Congratulations To Pope Benedict For Having The Courage To State ("We Need To Save Ourselves From Self-Destructive Sexual Life Styles")

[centurionguard]

From LifeSiteNews.com
VATICAN CITY, December 23, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In thousands of news articles and talk shows around the world today from Bulgaria to India, Pope Benedict XVI is being bashed for daring to say we should care as much for mankind as the tropical rainforests; that the harm caused by going against the Creator’s plan for human sexuality is destructive and hurtful. In truth, he is being pilloried for having enough love to tell his brothers and sisters struggling with same-sex attraction, promiscuity, pornography, adultery and more, that their behavior is hurting them and society at large. It is hurting them physically, psychologically, but most importantly - hurting them spiritually.

The homosexual press has the most outrageous headlines on the topic; Pink News in the UK screams: “Pope Benedict learnt nothing from his time in the Hitler Youth” and “Pope Benedict’s latest outburst ‘justifies’ homophobic bullying and attacks”. But the coverage in the mainstream press is hardly less offensive.

A San Fransico Chronicle headline reads, “Pope Benedict at Christmas: Preaching bigotry disguised as compassion”, and the Times of London opines: “Christmas was never meant to be about this”. See one example of the explicit hate mongering by gay activists against the Pope in the YouTube video at nowpublic.com/world/pope-benedict-christmas-messa…

Interesting to note is the fact that nowhere in the Pope’s remark did he even use the word ‘homosexual’ or ‘homosexuality’, rather he referred to ‘gender’ and to the Creator’s plan for human sexuality as being in life-long marriage between one man and one woman. In this respect, he spoke not only to the problem of homosexual acts but also other sexual aberrations such as sex outside of marriage, adultery, pornography, and even contraceptive sex. This is borne out by the fact, unreported by the mainstream media, that within the speech he urged the faithful to re-read the encyclical Humanae Vitae - known most for its prohibition of contraception.

Hence, our coverage of the Pope’s message yesterday was headlined “Pope’s Christmas Greeting Says We Must ‘Protect the Human Being against Self-Destruction’ of Sexual Aberration”. (see coverage here: lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08122213.html ) See the full address with photos at lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/PopeBenedictChrist… or lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/081223a.html.

Trust me, the Pope is not going on about such matters to be popular, not because he has some vendetta against gays. He is preaching the truth out of love; love for God and his Truth, love for mankind as a whole, but specifically love for his fellow human beings who are hurting themselves with destructive sexual lifestyles. By being accepting of homosexual sex, or even encouraging it, society at large is playing the part of the appeasing friend who allows or even encourages the teenager to engage in ‘freedom’ - in those risky behaviours which will lead to his downfall. The appeasing friend may profit from the teen’s self-abuse, or at least be seen as accepting. It is the role of those who really have the teen’s best interests at heart - parents, teachers, sibling, and true friends - to point out the danger despite the rancor they may receive.

The Pope has sounded the alarm on rejecting God’s plan for human sexuality and pointed to the dangers for those involved and society in general of fostering such behavior. He is now experiencing the backlash, but like any good parent, he will weather it in patience and love, knowing that one day, his aberrant children will come to their senses or at the very least that he has tried his best to get them to do so.

The statement made recently by atheist Penn Jillette of ‘Penn & Teller’ fame applies in this case, and serves as a reproach to all those Christian leaders who, out of fear of being politically incorrect and losing human respect, are - unlike the Holy Father - silent on the topic of sex outside the plan of God. Speaking on a video monologue recently, Jillette said: “If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and that people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward … - how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that?”

See the Pope’s complete Christmas address:
lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/PopeBenedictChrist… (Acrobat format with photos) or
lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/081223a.html (html format)

 

[centurionguard]

The Pope’s message is NOT solely directed towards homosexuals and transgendered persons exclusively but to all heterosexual and asexual people leading a disordered sexual lifestyle. This includes all married couples as well.
Of all the human souls that find themselves sent to hell which are their greatest sins against God ? Automatically many would tend to think PRIDE & MURDER. And what about sins of sexual lust ?
Sins of a sexual nature is how Satan asuages the human soul in so many ways because it is most often related to human pride.
PRIDE…the same sin that made the archangel Lucifer fall faster than light from heaven.

