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Matthew
Steel
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
My name is Matthew. I live in a suburb of
New Orleans, Louisiana and I have a personal
dilemma.
I am wondering about how I am supposed to
treat the issue of gay marriage. I
don't see why the issue affects me, as I am
heterosexual. God gave us a free will to choose
to sin or obey Him. I don't see that I have
a right to openly oppose something I see as
immoral. If that was the case,
logic would indicate we should also criminalize:
- pornography
- cigarette smoking
- overeating, and
- similar things I find to be immoral.
- Am I sinning to not oppose gay marriage?
I am not saying that I particularly support
it but I am not going to openly protest against
it either.
I am completely pro-life however
I don't see how American Catholics can attempt
to equate:
- the killing an innocent life with
- allowing
consenting adults to enter into an immoral sexual
relationship?
- Should I refrain from receiving Holy Communion
over this?
Please help.
Thanks,
Matthew
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Since the issue of 'gay marriage' doesn't affect me, a straight man, am I sinning by not opposing it? }
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Paul
replied:
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Matthew,
As soldiers of Christ due to our
Baptism and Confirmation each of
us has a duty to uphold the true
and the good. When it comes to gay
marriage it is neither gay (as in
happy) nor marriage. That is the
truth we must stand for. Exactly
how we stand for it, is up to us.
Some:
- like to work the political end
- others work in the media
- some teach children
- some pray consistently for this
issue
- other write letters to the editor
- some blog
- others talk or have friendly debates
with:
- families
- friends
- in person
- on Face book, or
- a combination of some,
or all of the above.
- Is it as important as smoking
or overeating?
More so, on three counts:
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First, while smoking and eating
too much can be sinful and harmful
to an individual to a certain
degree, the acceptance and legalization
of same-sex marriage is
detrimental not only to the self,
but to the family and society,
attacking the foundation of which
we all live as civilized people.
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Secondly, most people know smoking
and overeating are unhealthy,
but the movement today is to accept
the homosexual lifestyle as normal or alternative.
There is no greater evil than
to call evil, good. Whereas overeating
can be wrong from minimal to more
serious degrees, a homosexual
act is always unnatural and always
gravely violates the natural moral
law.
-
Thirdly, it is a significant contributor
to our culture of death. The fifth
and sixth commandments are so
intrinsically linked that sins
against sex almost always lead
to sins against human life; as
we have seen with contraception,
fornication and pornography, with
abortifacients, abortion, and euthanasia.
Homosexual acts are also acts
of death in so much as they are
a utilization of the faculty of
the human person meant to be life-giving.
Even if a married couple happen
to be sterile their natural heterosexual
intercourse gives selves and shares
life in the true unitive sense.
Homosexual acts pervert sexual
acts into ones that will absolutely
result in no life, procreatively
or between the two parties. We
can not re-write human nature.
So I would say pray and see what
ways you may feel most comfortable
with in sharing the gifts and talents
God has given you to fight the evil
of our society of calling evil, good
and good, evil — on this issue
as well as others.
Peace,
Paul
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