Questions to Adult Catholics

[shelby90]

Hello!

I’m not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask these questions, but I am writing a paper for a class on sexuality and gender in the Catholic church.

I would love if anybody could answer these following questions regarding Catholicism for me. You can be as brief or in depth as you want! All answers are appreciated! Thank you so much!

• Do you believe that men and women have equal roles in the church and in society? Please explain.
• How would you describe the church’s attitude towards different genders? Have you ever felt like you were treated differently because of your gender?
• How would you describe your personal attitude towards people in the LGBTQ community?
• How would you describe the church’s view of homosexuality and people in the LGBTQ community? Does your church have a formal stance on this? What is it and do you fully agree with it?

 

[thewanderer]

Hello!

I’m not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask these questions, but I am writing a paper for a class on sexuality and gender in the Catholic church.

I would love if anybody could answer these following questions regarding Catholicism for me. You can be as brief or in depth as you want! All answers are appreciated! Thank you so much!

• Do you believe that men and women have equal roles in the church and in society? Please explain.

Well, honestly, it depends on what you mean by equal. If you simply mean that either men or women are considered as being less important or less worthy, or even “second-class citizens” etc then it is absolutely false that the Church thinks any of those things or that the roles that men and women play imply any of those things.

• How would you describe the church’s attitude towards different genders? Have you ever felt like you were treated differently because of your gender?

The Church’s attitude towards different genders is very realistic. Both are children of God, and, as such, both are deserving of the utmost respect. However, because they are different, (there is no denying that men and women are different) the Church wishes to take those differences into account when treating men and women.

As for feeling as though I were treated differently for being a woman? Not really, and certainly not in a negative way.

• How would you describe your personal attitude towards people in the LGBTQ community?

That they are all people and children of God, who, as such, deserve just as much sympathy, love and respect as any other person.

• How would you describe the church’s view of homosexuality and people in the LGBTQ community? Does your church have a formal stance on this? What is it and do you fully agree with it?

See above. With the added note that any sexual act that is not between spouses (1 man 1 woman permanently bound to each other) and correctly ordered is immoral and so should be avoided. Which I also agree with. I would also note that everyone who ever lies or steals acts immoraly, as is anyone who acts uncharitably or dishonestly, who gossips about others etc etc. There is nothing special about the LGBTQ community that causes the Church to go after them. We are **all **sinners, we all participate in sinful behaviour, yet we are all deserving of the same respect regardless of our behaviour, just as we are all called to repentance and the forgoing of our sins. There is nothing special about LGBTQ people, they, just like the rest of humanity, just like you and me, just like priests and religious and even the Pope, are all sinners and are all constantly being called to repentence just as they are all owed the respect and dignity that is due to all people. I agree fully with the Church’s stance on this.

 

[1ke]

If you are writing a paper on the Church’s teaching, these questions are irrelevant. they are asking for people’s “feelings” and “opinions”, neither of which have anything to do with Church teaching.

For Church teaching, I suggest you visit www.etwn.com and go to the document library. In the document library you can do key word searches on many types of Church documents.

 

[Southern]

The woman is the heart and the man is the head. Women should not try to be like men and men should not try to be like women. God does not make mistakes.

When the gays went up to receive Jesus in the Eucharist they went up in sashes making some kind of public statement. The Church in my area allowed them to receive. I was sick. The Bible tells us Homosexuality IS A SIN!!! If one lives in this sin then they cannot enter the gates of Heaven. With that being said it is a Mortal SIN. I’m tired of people making excuses to justify their sinful ways. We are taught to detest the sin not the sinner. This is what the Church teaches. Love one another as Christ Loves us! This sums up along with the First commandment everything we ought to do in the Catholic Church and ALL Churches. Homosexuallity is not love. It dessacrates what God calls Marriage One Man and One Woman.

 

[Razanir]

• Do you believe that men and women have equal roles in the church and in society? Please explain.

Yes and no. Equally important, yes. Completely identical, not necessarily.

• How would you describe the church’s attitude towards different genders?

Same as above, really. Priests can only be male, just because that is a male role in the church. Females can still be religious as nuns or sisters. Also, it’s hogwash when people say the Catholic Church is misogynistic. Of everyone in creation who’s not God, the person we honor most is Mary (hyperdulia, still leagues below latria)

• How would you describe your personal attitude towards people in the LGBTQ community?

• How would you describe the church’s view of homosexuality and people in the LGBTQ community? Does your church have a formal stance on this? What is it and do you fully agree with it?

For both of these: I describe my views (which I’m pretty sure match those of the church) as “I have nothing against homosexuals themselves; I just don’t think it’s marriage.” Unlike some Protestant groups (and we all know which one I’m referring to), the Catholic Church does not think homosexuality is a sin, only that homosexual acts are. We hold nothing against them if they live a celibate life

 

[LSK]

Hello!

I’m not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask these questions, but I am writing a paper for a class on sexuality and gender in the Catholic church.