 

[Fran65]

It upsets me too that the press here in the UK is misreporting Pope Benedict and giving coverage to people who are either deliberately misunderstanding what He said or not even bothering to read it before commenting. He talked about gender theory and about human ecology. Gender theory is the idea that what we are as men and women is a product of culture and socialisation and is clearly lacking in an understanding of the biological basis for sex differences. Human ecology is enormously complex and rich and is ignored, as Pope Benedict said, at our peril. If we don’t understand our human nature correctly then we are on course for disaster. You are right, He never used the term ‘homosexuality’ and his words are clearly intended for all of us. The bashers have no understanding of the real teachings of our Church and what is worse - they don’t want to know about them either.

 

[MarcellusW]

Thank goodness for Popes! This is a reason why I converted to Catholicism.

 

[Exalt]

The Pope is wrong.

But, I’m glad he has the courage to rail against homosexuals (and others who don’t “follow God’s perfect plan for man”) especially on the day before Christmas.

The more the Pope talks about these things, the more the general public will realize how out of touch the teachings of Catholicism are with the real world. People will take a more serious look at this religion.

They’ve always thought that going to Church was harmless. But then they’ll read words like, “when the Church speaks of the nature of the human being as man and woman, [she] asks that this natural order be respected… if disregarded, [that] would be man’s self-destruction. The tropical rain forests deserve our protection, yes, but man does not deserve it less.” (That’s from his address earlier this week.)

This kind of position, however, is not new to Mr. Ratzinger. In another document, he spoke about violence against homosexuals and said, “the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.” (Source)

You see, most people don’t really think about the Church’s official teachings very often. They just go about their daily lives, going to Church, going to work, spending time with their families. But, when the Pope makes headlines, they might start listening. And I really do hope that they take the Pope’s words seriously. I hope they do some research.

When they do, this is what they’ll find: They’ll find that the Church believes that gay people are fundamentally disordered. They have some kind of sickness. Though their inclinations aren’t sinful, they’re a “moral evil.” Furthermore, the Church holds that the acceptance of their lifestyle contributes to a ‘degredation’ of God’s plan for ‘gender’ - which will eventually result in man’s self destruction. Also, the Church condemns gay marriage (under the state) and gay civil unions (under the state). The Church condemns gay couples who adopt, and would and has supported the break up those families.

That’s what they’ll discover. When they do, they’ll have to think critically about if they want to believe in that or not. What kind of evidence is there support the idea that gay couples are morally evil? What kind of evidence supports the idea that children raised by gay couples are any worse off than children raised in heterosexual homes? Do we want to be compelled to deny gay couples civil unions or marriage in the eyes of the secular law? If they have a friend, child, brother/sister, or parent who is gay, they’ll have to answer this question, which I think is most difficult: Can I look my loved one in the eye and tell him or her that his relationship will send him to hell? Do I really believe that a loving God would do that?

I’m glad the Pope is doing this. I really want him to continue making headlines. Every headline he makes is another victory for us. Keep going, Ratzinger. Keep it coming. You’re opening people’s eyes to your Church’s beliefs on homosexuality. The more that people see it, the more they’ll probably reject it.

 

[BRZ]

It is quite clear to me that after reading your post Exalt that it is you who are confused and not the Pope. You assume that all Catholics are mindless sheep going to church not really know what the Church teaches. Who are you to assume this? Are you God? There are Catholics who are ignorant of Catholic teaching, sure. As there are people ignorant of anything you can imagine in this world. You are quite clearly confusing the issue of “Homosexuality” is morally evil with “Homosexual People” being morally evil. If you had any true understanding of what we as Catholics are taught and learn, it is that we differentiate between the person and the act. The act is what is morally evil, not the person.

Another thing, no one should tell anyone that they are going to hell because only God knows who is going to heaven or hell. I have no problem at all telling a homosexual person that what they are doing (by actively leading a sexual relationship with the same gender) is morally evil, regardless if they are my family or not. It is the same as when I tell others they should not be having sex out of marriage because that is also morally evil. Your argument is fraught with naught but anger and misunderstanding. Anyone with a clear mind can see through the confusion you are trying to perpetuate and no that is not a judgment of your character but a profession of the truth.

 

[Fran65]

The Church teaches that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered - not the people!

 

[benedictus2]

The Pope is wrong.

No Exalt. It is you who are wrong and hopefully you will find out before it is too late0

But, I’m glad he has the courage to rail against homosexuals (and others who don’t “follow God’s perfect plan for man”) especially on the day before Christmas.

The more the Pope talks about these things, the more the general public will realize how out of touch the teachings of Catholicism are with the real world. People will take a more serious look at this religion.

