How do I respond?

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jacfalle20

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Recently, an article was written in our local paper about a “devout Catholic woman” writing a letter to Cardinal Dolan arguing “for the basic human rights of her gay son - love, marriage, & children.” In it, she writes that Catholicism is a deep seed of her identity. She’s angry that the Catholic Church spent money on anti-gay marriage ballot campaigns, stating that the Church uses parishioners’ money without their permission. I don’t want to sound discriminatory, but I have a huge problem with her assertions in the article. For one, she sounds as if she doesn’t know WHAT or WHY the Catholic church teaches what it does about homosexuality. For one who claims be a devout Catholic, shouldn’t she know that the Church teaches to “love the sinner, but reject the sin.” The other problem I have with her letter is her statement that “she didn’t donate this money so that the Church could promote hate and discrimination of others - our gay, lesbian, and transgender children.” To make such a generalized statement about the ENTIRE church just seems like a way to give such a negative view of the faith. I do not believe it, but she makes it sound as if donations are the SOLE source of income for the church. THAT’S where I have a big problem and can’t stay quiet on the issue. I can remind her to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find out what EXACTLY the church teaches on homosexuality, but I can’t seem to find the words to respond to the second part of her letter.
 
I’ve read that letter. While I agree with some parts of it, most of it comes over as an unnecessary anti-Church rant, and turns into a polemic. I have to doubt whether the woman is as devout as she claims or indeed whether she is a Catholic at all.

As for money, one gives money to the Church on trust that it will be spent wisely. You can’t pick and choose what it gets spent on and other than specific project-related appeals, for the most part it simply goes into a ‘pot’ along with other income from which is drawn funds for whatever the parish and diocese deem to be good uses for the money. If one ends up with a strong moral objection to certain uses of that money, then there’s no way one can restrict the uses one’s contributions are put to. The only thing to be done in that situation is to withhold the money altogether and/or direct it only to the specific projects one supports.
 
First of all, let me say I was guilty of letting my emotions get the better of me. For that, I would like to sincerely apologize. After reading the full context of the letter, I admit I was in the wrong, for the most part. The article in my local newspaper made it seem like an attack on the church stance on homosexuality. My emotions took over, and I began typing without thinking. She makes the point that “you won’t ever have to marry a same-sex couple, but it makes no sense to deny them the right to be married under the law.” I understand where her objection really lies now. I don’t agree with it, as it would have to redefine the meaning of marriage, but I see the point she’s trying to make. The donations part still gets to me a little, but I understand her objections to it… Again, I’m sorry for my strongly-worded thread, and I ask for forgiveness…
 
and I can tell you she is Catholic, as almost the entire population of my island is Catholic.
 
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