I would love if anybody could answer these following questions regarding Catholicism for me. You can be as brief or in depth as you want! All answers are appreciated! Thank you so much!

• Do you believe that men and women have equal roles in the church and in society? Please explain.
• How would you describe the church’s attitude towards different genders? Have you ever felt like you were treated differently because of your gender?
• How would you describe your personal attitude towards people in the LGBTQ community?
• How would you describe the church’s view of homosexuality and people in the LGBTQ community? Does your church have a formal stance on this? What is it and do you fully agree with it?

1. YES I believe our roles are of equal importance in the Eyes of God but that the word ‘equality’ does not mean our roles are THE SAME.
2. LOVING - and of course I have been treated differently from men because I am a woman. I am different from them. I would EXPECT to be treated differently but I would not expect to have that difference EVER regarded as ‘less than’.
3. LOVING - My experience with the LGBTQ community is the same as with most communities: I am required by my Catholicism to love and honor all human beings as Creatures of a Loving God.
4. Loving and HONEST - the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality is very clear, quite concise and very loving. Of course I agree with it - I accept ALL the Teachings of Holy Mother Church, whether I understand those teachings or not, because the source and summit of my faith is the Eucharist and I will never allow myself to be seperated from Him in the Eucharist again.

May I suggest that you look at the premise of your paper with a bit more of a rhetorical eye? I think you are being sloppy in your definitions and your questions are way too open ended.

This is just my opinion - I have my undergraduate degree in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and the questions you are posing would have been tossed out by my Freshman Writing Analysis professor as being way too broad.

Good luck!

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

If you are writing a paper on the Church’s teaching, these questions are irrelevant. they are asking for people’s “feelings” and “opinions”, neither of which have anything to do with Church teaching.

For Church teaching, I suggest you visit www.etwn.com and go to the document library. In the document library you can do key word searches on many types of Church documents.

This. Taking an opinion poll has exactly -0- effect on Church teaching. You could get opinions from one side of the spectrum to the other, but if you want to know Church teaching, you need to go to the source. Some Catholics, even on this forum, do not practice their faith and do not follow the Magisterium or the Church’s teaching. You will only confuse yourself and come out with a muddled paper.

 

[shelby90]

If you are writing a paper on the Church’s teaching, these questions are irrelevant. they are asking for people’s “feelings” and “opinions”, neither of which have anything to do with Church teaching.

For Church teaching, I suggest you visit www.etwn.com and go to the document library. In the document library you can do key word searches on many types of Church documents.

My paper is actually directly on how people in the church perceive and feel about these questions, not on the Church’s teachings. Thank you for the link though, I will probably check that out as well.

 

[shelby90]

Also: thank you so much to everybody who has written replies! I love reading them and they will prove to be very helpful in my paper. I am extremely grateful for your openness and willingness to share your opinions with me.

 

[shelby90]

May I suggest that you look at the premise of your paper with a bit more of a rhetorical eye? I think you are being sloppy in your definitions and your questions are way too open ended.

This is just my opinion - I have my undergraduate degree in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and the questions you are posing would have been tossed out by my Freshman Writing Analysis professor as being way too broad.

Good luck!

Thank you for your suggestion – I tried to keep the questions open-ended so that people would have room to discuss what they found most important. My paper is mainly about relaying my findings on the general attitude, not necessarily on answering these questions. I do see where there is room for improvement, though, and I appreciate your constructive criticism.

 

[Allegra]

This is probably the fourth post I’ve read like this so I guess it must be legit. Exactly what kind of school asks students to write “papers” based on the random opinion of a handful of strangers on the internet? When I was a student, I was required to write papers using information from confirmed sources like scholastic books, encyclopedias, and approved studies and articals. If I used an interview, I had to verify that the person I was interviewing was an expert in what they were talking about and provide the person’s name, title, and credentials to speak on that topic. How exactly are you going to prove that any of us are actual practicing Catholics who are knowlegeable about our faith? Wouldn’t it be a better option to get information on Church teaching directly from the Cathecism of the Catholic Church? That’s information you could actually cite in a bibliography. You certainly don’t have the resources to conduct an accurate survey or study of Catholic perceptions.

Anyway, since I complained about the stupidity of the assignment, I’ll go ahead and answer the questions.

Men and women have a variety of vocations to choose from in the Catholic faith. Some are open to everyone and others are open only to men or women. They are all an important part of the body of Christ, so each vocation is equal in importance. I do not feel that I have been disrespected by anyone in my religion because I am a woman.

My personal response toward gay people is to treat them as in individual human beings. Really, their struggle isn’t any different than the struggle of any single person who should be remaining celibate. However, it is a harder struggle in the long run because unlike the struggle of most heterosexuals, it isn’t temporary. Gay people are called to remain celibate their whole life, which can be really hard to face. In addition, we live in an incredibly oversexed society where any attempt a living a chaste lifestyle is looked down on as being inauthentic. So, objectively, homosexual activity is a sin, just as any sex outside of marriage is a sin. To say that it is not a sin is wrong. However, a person should have compassion and treat them with kindness and truth.

