Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

Catholicism and Gay Marriage

Va. Catholics Pushed to Support Same-Sex Marriage Ban – washingtonpost.com
“When Catholics are presented with our church’s perspective on the nature of marriage, its relationship to the common good of society and the importance of the proposed amendment for children and families . . . they will be much more likely to support the amendment,” said Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.

Uh, no, Jeff — they won’t.

Many Catholics are Catholic because they value the Church’s long history of social justice activism — and the right for gay people to marry is nothing if not a social justice issue. Gay marriage provides the same benefits to society as marriage between heterosexuals. It strengthens families and protects children.

Many Catholics — like me — love the Church and believe that, at its best, the Roman Catholic rites lead most reliably to an experience of the Divine. That doesn’t mean we think the Church’s leadership is always right about everything. They’re wrong about people who are gay, for example. It’s not sinful. Not evil. It’s just one end on a continuum of normal human sexual preference between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Big deal. My eyes are blue. Yours are brown. Should we forbid you from marrying because of that?

Joseph Strada, president of the Brent Society, a lay Catholic group of the Arlington Diocese, noted that only about one-third of U.S. Catholics go to Mass at least once a week. If they don’t go, they won’t be properly informed about gay marriages, civil unions and other issues, he said.

Gee Joe… do you really think those Catholics who are okay with gay marriage don’t know what the Church teaches? I’m sorry, but… that’s just dumb. Of course we know the Church is against it! We also know the Church has been wrong about things before. We’re not sheep, Joe. We’re capable of understanding when a Church ruling is based in fear and superstition. (Consider how long it took the Church to admit that maybe the Earth really isn’t the center of the universe!)