J
JuniperoEffect
Guest
Hello,
I’m a recent convert (2015). As we all know, abortion and gay marriage are hot button issues for the Church. In the wake of the Obergefell v. Hodges (gay marriage) ruling, Planned Parenthood (PP) controversy, and Pope Francis’ visit to the USA, a few things have been made clear.
It is clear that Francis wishes to put evangelism first, above politics. He has avoided direct talk about abortion and gay marriage while he visited the USA, preferring indirect allusions instead. Instead, he has repeatedly spoke about peaceful coexistence, and a need to tolerate others and ensure that everybody has rights. Only in this way can we take care of our common home and have peace. Obviously the left is gonna run away with this. Even the Vatican has disputed the reported circumstances of Francis’ visit with Kim Davis, saying that the visit with her is not an endorsement of what she has done.
Francis has said before that we should not be talking about “these issues” (abortion and gay marriage) all the time. He has said that the Church is unbalanced for focusing on these issues too much. He has told American bishops that people need pastors who reach out and show love to them, not lecturers who lecture about doctrine.
It is also clear that there are not enough Catholics in America to effect political change. Catholic political advocacy has proven futile. And the Church only has itself to blame. How else can a “Catholic” (Justice Kennedy) be the one that penned the gay marriage ruling, and how else can “Catholics” support gay marriage at higher rates than the general American public? The Church in America has been at fault for putting politics above catechesis and teaching of its own members.
One of the stumbling blocks in my conversion process has been the idea that we must oppose gay marriage and abortion politically, and the idea that we must be one-issue voters with respect to abortion. From the actions of Francis during his visit to America, it is clear that these ideas are coming from the USCCB and not the Vatican, and therefore the USCCB has misrepresented the Church in these matters. And I feel deceived.
I’ve long believed that the Church, instead of trying to regulate people’s behavior by the force of laws and political bans, and instead of trying to restrict the civil liberties of others, should instead focus on evangelizing, teaching, and outreach.
If the Church really wants to speak authoritatively about the abortion issue, it needs to put forth a comprehensive infrastructure that provides aid to struggling mothers. Without this, pro-life is not about love. It instead becomes a message of hate, a message that mothers have to suffer with unwanted pregnancies and childrearing.
If the Church really wants to speak authoritatively about the gay marriage issue, it needs to stop putting forth theological theories about complementarity of the sexes and Theology of the Body (stuff agnostics do not care for) and instead present evidence of the actual harm done by gay unions. The Church also needs to clear the sex scandal completely, otherwise it is speaking hypocritically.
It is clear that Pope Francis is de-emphasizing, if not shelving, the Catholic requirement that we must oppose gay marriage and abortion politically, instead favoring evangelism and preaching instead.
**It is clear that Pope Francis, though he is not changing any Church teachings as people have feared, he is definitely changing the Church. ** But I am also wary that the more Francis changes the Church, the more Protestants, atheists, and even traditional heretical groups will have a field day over it. “See? The Catholic Church is no longer the original Jesus founded after all!”
I’m a recent convert (2015). As we all know, abortion and gay marriage are hot button issues for the Church. In the wake of the Obergefell v. Hodges (gay marriage) ruling, Planned Parenthood (PP) controversy, and Pope Francis’ visit to the USA, a few things have been made clear.
It is clear that Francis wishes to put evangelism first, above politics. He has avoided direct talk about abortion and gay marriage while he visited the USA, preferring indirect allusions instead. Instead, he has repeatedly spoke about peaceful coexistence, and a need to tolerate others and ensure that everybody has rights. Only in this way can we take care of our common home and have peace. Obviously the left is gonna run away with this. Even the Vatican has disputed the reported circumstances of Francis’ visit with Kim Davis, saying that the visit with her is not an endorsement of what she has done.
Francis has said before that we should not be talking about “these issues” (abortion and gay marriage) all the time. He has said that the Church is unbalanced for focusing on these issues too much. He has told American bishops that people need pastors who reach out and show love to them, not lecturers who lecture about doctrine.
It is also clear that there are not enough Catholics in America to effect political change. Catholic political advocacy has proven futile. And the Church only has itself to blame. How else can a “Catholic” (Justice Kennedy) be the one that penned the gay marriage ruling, and how else can “Catholics” support gay marriage at higher rates than the general American public? The Church in America has been at fault for putting politics above catechesis and teaching of its own members.
One of the stumbling blocks in my conversion process has been the idea that we must oppose gay marriage and abortion politically, and the idea that we must be one-issue voters with respect to abortion. From the actions of Francis during his visit to America, it is clear that these ideas are coming from the USCCB and not the Vatican, and therefore the USCCB has misrepresented the Church in these matters. And I feel deceived.
I’ve long believed that the Church, instead of trying to regulate people’s behavior by the force of laws and political bans, and instead of trying to restrict the civil liberties of others, should instead focus on evangelizing, teaching, and outreach.
If the Church really wants to speak authoritatively about the abortion issue, it needs to put forth a comprehensive infrastructure that provides aid to struggling mothers. Without this, pro-life is not about love. It instead becomes a message of hate, a message that mothers have to suffer with unwanted pregnancies and childrearing.
If the Church really wants to speak authoritatively about the gay marriage issue, it needs to stop putting forth theological theories about complementarity of the sexes and Theology of the Body (stuff agnostics do not care for) and instead present evidence of the actual harm done by gay unions. The Church also needs to clear the sex scandal completely, otherwise it is speaking hypocritically.
It is clear that Pope Francis is de-emphasizing, if not shelving, the Catholic requirement that we must oppose gay marriage and abortion politically, instead favoring evangelism and preaching instead.
**It is clear that Pope Francis, though he is not changing any Church teachings as people have feared, he is definitely changing the Church. ** But I am also wary that the more Francis changes the Church, the more Protestants, atheists, and even traditional heretical groups will have a field day over it. “See? The Catholic Church is no longer the original Jesus founded after all!”