They’ve always thought that going to Church was harmless. But then they’ll read words like, “when the Church speaks of the nature of the human being as man and woman, [she] asks that this natural order be respected… if disregarded, [that] would be man’s self-destruction. The tropical rain forests deserve our protection, yes, but man does not deserve it less.” (That’s from his address earlier this week.)

This kind of position, however, is not new to Mr. Ratzinger. In another document, he spoke about violence against homosexuals and said, “the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.” (Source)

You see, most people don’t really think about the Church’s official teachings very often. They just go about their daily lives, going to Church, going to work, spending time with their families. But, when the Pope makes headlines, they might start listening. And I really do hope that they take the Pope’s words seriously. I hope they do some research.

When they do, this is what they’ll find: They’ll find that the Church believes that gay people are fundamentally disordered. They have some kind of sickness. Though their inclinations aren’t sinful, they’re a “moral evil.” Furthermore, the Church holds that the acceptance of their lifestyle contributes to a ‘degredation’ of God’s plan for ‘gender’ - which will eventually result in man’s self destruction. Also, the Church condemns gay marriage (under the state) and gay civil unions (under the state). The Church condemns gay couples who adopt, and would and has supported the break up those families.

That’s what they’ll discover. When they do, they’ll have to think critically about if they want to believe in that or not. What kind of evidence is there support the idea that gay couples are morally evil? What kind of evidence supports the idea that children raised by gay couples are any worse off than children raised in heterosexual homes? Do we want to be compelled to deny gay couples civil unions or marriage in the eyes of the secular law? If they have a friend, child, brother/sister, or parent who is gay, they’ll have to answer this question, which I think is most difficult: Can I look my loved one in the eye and tell him or her that his relationship will send him to hell? Do I really believe that a loving God would do that?

I’m glad the Pope is doing this. I really want him to continue making headlines. Every headline he makes is another victory for us. Keep going, Ratzinger. Keep it coming. You’re opening people’s eyes to your Church’s beliefs on homosexuality. The more that people see it, the more they’ll probably reject it.

Contrary to the reason for your gladness, I am glad that the Pope had the courage to stand up for what is True and decent. The Church is here to evangelize the world not the other way around.

In effect all you have said above is that you want to commit a sin but you don’t want it to be labeled as such so you will not feel guilty about commiting it.

Homosexuality is a disorder. And the Church rightly condemns gay marriage.

A loving God will not send us to hell. We do that by not following His will. He has shown us His will and the path we must follow. And homosexual activity is not one of them.

In a world gone mad with sexual perversity, thank God for giving us a Pope who will not compromise the Church’s mission.

 

[benedictus2]

It is quite clear to me that after reading your post Exalt that it is you who are confused and not the Pope. You assume that all Catholics are mindless sheep going to church not really know what the Church teaches. Who are you to assume this? Are you God? There are Catholics who are ignorant of Catholic teaching, sure. As there are people ignorant of anything you can imagine in this world. You are quite clearly confusing the issue of “Homosexuality” is morally evil with “Homosexual People” being morally evil. If you had any true understanding of what we as Catholics are taught and learn, it is that we differentiate between the person and the act. The act is what is morally evil, not the person.

Another thing, no one should tell anyone that they are going to hell because only God knows who is going to heaven or hell. I have no problem at all telling a homosexual person that what they are doing (by actively leading a sexual relationship with the same gender) is morally evil, regardless if they are my family or not. It is the same as when I tell others they should not be having sex out of marriage because that is also morally evil. Your argument is fraught with naught but anger and misunderstanding. Anyone with a clear mind can see through the confusion you are trying to perpetuate and no that is not a judgment of your character but a profession of the truth.

EXCELLENT!!!

 

[Kaninchen]

I can see the point of ‘preaching to the choir’ but, in what sense, does this sort of thing go beyond that?

I mean it just annoys gays (who, one would think, would be people who he would want to think again about their campaigns) and leaves the rest of us wondering why some Catholics seem quite so obsessed about naughty, naughty people having naughty, naughty sex in naughty, naughty ways.

 

[caoindealbhan]

What is the Christian thing to do now? Is now the time, at Christmas, to say “this is what I actually meant…” I am sorry if my words hurt you, but remember always that nothing can destroy the Roman Catholic Church’s love and respect for homosexuals. You are all warmly welcomed. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Yes, I know, he never used the word homosexual. But now he needs to address it since millions of people believe he did. He also needs to reiterate that gay-bashing is not acceptable under any circumstances for devout Roman Catholics.

