Posted on 04/12/2005 7:31:36 PM PDT by Grey Ghost II
Lamentably true. It seems to me, however, that most people, whether they abuse the term as you describe or not, still have an underlying understanding of what it does and does not encompass. The one who hurls "Homophobe!" at you for expressing the biblical position that homosexual acts are sinful, usually has the internal understanding that the epithet doesn't fit you. But they assail you with the term, anyway, as if by misusing it they can forcibly expand it's real definition to include everyone with whom they disagree. It's another one of those "meaning of IS" redefinition of terms tactics.
The greatest problem, as I see it, is that these things often take place in non-interactive media, and the talking heads never call them on it. But people who abuse the term "homophobe" need to be called on their non sequitur in every forum and instance possible.
If describing homosexual activity as Biblically abominable makes me a "homophobe" then describing a female Black Widow spider as venomous makes me an "arachnophobe", describing the rim of the Grand Canyon as precipitous makes me an "acrophobe"; the asserted conclusions simply are not warranted by the truthful expression of the given statements.
Enrollment seems to be up, for sure. I like Archbishop Dolan a lot -- very personable. I just wish former Abp. Weakland wasn't omnipresent.
Our Pastor suggested that Adam was 'slothful' BEFORE the Fall. Curious, eh?
Later, he referred to the 'both species' as 'the fullness' of the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ.
So 'the half-ness' is the consecrated Host...
His problem is that he has a heavily rhetoricized "altar-call" sermon model, which lends to flourishes. He doesn't think--he just speaks.
There were others, less striking. We all giggle about them, but we don't really need this, in combination with all the rest.
I am much better acquainted with the Old Rite community than you can ever imagine.
First off, the Queer Army will not 'destroy' the Roman Catholic Church.
Secondly, they became priests because it was easy to do so--more than becoming a Boy Scout official, for example.
Finally, they would be members of the Church regardless--as laymen.
Calm down. This is an affliction, not The End.
If he claimed that God "creates" sin, that's heresy.
However, I believe that he claimed God made HIM. That's NOT a heresy. Using the Thomistic term, an "accidental" quality of the Bishop is that he is a queer.
The text is clear.
BEING a queer does not necessarily mean that someone ACTS on that inclination.
"Obviously he believes every homosexual person is a sex addict and, if we barred them from the priesthood, the sex scandal would be quietly ended." Uh, Bishop, perhaps it is the scriptural admonition to shun degeneracy and the identifying of homosexuality as degeneracy that is at issue. A Bishop who doesn't get it begs the question of why he wants to ignore the Bible in order to promote degeneracy?
This priest does not believe it IS evil. Therefore he can and will condone parishoners this practice.
That they are not active sexually only comes into play for themselves. They have taken a vow of celebacy. What they teach as to the flock is the problem. They are suppose to be preaching Christianity. This is not.
Yeah, those are curious things to say, especially since Adam was charged by God to be a caretaker of the garden prior to the Fall and also endowed with Original Justice and the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon his creation.
And one of the reasons for the long standing tradition of the reception of Eucharist under the species of bread alone (Old Rite) was to emphasize the fact that the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ are entirely present in each species. That being said, for a valid Eucharistic celebration, wine must also be consecrated and confected in the celebration.
I have to say that I sympathize with you with regard to these mistakes.
Yeah. I have applied to the seminary in Milwaukee. I would not have been likely to do that if not for the presence of Dolan. I have heard that said a lot, actually, from the other seminarians.
Let's look at his statement again, shall we.
'I am a Roman Catholic priest in good standing, and celibate. I did not choose to be so, but in God’s infinite love and mercy I was created a gay man.'
He makes two claims:
1. He did not choose to be homosexual.
2. He was created a homosexual.
Scripture repeatedly affirms that homosexuality is a grave sin. Paul describes homosexuality as "[men] inflamed with passion for one another", not as a physical act. Therefore the issue of celibacy is moot. The priest in question claims that he never made a decision to embrace these passions, but that they were deliberately created in him by God in an act of divine mercy and love. He appears to be stopping just a whisker short of describing his gayness as a gift from God
Sounds like a heretic to me.
Yes, and who are you to tell me to calm down?
I was not born yesterday. You and I have very different ways of looking at this, that is all.
The Church has defined homosexuality as "a grave disorder."
I don't happen to know the complete theological path by which the Church arrived at that definition, but it's not likely to be in conflict with the passage from Paul which you cite.
I suspect that the Church's definition serves two purposes: 1) an indirect reminder that "sin" necessarily includes an act, or a conscious consent to a sinful thought; and 2) that the homosexual condition is 'contra natura.'
Best wishes with your application and (if accepted) your studies.
I am aware that the presence of Abp Dolan has had a positive effect on enrollment at St Francis Major.
But whether Dolan has effected the "housecleaning" you spoke about is another question entirely. It is a certainty in my mind that the Sem's "liturgical" program is highly deficient--I know of a young woman who just got her MS/Liturgy, and that woman is absolutely CLUELESS about the meaning of the Catechism's very definition of the Mass, demonstrated by her silly prattlings in a local church bulletin.
IOW, make certain that you have alternative sources from those prescribed by the profs, and make CERTAIN that what you are assigned to learn comports with (at the very least) the Catechism.
That is very good advice.
This is a little late but yes, best wishes for your application to the seminary. I'm not sure of who Dolan is but he seems to have a positive effect for the church.
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