The Church’s teaching on homosexuality is that it is disordered and that homosexual activity is outside of God’s plan and therefore, a sin. Simply being a homosexual is not considered a sin. The Church also teaches that it is not acceptable to harrass, mistreat, or assault homosexual individuals. I agree with this teaching completely.

 

[jmcrae]

Hello!

I’m not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask these questions, but I am writing a paper for a class on sexuality and gender in the Catholic church.

I would love if anybody could answer these following questions regarding Catholicism for me. You can be as brief or in depth as you want! All answers are appreciated! Thank you so much!

• Do you believe that men and women have equal roles in the church and in society? Please explain.

“Equal” does not mean “the same,” first of all. Women and men have equal dignity and deserve equal respect, but men and women do not have the same roles. The role of “mother” should not be considered less important than the role of “father.” The role of a religious Sister should not be treated with less respect or less dignity than that of a Brother or a priest.

Furthermore, we are each gifted individually in different ways, and there is no human vocation that is “less than” any other, in terms of its necessity and its dignity - the guy or girl who washes the dishes at your local restaurant is not doing “less important” work than the CEO of the company that owns the restaurant (despite the difference in pay) - the restaurant could not function without either one of these workers, when both are working to their best capacity.

• How would you describe the church’s attitude towards different genders? Have you ever felt like you were treated differently because of your gender?

I have been treated differently because of my gender, but not “worse” or “better” than people of the opposite gender. The Church’s attitude is that it needs women to behave like women, and it needs men to behave like men. Women who behave like men and men who behave like women are of little use either to themselves or to the Church.

• How would you describe your personal attitude towards people in the LGBTQ community?

I feel badly for them because of the terrible crosses that they have to carry. They are often in my prayers.

• How would you describe the church’s view of homosexuality and people in the LGBTQ community? Does your church have a formal stance on this? What is it and do you fully agree with it?

The attitude of the Church is that while we have no way of knowing where same sex attraction comes from, it is always wrong to act on it. Those who experience this attraction are called to a life of deep spirituality, celibacy, and the single life. They are called to pour their energies into creative endeavors and to occupy themselves with improving the world through social justice, business, and the arts.

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

My paper is actually directly on how people in the church perceive and feel about these questions, not on the Church’s teachings. Thank you for the link though, I will probably check that out as well.

Why don’t you ask how the people who answer you, would describe themselves:

1. Orthodox, practicing Catholic who follows the CCC, the Magisterium and the Pope.
2. Practicing Catholic who tries to follow the CCC but has some questions or doubts on different issues.
3. Non-practicing Catholic (we sometimes call them heretics! LOL) who doesn’t really believe in the Church’s teachings.
4. Catholic who has mostly left the Church and believes they are something else (no Catholic once baptized can be anything else legitimately).

Or something like that. Then you have a framework for their answers.

 

[BettyBoop416]

This is probably the fourth post I’ve read like this so I guess it must be legit. Exactly what kind of school asks students to write “papers” based on the random opinion of a handful of strangers on the internet? When I was a student, I was required to write papers using information from confirmed sources like scholastic books, encyclopedias, and approved studies and articals. If I used an interview, I had to verify that the person I was interviewing was an expert in what they were talking about and provide the person’s name, title, and credentials to speak on that topic.

I assume that the OP will be doing scholarly for this paper and that this anonymous poll is just one small part of his/her information gathering process. I also assume from the questions the OP asked that actual Church teaching is not the focus of this paper. Rather, it is beliefs and opinions of Catholics about Church teachings.

*How exactly are you going to prove that any of us are actual practicing Catholics who are knowlegeable about our faith? *

Since these questions were posted on the Catholic Answers Forum, the folks responding are likely to have an above average knowledge of and belief in Church teachings - which I’m afraid might produce some inaccurate results if the purpose of the poll is to access the beliefs of the “average” person who self-identifies as Catholic

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

I assume that the OP will be doing scholarly for this paper and that this anonymous poll is just one small part of his/her information gathering process. I also assume from the questions the OP asked that actual Church teaching is not the focus of this paper. Rather, it is beliefs and opinions of Catholics about Church teachings.

Since these questions were posted on the Catholic Answers Forum, the folks responding are likely to have an above average knowledge of and belief in Church teachings - which I’m afraid might produce some inaccurate results if the purpose of the poll is to access the beliefs of the “average” person who self-identifies as Catholic

This could also be just another post about how Catholics treat homosexuals, “transgendered” people, etc. CAF seems to always be in the crosshairs of homosexual advocates and many posts are meant to provoke arguments and try to prove a point.

 

[BettyBoop416]

This could also be just another post about how Catholics treat homosexuals, “transgendered” people, etc. CAF seems to always be in the crosshairs of homosexual advocates and many posts are meant to provoke arguments and try to prove a point.

I suppose. Of course, we could all make our own assumptions about every single post on here. Without any evidence to the contrary, I tend to take posts at face value.