In my oppinion if its right for a men and a women to get married then why can it not
be the same for gay and lesbian couples.
Does it not say in the bible “love your fellow man”
So then why is it frowed on by some religions that they should not love their fellow being?
Louisa
I love my children. Actually, the love between a parent and a child is probably some of the strongest love there can be between two human beings.
Loving them doesn’t mean I let them do things that are wrong just because it feels good.
If I let my kids eat nothing but chocolate and drink nothing but orange pop it might make them happy (in the short term), but it wouldn’t be right.
If I let my kids treat people poorly, have bad manners, and use people for whatever they can get out of them, my kids might be happy- but it wouldn’t be right.
If I let my kids completely ignore any sort of education because they didn’t like to do it, they might be happy- but it wouldn’t be right.
As a parent I have to see things in the long term. I have more life experience and wisdom than my six year old and I understand the long-term consequences of actions. Because I love my children, I
do not let them do everything they want to do. I do what is best for them, even if it does not always make them happy.
That is true love- desiring the best for a person and helping them work towards being the best they can be, so they can be TRULY happy. Long-term, eternal happiness.
It is pretty obvious from the way our bodies are designed what God had in mind concerning sexual relations. Throughout nature we see similar designs. So we can say with reasonable assuredness that we know what is normal in terms of the mechanics of sex. That’s natural law.
As Christians, we have the scriptures. Throughout the Bible- both Old and New Testament- it is repeatedly reinforced that God expects sex to occur between a man and a woman who are married to one another. Sex outside of marriage is considered a sin. There are no references to sex being not sinful outside of marriage, nor are their any references to marriage between a man and a man or a woman and woman being acceptable before God. So that is the Sacred Scripture aspect of it.
As Catholics, we have the Magesterium of the Church- the Church’s ability to speak authoritatively on matters concerning faith and morals. It’s also known as the teaching office of the Church. It was given to the Church by Christ in Sacred Scripture. The Church has always upheld that sexual relations are to be reserved for marriage, that marriage is a sacrament, and that marraige occurs only between one man and one woman, and that they are bound to that marriage until death. The Church has always upheld that
all persons are called to chastity according to their state in life.
So we have three authorities- Natural Law, Sacred Scripture, and the Church- who are all consistently teaching us the same things. There is no reason that we cannot reasonably assume to know God’s mind on homosexual relations considering all the information and teaching He has given us.
Every person is called to be chaste according to their state in life. Unmarried people are called to be celibate; sexual relations are to be reserved for marraige. Marriage is limited to being between one man and one woman.
Therefore, a man may not marry a man and a woman may not marry a woman. Since they are not married (regardless of their ‘orientation’) they cannot be sexually active- with anyone. It works the same for single heterosexual people.
Some people argue that because they have this internal desire or attraction for someone of the same gender, it must be from God. I have a very strong internal desire to be lazy and to overeat. I would not argue these are from God. These are all part of a lovely thing called Original Sin. If I allowed myself to be excessively lazy or indulgent regarding food, that would be sinful. If people act on their homosexul inclinations, that is similarly sinful. God expects us to rise above such inclinations to achieve holiness.
To answer your original questions: no, a person with homosexual attractions is no less of a person than any other person. All people are made in the image and likeness of God and deserve to be treated as such. WHich is why they are held to the same standard as everyone else and expected to refrain from sinning, live a holy life, and frequent the sacraments.
I believe everyone should be treated politely and courteously when together, but I do not agree with the lifestyle. If they ask me to have a conversation about my opinions, I will do so; but otherwise I don’t say anything (although my opinion is known) and I just treat kindly.
My homosexual friends often tell me “You are so close minded” and my reply is always “Praise God! I am not so open minded as to let all the rubbish in!”.