves according to their sexual attractions. At Courage, we choose not to label people according to an inclination which, although psychologically understandable, is still objectively disordered.
Was God's act of turning Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes an act of "loving the sinner"?
No, it was punishment for sin. Christ calls all to repentance and died so that all might have the means to salvation. No greater love ...
God calls all to repentance. Christ died on the cross so that all would have the means of salvation. We are all of us sinners in some way or another, and God loves us all and wants us to become holy. Therefore we must pray and, when appropriate upraid sinners for sinful behavior.
What's the symbol? It looks like a prehistoric "bird." If it's supposed to be a dove... Gay/Lesbian Christian is an oxymoron.
So, I guess love of neighbor has nothing to do with Christianity or Christ's teachings? As for the quote from Corinthians, obviously the apostle Paul tells us that it's probably not always a good idea to hang out with those who are unrepentantly carrying on with evil. However, that does not mean that we should not love them by praying for them and, if appropriate, upbraiding sinful behavior.
Then obviously that is not a correct interpretation of Christian teaching. Of course the teaching is difficult and people tend toward either hating or loving both sinner and sin, and certainly the line drawing is not always clear, but we must attempt to do so.
We always attempt to do so, but we are not to attempt it with our arms wrapped around them.
Regardless, the Corinthians quote does not contradict the duty of charity toward one's neighbor. Honestly, I don't see why you would object to the statement love the sinner and hate the sin. We are called to love our neighbor, and humans are sinful. We must not affirm their sin, we must upbraid them and pray for them. What is the big deal. Do you just want to be justified in hating the sinner as well as the sin? Hating the sinner and the sin seems profoundly unChristlike to me. It is as bad as loving the sinner and the sin. We have to make the distinction.
Do you love and pray for the souls in Hell?
They are the worst of sinners, unrepentant.
Should they not deserve the most of our prayers?
Obviously there is no point praying for the damned, as there is no hope for them. Of course we can't know for certain who is damned so we can pray for people who might be in Purgatory. For someone supposedly devoted to the Catholic Tradition, you seem remarkably ill-informed on the teachings of the faith, i.e., the four last things, love of neighbor, papal primacy, the role of the magisterium, etc.
I recognize all of the above, however, you have only mentioned three of your "last things".
What's the fourth, blind obedience to the various spirits of VC II?
No, discerning the spirits according to St. Ignatius Loyola, I am very suspicious of anything called the "spirit of Vatican II". I will take the Vatican II documents themselves over the crimes and misdemeanors done in their name any day.
According to Canon 1364, §1, the punishment for apostasy, heresy, or schism is to have incurred an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication. Even if no bishop ever calls them on it, they are finished as far as God is concerned.
You've gotta be kidding!
The spirits of VC II have contributed heavily to loss of faith within the priestly order he founded. It was once known as "Defenders of the Faith".
By the way, your hero, JPII, often refers to the "Spirit of Vatican II". Are you suspicious of the Pope?
Yes, it is sad to see the decline of this once great order. The order will have to re-embrace orthodoxy or die out. As for the Pope, I would have to see the specific quote to make a comment.
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