It is wonder to give an intellectual address on human nature if you are addressing intellectuals.  Most of us need it short sweet and to the point to get it.

I pray that the Holy Spirit leads him to address this matter.

Merry Christmas :)

 

[BRZ]

I think why sexuality is such an important topic and must be reiterated over and over again because I think some people fail to realize how important it is. People tend to think having sex is just another part of life and what is the big deal, but it isn’t. It is a very important and serious topic. I personally think that it is sex that leads most people towards evil and away from God.

 

[Exalt]

It is quite clear to me that after reading your post Exalt, [that you] are not the Pope.

Hey! We agree on something!

…you are [also] confused.

Aw

You assume that all Catholics are mindless sheep going to church not really know what the Church teaches.

I assume that *most *Catholics are *like *mindless sheep when it comes to their ideas about the Church. I’d say around 60-70%.

There are Catholics who are ignorant of Catholic teaching, sure. As there are people ignorant of anything you can imagine in this world.

Bingo! I’d like to reduce the amount of ignorance on this matter, and I think the Pope is doing a great job of it.

You are quite clearly confusing the issue of “Homosexuality” is morally evil with “Homosexual People” being morally evil. If you had any true understanding of what we as Catholics are taught and learn, it is that we differentiate between the person and the act. The act is what is morally evil, not the person.

The Church condemns gay relationships. They’ve made this point clear. As I clearly stated in my original post, I do understand that they find the *orientation *to be not sinful, but it is nonetheless morally evil. I think my original point is clear on the matter. I understand Catholic teaching quite well.

I’ll summarize my points in bullet form because it seems you had trouble understanding:

• The Church believes that gay people have a fundamental disorder. (Source / Paragraph 3 / “the homosexual inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”)
• Though their homosexual inclinations aren’t sinful, those inclinations are a “moral evil.” (Source / Paragraph 3 / “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”)
• Furthermore, the Church holds that the acceptance of their lifestyle contributes to a ‘degredation’ of God’s plan for ‘gender’ (Source / Section 1 / That which has come to be expressed and understood with the term ‘gender’ effectively results in man’s self-emancipation from Creation (nature) and from the Creator. Man wants to do everything by himself and to decide always and exclusively about anything that concerns him personally. But this is to live against truth, to live against the Spirit Creator.)
• The acceptance of their lifestyle will eventually result in man’s self destruction. (Source / Section 1 / [We must] listen to the language of creation, which, if disregarded, would be man’s self-destruction.)
• Also, the Church condemns gay marriage (under the state) and gay civil unions (under the state). (Source)
• The Church condemns gay couples who adopt, and would and has supported the break up those families. (Same source as above)

Another thing, no one should tell anyone that they are going to hell because only God knows who is going to heaven or hell.

I didn’t say that you need to tell him that he or she was going to hell. I said that you need to tell him that his or her *relationship *will send them to hell. The relationship is a sin. Sin leads to hell. It’s rather simple: Repent or burn.

I have no problem at all telling a homosexual person that what they are doing (by actively leading a sexual relationship with the same gender) is morally evil, regardless if they are my family or not. It is the same as when I tell others they should not be having sex out of marriage because that is also morally evil.

Your argument is fraught with naught but anger and misunderstanding. Anyone with a clear mind can see through the confusion you are trying to perpetuate and no that is not a judgment of your character but a profession of the truth.

I was/am angry at positions like the Pope’s, to be sure, but I don’t misunderstand it at all. You would have all gay people be celibate for the rest of their lives or go into heterosexual relationships. Your Church charges the state to break up gay families with adopted children and make gay adoption illegal. Your Church would have gay people be silent about their positions, for they say: “[We must] contain the [homosexual] phenomenon within certain limits so as to safeguard public morality and, above all, to avoid exposing young people to erroneous ideas about sexuality and marriage that would deprive them of their necessary defences and contribute to the spread of the phenomenon.” (Source / P. 5)

The more the Pope makes headlines, the more people will read them, the more people will think, and the more people will reject your Church’s archiac, medieval ideas about gay people.

 

[ericka1701]

I am very happy that the Holy Father did speak out about this. Even though it was midnight last night, and I haven’t slept really well the past 3 days, I still did not misunderstand the message as being against homosexuals in specific. Also, the RCC will not nessacarily scare all homosexuals away, as was implied in an earlier post. I regularly attend Mass with a celibate homosexual, who accepts the Church’s teachings, and views his SSA as his daily cross to carry. I know of others who feel called to a single life, who also are chaste, of varying sexual attractions. I saw the message directed to everyone who did not use sex in its correct place, or who profaned the act with ABC.

