miguel:
If it comes down to a choice between sensitivity to people with SSA and protecting innocent children, I’m going with the latter. That’s not bigotry. That’s prudence.
I suppose one day when I’m a parent, I might be able to understand the irrational paranoia that is going on here in this thread. As of now, at nearly 25, I cannot. Notice that I have not advocated that
practicing homosexuals be employed by Catholic schools. A school should absolutely
not employ any self-proclaimed practicing homosexual. But anyone who vows to live a chaste life should not be punished by those who should be supporting them. If they are shunned, that’s just plain cruel. Why should a member of Courage, for instance, be punished when they are living holy lives? Remember what the Catechism teaches: The
temptation is not sinful.
Hypothetical: Should priests not be allowed to be around women? Most are biologically attracted to them. Along the lines of the logic used in this thread, no.
The argument being used by many posters here is also the same argument some people are using about EVERY priest, saying that NO priest should ever be around a child. The brand of paranoia and irrationality is one in the same. Certainly a known abuser should not be allowed to be around a child. But so few priests are proven abusers, despite what the media would have you believe. And most of the abuse cases were homosexual in nature with minors, not pedophilia (which is with pre-pubescent children), despite what the media would have you believe. (see: “The New Anti-Catholicism” by Philip Jenkins) But again, we have a problem with practicing homosexuals.
The Catholic Church is not a church of hatred. If a person battles homosexual temptations, but vows to turn his or her life over to Christ and not indulge the temptations, the Church should not stand in the way of that person living out their vocation to chastity. If you want to keep your children away from all homosexuals, virtuous and nonvirtuous, the best option would be homeschooling. But it is irresponsible to ask your Church and your Catholic school to turn its back on a person who has vowed chastity.
Now, if he or she were a person with a history of pedophilia, that person, should not be allowed around children under any circumstances.
But homosexuality ~= pedophilia.
To say to a chaste homosexual, “you have no place here” is to say, “we know that there is no hope for you.” We know that is not the case. In the case of the pedophile, you remove him from the object of his temptation. But for homosexuals, children are not the objects of their temptation. You fear them because you know nothing of them.
I know a number of practicing homosexuals, and they do not seek out children. When they ask me what I feel about homosexuality, I don’t dance around the topic, I say there is Bible-wide condemnation of your lifestyle, because a practicing homosexual cannot lead a chaste life. Nor will God honor or recognize as a covenant any public bond between two gay people. I have told them the government would be ill-advised to let gays adopt children, who will grow up in a household of sexual immorality. But I will also tell them, the intrinsic dignity between you and I are the same. You just struggle with a different temptation than I do. But we have to rise above our temptations so that we do not become slaves to them. Needless to say, my comments have not been well-received.
Now, I have not ever met a chaste homosexual, there are plenty of them out there to be sure, but if I did I would say, “God bless you! It always pleases me to meet others who have chosen to live chaste lives. I shall keep you in my prayers that you may claim victory over your temptations.”
