Catholic Beliefs on Homosexuality

  • Thread starter Thread starter GrowingInTheFaith
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
What is it about homosexuality that sets off so many Catholics with such condemnation versus all the other sins that are in so much greater proportion to those sitting in the pews? Yes practicing homosexuality is wrong, but realistically percentage wise how many more are using birth control, committing adultery, being gluttonous, etc.

Here is the UCSSB statement on ministering to homosexual inclination. I dont find the Church giving this type of stated exceptional call to those committing the previously mentioned sins. Just a thought…

“The Church seeks to enable every person to live out the universal call to holiness. Persons with a homosexual inclination ought to receive every aid and encouragement to embrace this call personally and fully. This will unavoidably involve much struggle and self-mastery, for following Jesus always means following the way of the Cross… The Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance are essential sources of consolation and aid on this path.”
 
ConstantlyConverting said:
What is it about homosexuality that sets off so many Catholics with such condemnation versus all the other sins that are in so much greater proportion to those sitting in the pews?
Click to expand...
It’s one of the most grave sins. It’s one of the sins crying to heaven for vengeance.

Homosexuality is contrary to nature and is a rejection of the order established by God. Every rational society has recognised this fact.
 
ConstantlyConverting said:
What is it about homosexuality that sets off so many Catholics with such condemnation versus all the other sins that are in so much greater proportion to those sitting in the pews?
Click to expand...
I think it’s because people are trying normalize this as non-sinful to young children - not teens, but young children.

Birth control is an issue too, but birth control apologists are typically not pushing birth control on kindergarteners.

Equally as disturbing and disgusting is when pro-abortion activists have children endorsing abortion at events like the “Women’s March.”
 
Last edited:
How is it any more grave than birth control, which the church teaches in intrinsically evil and disordered toward natural law.

You would think by reading on these forums and websites that homosexual relations is the ultimate sin in the church. Its something of a strawman argument. What is there an estimated 4-5% homosexual population vs a 85% use of birth control among Catholics? Honestly it seems to define removing the plank from ones eyes before you remove the splinter from your brothers.

If anything a person with homosexual tendencies should be even more encouraged to join the church in order to receive the grace necessary to overcome a very difficult cross they have to bear. You know the whole, Jesus didnt come for those that dont need a doctor…

Lastly your use of the word “vengeance” frightening.
 
ConstantlyConverting said:
What is it about homosexuality that sets off so many Catholics with such condemnation versus all the other sins that are in so much greater proportion to those sitting in the pews?
Click to expand...
The Op asked for the catholic beliefs on homosexuality. Please don’t derail the thread with other issues. The above question would be an excellent start for a new thread.
 
Saxum said:
Church teaching is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

For an accurate secular explanation of homosexuality, see Dr. Joseph Nicolosi. He explains its cause and treatment.
Click to expand...
Church teaching is, as you say, clearly stated. But the views of Dr. Nicolosi on the causes and treatment of homosexuality are completely out of the mainstream. The overwhelming majority of mental health professionals would not agree with his views at all. In fact, his views on treatment contradict the recommendations of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association. And I can say from personal experience that his views on the causes of homosexuality are not accurate at all.
Saxum said:
40.png
Pattylt:
They did not know about homosexual orientation
Click to expand...
The orientation is a psychological disorder caused by traumatic childhood experiences. It’s a response to a distant father. It’s a form of gender identity disorder in which the sufferer feels like an inferior man. The sexual desire is basically erotic envy.

This is a very basic explanation and isn’t the full story. For more info, google Dr Joseph Nicolosi.
Click to expand...
That’s a rather problematic explanation because I didn’t have a traumatic childhood or a distant father and I still turned out gay.
 
Last edited:
SSA is not a sin, nor is being gay. Being gay is part of who you are it’s not a choice and thus is not a sin.

But acting on your SSA, homosexual acts, etc are sins.
 
Last edited:
I’m not homosexual so I don’t have an ‘inside’ understanding. That said, Dr Nicolosi has been praised by many men. He seemed to meet a need in some homosexuals.

Regarding his professional critics, I question their motives. My research suggests that homosexual activists pressured the medical community to de-classify homosexuality as a medical disorder.

My own opinion is that homosexuality is a disorder - a mental disorder. I’m open to persuasion about the cause.
 
Last edited:
Saxum said:
40.png
Sbee0:
Being gay is part of who you are it’s not a choice and thus is not a sin.
Click to expand...
Sexual preference does not define anybody. I like chocolate but chocolate isn’t part of who I am.
Click to expand...
I disagree. Liking chocolate is definitely part of who I am. And liking blue more than green is also a part of who I am as is the fact that I don’t like broccoli. All my experiences in life and all my likes and dislikes are part of who I am and are among the many things that make up my personality. If all those things were stripped away, no one would recognize me as being the same person any more because I would have become an empty shell.
 
Last edited:
Thorolfr said:
If all those things were stripped away, no one would recognize me as being the same person any more because I would have become an empty shell.
Click to expand...
I agree. The goal of the spiritual life is to become an empty shell. By emptying yourself, you make room for God’s grace. The theologians call this the purgative stage.

Fulton Sheen used to quote this poem when explaining the purgative stage:

If thou could’st empty all thyself of self,
Like to a shell dishabited,
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf,
And say, ‘This is not dead’,
And fill thee with Himself instead.

