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.")

[manc]

the unitarian is like many black churches, they use the land, , a building and meet to talk about politics and then claim tax free status.
They they also can get our money through the tax based program .

I’ts such a scam.

Time the Govt clamp down on these frauds disguised as religions and churches, won;t hold my breath though.

[RadiationRomeo]

At confirmation you state your baptismal vows again.

One of those is about rejecting Satan and all his works.
Gay marriage is one of Satan’s works, obviously.

[manc]

great post.
I;mm sick of our side playing the lefts name game, they are not gay, they are not happy, they are homosexuals.

The elft takes words and then uses those words to put a smiley happy face on their agenda.

Illegals,undocumentated.
homosexuals, gay
Govt socialist health care, affordable health care act

it goes on and on and our side just goes along with this crap

[Morpheus2009]

It’s possible to have it the other way around, too, what if the father was an agnostic/atheist and the mother a liberal catholic. Yeah, sadly that’s the way my family is, but I decided to be otherwise. Good news is, however, is that I have a more religious family than what I grew up with now, and am a committed believing Catholic, who does care, and doesn’t post any of my past or present beliefs that could be controversial or that the world has no need to see, on Facebook. Even some pictures of myself and my now-wife we agreed just don’t belong on Facebook. They aren’t raunchy, and frankly we did go with an oath of chastity before marriage which we both lived up to, but still, they’re a little too special for us to post to the public, and frankly, whomever would know or care about what’s happening to us would already know what’s neccessary.

[GeronL]

There should not be any tax dollars going to any non-government organization, period.

[vpintheak]

There are many in Protestant circles that think this way too. Sad. Not all who cry Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom. They are tossing away the promise for current human political correctness.

[GeronL]

doesn’t Revelations say that the most visible religious leaders will endorse the anti-Christ?

....

anyway, if you don’t believe in Catholic doctrine, don’t pretend to be Catholic. Duh. Simple.

[Darren McCarty]

Generation gap here. Where I'm from "gay" was generally used as an insult just as much as the term homo. It was equivalent to "lame."

"Obama is so gay"

The only time I hear "gay" mean happy is with the Flintstones reruns.

[servo1969]

#42

Oh, ok.

[MinuteGal]

Now I get what you were getting at. My profound apologies. We are in agreement on all points of fealty to the Bible, I'm sure.

Leni

[Mrs. Don-o]

I agree with what you're saying about "All Christians know from Scripture..." but it's something any reasonable person could figure out via Natural Law. Not just Catholics, not just Christians, not just "believers," but any person who cares to think about it.

The recent huge demonstration in Paris against gay marriage had the right idea. It would be unpersuasive for them to appeal to the authority of the Bible, since huge numbers of French people don't take Scripture seriously (except for the Muslims). Instead they focused in on the fact that children flourish best in a family with their own married father and mother. In a "gay" family any children will be, by intent, by pla, --- by design --- bereft of one or the other. It's the deliberate creation of brokenness.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Yeah, but the UU’s have been in favor fo gay pseudogamy since 1984.

[JoeFromSidney]

I;mm sick of our side playing the lefts name game, they are not gay

At Christmas, when we sing "Don we now our gay apparel," does that mean we're going in drag?

When Stephen Foster wrote "'Tis summer, the darkies are gay," did he mean that in wintertime they're straight?

If "We'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home," how are we supposed to feel the rest of the time?

I refuse to participate in the hijacking of a perfectly good English word, for which there is no good substitute.

[Wonder Warthog]

And I was always under the impression that going through "confirmation was basically imply that you were 'down' with all the churches teachings. Is that incorrect?"

You are correct. And when one converts to Catholicism, one formally makes the same affirmation, publicly. Priest right....family wrong. They are free to leave, of course, and find a more "gay-tolerant" church. I recommend the Episcopal (from which I converted to Catholic). VERY gay-friendly. They can have all the trappings (bells and smells), but none of the reality.

[Bitsy]

Not just Catholics, not just Christians, not just “believers,” but any person who cares to think about it.

You are right. But, scripture also says that God gave man the knowledge of right and wrong. People DO know the difference in their hearts; it’s their heads that are the problem. You are correct about any reasonable person could figure it out. The mere fact that the sex act between two men is absolutely unnatural in of itself is proof that it is wrong - the design of male and female proves it.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Both Baptism and Confirmation involve a commitment to the faith and morals of the Church. Since (very often) Baptism is conferred to infants who really can’t commit themselves, Confirmation has come to put more emphasis on the person’s own (more mature) commitment.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

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.

---

My Catholic family is full of Obama supporters. I left the Church nearly twenty years ago and since became a Baptist.

Recently, my extremely liberal sister shared with me the teachings of her parish priest which included the assertion that Jesus was actually walking on submerged floating docks rather than water.

Perhaps not all Catholics are heretics; but the Church of the Kennedys seems to have some serious issues.

[grimalkin]

Apology accepted and I apologize for not communicating clearly enough in my first post.

[grimalkin]

That makes me sad. My answer to people that don’t believe in Christianity is to not be a Christian. It would certainly be more honest. It’s those who play both sides of the fence and try to change Christianity into something that isn’t (then call it Christianity) that’s concerning. I sincerely believe it’s a spiritual and physical cancer that will destroy the soul. Yet, it’s too easy for people to get pulled into this way of thinking because of the World. I especially get angry when “leaders” in the Church allow it to happen without correction or even push these ridiculous ideas themselves and then call themselves Christian.

[manc]

agreed on all points.

They take positive words and twist them to fit their agenda, well I;m like you , I refuse to go along with their name game.