Public Hand-Holding for Chaste Lesbians

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pureDzire

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I know two lesbian middle-aged women that live Chaste Lives (meaning in this case, without sexual intimacy) because one of them is a Catholic and follows the Teachings of the Church and the other one respects that. But, they hold hands in public.

I have read the most recent Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on Homosexuality and it does say that we must respect the dignity of the person and have compassion for their struggles. So, if they are abiding the Teachings with regard to not engaging in sexual activity, is it still a sin for them to hold hands in public?

And, if so, Why?..and, if not, Why not?
Thank you.
 
I wouldn’t think that holding hands, in and of itself, is any cause for concern. The act is not disordered as we see many people hold hands for many reasons. Being that it is known that these women are lesbians it could be a cause for scandal but that would be a stretch since again the act is not sinful. It would be the same for hugs and kisses that are non-sexual. I am usually pretty conservative and this is how I feel but we shall see how the rest of us see this…teachccd

And Welcome to the forum!!
 
I don’t see how holding hand is ever sinful. It would be well for people who jump to conclusions when the witness something as harmless as handholding to tend to their own spiritual health and not speculate about that of others.

Any sentence that begins with “I know someone who . . .” and ends with “. . .is this a sin for them?” is a waste of time. Better frame the question in a general way, an the answer is usually self evident. “Is it sinful for two people to hold hands?”
 
puzzleannie said:
Any sentence that begins with “I know someone who . . .” and ends with “. . .is this a sin for them?” is a waste of time. Better frame the question in a general way, an the answer is usually self evident. “Is it sinful for two people to hold hands?”
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Maybe the OP just wanted to qualify the the nature of their attraction in order that it might change the culpability of their action. But I totally agree with you that any two people can hold hands without concern…teachccd
 
I don’t think hand holding is a cause for soncern unless their handa are always glued together. If that were the case, one would have to question their intentions before coming to a conclusion.

I have a lot of respect for homosexuals who lead chaste lives. I know it isn’t easy.
 
pureDzire said:
I know two lesbian middle-aged women that live Chaste Lives (meaning in this case, without sexual intimacy) because one of them is a Catholic and follows the Teachings of the Church and the other one respects that. But, they hold hands in public.

I have read the most recent Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on Homosexuality and it does say that we must respect the dignity of the person and have compassion for their struggles. So, if they are abiding the Teachings with regard to not engaging in sexual activity, is it still a sin for them to hold hands in public?

And, if so, Why?..and, if not, Why not?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
How 'bout if it were two men?
 
Some of this gets into social conventions. Normally, in our western culture, it is not sinful for anyone to hold hands in friendship - though two men, neither of them Arabic (which is acceptable in their culture), walking hand in hand down the street in the USA would be invite frowns. Unless its done to provoke malicious judgement (and invite others to sin in that judgement) I would say its not sinful. On the other hand (no pun intended) if the two wear wearing matching wedding style bands - then it would be pretty much an “in your face” act intended to make a statement in defiance to mores. That would be sinful in my opinion since it would invite scandal.

James
 
Pretty Interesting opinions, thanks! Not really sure how I feel about the one reply asking, “what if it were two men holding hands?”. It does seem to get into social conventions when it comes to men, doesn’t it? I suppose I should have asked also if those of you offering your opinions are all Catholics yourselves. Must that be asked of questions one posts???

Thanks for the Welcome! 🙂
 
maybe OP has personal knowledge of the background of two ladies of her acquaintance, but as a general rule for Catholics (and as a matter of etiquette) we have no knowledge whatever of the private lives of adults we happen to see in church or any other public place, so to call ourselves “scandalized” merely is another way of saying we have been speculating abou things which are NOMB.
 
A number of years ago I was in Hong Kong, and it was quite common to see two women walking down the street holding hands. So apriori, I don’t think we can say anything abouts its morality one way or another.
 
Do either of these women hold hands with non lesbians as a sign of friendship? Is women holding hands as a sign of friendship common in your area? Those are the two questions.

Most likely the behavior is problematic because it is a public display of affection meant to express their mutual exclusivity to each other. .
 
Life has enough heartache and sorrow. I would not deprive two good women of the innocent comfort of hand-holding. We are required, are we not, to put the best construction on everything?
 
mark_a said:
How 'bout if it were two men?
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When I was a missionary in Taiwan, one of the things I had to get used to was seeing two men walking down the street holding hands. These were normal heterosexual men. It is a custom in Chinese culture for same-sex hetero friends to hold hands as a sign of friendship. There is nothing sexual about it, it is just platonic affection.

Paul
 
pureDzire said:
I know two lesbian middle-aged women that live Chaste Lives (meaning in this case, without sexual intimacy) because one of them is a Catholic and follows the Teachings of the Church and the other one respects that. But, they hold hands in public.

I have read the most recent Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on Homosexuality and it does say that we must respect the dignity of the person and have compassion for their struggles. So, if they are abiding the Teachings with regard to not engaging in sexual activity, is it still a sin for them to hold hands in public?

And, if so, Why?..and, if not, Why not?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
My take on this is: Who knows they are lesbian if they see two women holding hands. If I see two girls or women holding hands I dont assume they are lesbians.
I sometimes hold hands with a girl friend or with my mother or my sister. Then I think: someone might get the wrong idea… but is it my fault that society is so perverted?
I also once saw my mom holding hands with one of her lady friends… and I even once folded hands with a dear friend while we were praying together on a park bench.
I think in a case like this… the act is pure and there is no telling what is going on and who these people are to people who dont know them… and I would always believe the best about people. Also… If I saw some women from my church holding hands and I knew they were lesbians then I would think nothing wrong with it, because I dont see hand-holding as sexual even though its a display and act of affection.
I think its awesome that your friends live a chaste relationship … that is so admirable. Good for them and the crown they will receive from Christ when they meet Him will be huge for their perseverance:)
 
I thought with all the comments from so many of you in the positive that the matter could be put to rest for me. BUT, as to cast a different light on the whole matter, I received THIS response from a Priest of EWTN when I asked him the same question as I posted here on the forum…This was his reply:

It could be a source of scandal for others and a source of temptation for
the ones involved, and placing themselves in such an occasion of sin is a serious evil.
 
pureDzire said:
I know two lesbian middle-aged women that live Chaste Lives (meaning in this case, without sexual intimacy) because one of them is a Catholic and follows the Teachings of the Church and the other one respects that. But, they hold hands in public.

I have read the most recent Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on Homosexuality and it does say that we must respect the dignity of the person and have compassion for their struggles. So, if they are abiding the Teachings with regard to not engaging in sexual activity, is it still a sin for them to hold hands in public?

And, if so, Why?..and, if not, Why not?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
I think it’s admirable
 
Many thanks for all your kind offerings…as to Reply to SEATUCK about whether or not they hold hands with Non-lesbian Friends, I guess I don’t know. But, as for is it acceptable in our area for women to hold hands? In This part of New York, pretty much ANYTHING is acceptable. It is quite liberal and open minded about such matters.
 
So, JAMES, you think its a sin? Or, were you just speaking in general that sin is often taken lightly, if regarded at all these days?
 
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