E
epan
Guest
That is a problem. Bullies are enabled according to ideological perspective.Do not be bullied by the bullies.
That is a problem. Bullies are enabled according to ideological perspective.Do not be bullied by the bullies.
As for this, I don’t think that’s true. At least it’s not in my case. I absolutely understand that the culture is “under attack.” Or, more accurately, there are people trying to change the culture into something I don’t want it to be. It’s not that the culture is being besieged, it’s that it is being changed into something that is against the Church’s teaching. I don’t think you can ever really “attack” the culture, but maybe that’s semantics.Those who charge that never seem to mention the constant attack on culture by those who want to dismantle marriage, the family, and impose their ideology like a cudgel. Instead of answering the moral arguments they try and impose an emotionalism disguised with bible quotes so as to avoid the tough arguments by claiming lack of charity.
Give is it a rest, Coptic.Epan,
You may want to look into what is called “reframing”…you can study this and one expert in the field is Robert Dilts. He wrote on this and explains how we conversationaly reframe. Accusation?
I took your statement, that you said, having reviewed the reasonable people that dismiss me…you chose not to dismiss me…what is it you conclude other than accusation.
Either dismiss me or don’t.
Give is it a rest, Coptic. Your stridency gains you nothing.Epan,
You may want to look into what is called “reframing”…you can study this and one expert in the field is Robert Dilts. He wrote on this and explains how we conversationaly reframe. Accusation?
I took your statement, that you said, having reviewed the reasonable people that dismiss me…you chose not to dismiss me…what is it you conclude other than accusation.
Either dismiss me or don’t.
Epan,Give is it a rest, Coptic.
The real question for me is what is the ultimate goal and how can we best achieve it? According to Jesus, our job is to follow Him and lead others to Him. And that naturally leads to the next question…how are we doing? Are we drawing people towards Jesus or are we pushing them away? Is our anger at other people’s sin bringing us closer to Jesus?Right, exactly! That’s my point. I’m not with epan in terms of “get with the program Catholic Church and change.” Universal truth is unchangeable. What is good and what is evil has never changed because God is unchangeable.
Homosexual acts are not right today because everyone says they are right. And they were not wrong because 50 years ago because everyone said it was wrong. They’re wrong because of God’s design for humanity, plain and simple.
But just because we have universal Truth on our side does not give us the right to shove other people’s faces into it. And it’s an idiotic plan to do that anyway because people are usually pretty darn resistant to being coerced or threatened or degraded into believing something.
By all means let’s preach the Gospel. By all means let’s not sugar-coat the fact that homosexual acts are wrong. And let’s not forget that, guess what, so is contraception, sex before marriage, excess greed, selfishness, anger and a whole host of other things. It’s even wrong to be excessively angry at people who throw the accusations of bigotry at the Church! Christ turned his other cheek when insulted. He never stopped speaking the Truth and yet when confronted by the authorities of his day, he was meek. It took contrived outrage on the part of the high priests to have Him sent to Pilate.
Where is our meekness? Where is our humility? Since when is following Christ’s example of gentleness and humility a failure to stand up for what is right?
Trust me, I’ve been as fire and brimstone as anyone over the course of my life. I loved to pass judgment on people and castigate others for their sins and refuse to associate with certain people because we held polar opposite beliefs in terms of religiosity and politics. But where was the mirror in front of me? It did not exist! I was so busy slamming other people, even if it was in my own mind, that I ignored the sin in my own life. I was blocking it out and not recognizing that my own sin was preventing me from bringing the Gospel to anyone. I finally had the mirror turned back around on me over the last year and it’s brought with it fresh perspective on how to reach out to others and spread the Gospel to all people.
People have left our church because we were not being fed. They lost trust over some of the priests they felt were hypocritical. How many young teenage boys have been molested and that experience helped them think they were homosexuals themselves because they were told that they loved them? There are more out there that have been silent.Why are you so focused on genitalia? You are really out of touch. You’ve completely missed the point- “bodily realities” have nothing to do with “inclinations.” He never said anything about a ‘homosexual body type.’ Science is actually not on your side. I know that any quotes I give you will be disputed with “I just cannot discuss this with you…”
Here is something you can’t dispute: the topic of homosexuality is ripping our church apart. Abusive priests, scandal, cover-ups, etc. People who have been Catholics for generations are leaving the church because of intolerance and double standards. We are never going to make converts and bring people to Jesus if we are subtly yet firmly suggesting that they are either not “upstanding” or we ourselves are in a position to judge the state of a human being’s soul. That’s God’s turf- not yours or mine.