Thank you Pope Benedict XVI! You are such an inspiration and a role model for others!

God Bless!
Ericka

 

[JVSantos]

by Exalt
“The more the Pope makes headlines, the more people will read them, the more people will think, and the more people will reject your Church’s archiac, medieval ideas about gay people.”

Exalt,
**I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with your statement, NICE TRY **
Pope Benedict XVI is talking to ALL people not just to the gay people.

 

[Eucharisted]

catholictradition.org/Two-Hearts/holy-father.htm#PRAYERS

Prayers for the Pope

 

[chrisb]

The Pope is wrong.

But, I’m glad he has the courage to rail against homosexuals (and others who don’t “follow God’s perfect plan for man”) especially on the day before Christmas.

The more the Pope talks about these things, the more the general public will realize how out of touch the teachings of Catholicism are with the real world. People will take a more serious look at this religion.

They’ve always thought that going to Church was harmless. But then they’ll read words like, “when the Church speaks of the nature of the human being as man and woman, [she] asks that this natural order be respected… if disregarded, [that] would be man’s self-destruction. The tropical rain forests deserve our protection, yes, but man does not deserve it less.” (That’s from his address earlier this week.)

This kind of position, however, is not new to Mr. Ratzinger. In another document, he spoke about violence against homosexuals and said, “the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.” (Source)

You see, most people don’t really think about the Church’s official teachings very often. They just go about their daily lives, going to Church, going to work, spending time with their families. But, when the Pope makes headlines, they might start listening. And I really do hope that they take the Pope’s words seriously. I hope they do some research.

When they do, this is what they’ll find: They’ll find that the Church believes that gay people are fundamentally disordered. They have some kind of sickness. Though their inclinations aren’t sinful, they’re a “moral evil.” Furthermore, the Church holds that the acceptance of their lifestyle contributes to a ‘degredation’ of God’s plan for ‘gender’ - which will eventually result in man’s self destruction. Also, the Church condemns gay marriage (under the state) and gay civil unions (under the state). The Church condemns gay couples who adopt, and would and has supported the break up those families.

That’s what they’ll discover. When they do, they’ll have to think critically about if they want to believe in that or not. What kind of evidence is there support the idea that gay couples are morally evil? What kind of evidence supports the idea that children raised by gay couples are any worse off than children raised in heterosexual homes? Do we want to be compelled to deny gay couples civil unions or marriage in the eyes of the secular law? If they have a friend, child, brother/sister, or parent who is gay, they’ll have to answer this question, which I think is most difficult: Can I look my loved one in the eye and tell him or her that his relationship will send him to hell? Do I really believe that a loving God would do that?

I’m glad the Pope is doing this. I really want him to continue making headlines. Every headline he makes is another victory for us. Keep going, Ratzinger. Keep it coming. You’re opening people’s eyes to your Church’s beliefs on homosexuality. The more that people see it, the more they’ll probably reject it.

We agree on the point that most don’t know the Churches teaching and in fact many teach contrary to it’s teachings.

Where we disagree is in your opinion that Our Holy Father is somehow in error.

I understand that there are many in the Catholic Church who don’t know the teachings of the Church on this and many issues but I don’t agree that in their ignorance they should be seen as somehow authoritative.

I think the Church of the future will be smaller, no doubt, but I believe there is nothing wrong with that as long as it is faithful to Holy Tradition.

 

[estesbob]

I can see the point of ‘preaching to the choir’ but, in what sense, does this sort of thing go beyond that?

I mean it just annoys gays (who, one would think, would be people who he would want to think again about their campaigns) and leaves the rest of us wondering why some Catholics seem quite so obsessed about naughty, naughty people having naughty, naughty sex in naughty, naughty ways.

Becuase we are concerned about their souls.

 

[Exalt]

Becuase we are concerned about their souls.

So keep preaching, Bob! I recommend making your own grassroots campaign publicizing the Church’s position on this matter. Get your voice out there.

The more people who hear it, the more people will reject it.

 

[Exalt]

by Exalt
“The more the Pope makes headlines, the more people will read them, the more people will think, and the more people will reject your Church’s archiac, medieval ideas about gay people.”

Exalt,
**I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with your statement, NICE TRY **
Pope Benedict XVI is talking to ALL people not just to the gay people.

I agree that he was talking to all people. The more he talks to all people, the more people will see the position of the Church, and the more they will reject it!

I hope the Pope keeps on preaching.