But thou art all replete with very thou
And hast such shrewd activity,
That when He comes, He says, 'This is enow
Unto itself - 'twere better let it be,
It is so small and full, there is no room for me.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think I can answer it all right now, but in short, the Leviticus argument is invalid because we do follow done Old Testament laws, the distinction is between legal/temple laws (is law of clean and unclean) and then moral law which the binding parts bear the legal penalty of death, as opposed to something else. For a long time a euphemism for masturbation has been “self-abuse” and all forms of Same-Sex (sexual) acts boil down to masturbation (in effect).
 
Hello GrowingInTheFaith - welcome to the forums! I hope that find the answers you’re looking for here.

As to your first question regarding the Quora answer - I’m afraid that I am not an expert on the history of the Bible’s writing, nor have I studied much about the Greek or Latin roots of much of scripture, so I’m going to leave that question to others who are more knowledgeable than I.

Now, as to your questions about the Catholic view on homosexuality. I noticed on your profile that you are Methodist, correct? An important distinction between Methodism and Catholicism is that Catholics don’t believe in sola scriptura - so not all of our beliefs have to come explicitly from the Bible. This is important, since much of the church’s teachings on sex come, not from the Bible (or, at least not explicitly), but from metaphysics - namely, Thomism.

Now, the Catholic church doesn’t teach that same-sex attraction is in and of itself is a sin. You being attracted to someone of the same sex is not a sin. God will not condemn you for it. What the church teaches is a sin are homosexual acts . As long as you don’t act on your desires, you are not sinning. Now, the question is, why? Why does the church teach that those acts are sinful? Now, I can’t get too deep in to Thomism here, but in a nutshell, the church teaches that everything is ordered towards a goal, so to speak, and it would be a sin to intentionally remove that goal from the act. One of the goals (though not the only goal) of sex is procreation, and any act that removes this goal, or is not ordered towards it, would be a sin. Since any homosexual act, by its very nature, can not be ordered towards this goal of procreation, then it would be a sin. Note that the orientation of the people committing the act is irrelevant - they would be equally sinful for a straight couple.

As to your question about being friends with the person you are attracted to. That in and of itself, is not problematic. I think where you might be running into problems is viewing it as a semi-romantic relationship. This, I think, would be unwise, because, whatever your intentions are going into the relationship in regards to not letting things become physical, I think it’s a safe bet to say that if you put yourself in that situation, things will eventually become physical. It would probably be best to avoid that, or at minimum to establish clear guidelines that will minimize temptation.
 
Thorolfr said:
Church teaching is, as you say, clearly stated. But the views of Dr. Nicolosi on the causes and treatment of homosexuality are completely out of the mainstream. The overwhelming majority of mental health professionals would not agree with his views at all. In fact, his views on treatment contradict the recommendations of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association. And I can say from personal experience that his views on the causes of homosexuality are not accurate at all.
Click to expand...
They’re also not the views of the Catholic Church.

article
[2357] Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.
Click to expand...
Thorolfr said:
That’s a rather problematic explanation because I didn’t have a traumatic childhood or a distant father and I still turned out gay.
Click to expand...
You know, when I hear conservative Christians say somebody “turned gay” because of “traumatic childhood experiences” or a “distant father,” I think of my cousin who had an alcoholic father. He didn’t “turn out gay.” A couple of my other cousins didn’t have a father at all. They didn’t “turn out gay.”

But you know what? I also knew the minister’s son. He played the organ in church; he was the most decent, well-dressed, polite, God-fearing young man in the neighborhood. My mother would always compare me to him and tell me I should try to be more like him.

And you guessed it, he “turned out gay.”
 
Last edited:
signit said:
Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.
Click to expand...
This sentence makes two important points. Firstly, the Church teaches that homosexuality has psychological origins; therefore, nobody is born homosexual. Secondly, it says that the genesis remains largely unexplained; therefore, there has been a slight degree of explanation. I think Dr Nicolosi’s theories were accurate but incomplete. Perhaps his son will build on his father’s work and provide a fuller explanation
 
Saxum said:
40.png
signit:
Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.
Click to expand...
This sentence makes two important points. Firstly, the Church teaches that homosexuality has psychological origins; therefore, nobody is born homosexual. Secondly, it says that the genesis remains largely unexplained; therefore, there has been a slight degree of explanation. I think Dr Nicolosi’s theories were accurate but incomplete. Perhaps his son will build on his father’s work and provide a fuller explanation
Click to expand...
Just because something is psychological in nature (i.e. it is something that arises in the mind) doesn’t mean that it is not also genetic. Just to give an example, ADHD is a psychological disorder but there is little doubt that it is largely inherited in many cases. If someone has a child, parent, sibling or other close family member who has ADHD, their chances of also having it are much higher. Other psychological conditions also tend to run in families. And even intelligence is probably partly genetic.
 
Saxum said:
Firstly, the Church teaches that homosexuality has psychological origins; therefore, nobody is born homosexual. Secondly, it says that the genesis remains largely unexplained; therefore, there has been a slight degree of explanation.
Click to expand...
Little twisting there of the wording. Bold added. The Church has not stated that “nobody is born homosexual”.

The word “psychological” does not exclude conditions that are genetic in nature (bi-polar is an example of a psychological condition that has a genetic component).

CCC 2357:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2357.htm

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top