C
CatholicSheila
Guest
No. I have heard it more from other denominations because of my background but I have heard it from Catholics.As for your statement that you hear Catholics say gays are disgusting and are going to hell** just because of temptations**, while I haven’t walked a mile in your moccasins, I find it hard to believe. Were you referring to other denominations?
You said, “A lot of conservative Catholics do say very nasty things about gays.” But you haven’t walked a mile in my Conservative Catholic moccasins, and based on that gratuitous accusation, it appears that you can’t tell the difference between Conservative and Progressive Catholics.
No. I am not mistaking Progressive Catholics with Conservative Catholics. Progressive Catholics are the type more likely to say “it’s ok. The rules of the old testament were cultural and don’t apply”. I was simply using the designations people use for themselves. If someone portrays or identifies themselves as a Conservative Catholic then that is I what I will refer to them as such so long as they’re not doing something so outrageous that I can’t take them seriously. If they consider homosexuality to be a sin then they are much more likely to identify as conservative than progressive.Conservative Catholics are orthodox Catholics. That is, we believe and practice what the Church teaches, including the teaching that gays always must be treated with dignity.
You can not simply say “they aren’t conservative if they say that” and expect those outside the church to automatically disregard them. If someone says they are a conservative catholic then those outside the Church are going to believe them. Especially when we do not see vocal voices within the church (until recently) speaking out about how gays do deserve to be treated with respect. That was always the teaching, but was it always taught?
Nor did I make a gratuitous accusation. I simply recounted my experiences. You may call me a liar if you wish but that is what I have seen and heard. Is it all Catholics? No. Even if we simply look at those who consider themselves Conservative Catholics I still wouldn’t claim it is all. I said ‘a lot’. By definition that simply means a large number. It doesn’t even mean the majority necessarily – in fact I think the majority tend to keep silent. Which I consider no better. If a fellow Catholic is making such comments about gays and we do not pull them up on it, then we are just as in the wrong. Our silence is not taken as disapproval for those comments but as approval. We need to pull them up every single time. We don’t know who is listening and these comments cut deep because they have been heard from so many people in so many places.