Everyone has struggles. Everyone has a tough time with sin. But I think the poster a few pages back who said that this is all about denying sin is exactly right.
stlcatholic86, you don’t just want the same civil rights as everyone else. What you want is for the Church to change its stance on sin. That’s not going to happen. You absolutely should be protected from harassment, bullying, etc. That kind of thing is totally intolerable.
But it’s also intolerable to demand that the Church conform to your will. And honestly, why do you wish to broadcast your proclivities to sin to the rest of the world? Should I, in real life, broadcast “I struggle with pornography” to everyone? The Church should obviously not kick me out nor should it kick out people who struggle with same-sex attraction and wrestle with that sin.
I just don’t sit here and demand that the Church change it’s teaching. That’s really the only difference. I recognize that my fight against pornography is a real one. I recognize it as sin. I’m in a recovery program for it. “Loving porn” is not part of what makes me a beloved child of God anymore than loving homosexual sex or premarital heterosexual sex makes anyone else a beloved child of God. That’s sin.
Propensity towards sin can be a great opportunity to increase our reliance on God. I’ve never been closer to Him now that I’m actually calling for His assistance in waging holy war against my sin.
Right now, where you are, you don’t want love on God’s terms. You want what you perceive to be love on your terms and anything short of that is unacceptable. Anything else is a sign of bigotry or hatred. That’s just not how it works.
You don’t see me here begging for acceptance and saying “well porn is just part of who I am. I really like it and there’s nothing wrong with that. You and the Church need to stop judging me.” Why? Because it’s nonsense!
Love comes on God’s terms, not ours. And God’s love demands our very lives. All of it. Not just the parts that we’re comfortable with. Some people are A-OK following God’s commands when it comes to sexuality, but ask them to part with their time or money to serve the poor, the addicted, the unwanted and they will shy away. Others are great with their service to the sick and destitute but blast the Church for trying to dictate what they do behind closed doors.
God must rule every part of our lives. Yes, we will always fall short of that goal but it must remain our goal. My sin has been grave to be sure, but I won’t deny it to be sin. I will not demand that the Church change it’s teaching so I can feel loved on my terms. I will try to let the Lord change me so I can love Him on His terms.