Here’s where we should start- by validating the human being- not the behavior- but the human being. You completely dismiss the human being when you suggest they weren’t “upstanding” people before they* allegedly* switched orientation. You imply that a human cannot be “upstanding” until they are actively heterosexual- dismissing everyone else. Hearing Catholics like you denigrate other human beings makes me fear for the future of our church.
Which groups calls people haters?That is a problem. Bullies are enabled according to ideological perspective.
You must be kidding. If you look at my profile, you will see that you don’t outrank me. At my next promotion will you then be quiet, permanently? What is your point? You seem to be getting silly.Epan,
recall that I achieved Commander in the US navy…I would imagine I outrank you.,…so I ask you to be respectful, cease and desist and go about your business soldier…
Further, no US Navy commander would ever type the word, “navy” in reference to his branch of service. I strongly suspect that you are a fraud. That you “imagine” your rank (using your own words) seems clear.Epan,
recall that I achieved Commander in the US navy…I would imagine I outrank you.,…so I ask you to be respectful, cease and desist and go about your business soldier…
MarkGrace & Peace!
Speak, who in this thread is saying it’s okay to have sex with someone of the same sex? I’ve not said such a thing. I may have said something very much like it in some thread from many many years ago, from before I started studying the catechism more closely, but I can’t recall saying anything analogous recently. So please be specific.
Now, I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but having seen a fair number of these threads, what I’m about to say represents observations of general patterns.
What some folks have been trying to maintain is the real distinction between act and attraction. Some of these folks are celibate homosexuals who do not take kindly to others assuming things about their behavior for which there is no evidence. Some of these same celibate homosexuals reject the idea of conversion therapy either based on their own experience of it (i.e., it represented a painful failure), or because they do not see it as necessary (in much the same way that the catechism doesn’t deem it necessary–if it did, it would say, “Get into some conversion therapy program!”). When their brothers and sisters in the faith start pushing reparative therapy on them, or start pushing an understanding of homosexuality which is concerned only with sexual behavior or politics as opposed to it just being a fundamental attraction to someone of the same sex (which need not necessarily be expressed in some sexual act or another), then they get upset.
They get upset because they perceive that part of who they are is being egregiously (and apparently willfully) misunderstood by their faith family.
They get upset because it seems clearer and clearer to them that their faith family doesn’t really count their experience of their own lives as anything worth considering and would prefer to think of homosexuality as an abstract sin-construct as opposed to a sexual orientation that really informs the lives of real people trying to live their lives honestly and faithfully.
They get upset because it seems like their faith family would prefer them to be something very specific on account of their sexuality (usually miserable or conforming to an ideal of heroic suffering if they can’t “change”), but they’ve come to experience their sexuality in very different terms–not as an easy thing, all things considered, but not as a curse either.
They get upset because whenever they would like their faith family to moderate their rhetoric long enough to actually listen to or understand them, their faith family seems to reject the attempt at understanding as being soft on sin, too permissive, or an attempt to change church teaching–which upsets these folks even more, because they’re committed to celibacy and aren’t trying to change church teaching!
In the end, they get upset because their faith family seems really invested in not paying attention to what they have to say.
And all of that upsetness is angering. And all-too-often that anger becomes depression because it’s internalized: they feel helpless, swallowed up by wave after wave of pious well-meaning that, in their experience, would rather drown and crush them than address their thirst for honest communion with their faith family.
So for what it’s worth, that’s what I see as happening in so may of these threads. There aren’t two sides here: the pro homosexual sex side and the anti homosexual sex sides. There are a lot of perspectives, a lot of different experiences, a lot of nuance that can be easily overlooked or misunderstood if we’re not too careful
Under the Mercy,
Mark
All is Grace and Mercy! Deo Gratias!
Glad to see you back, but you seem very angry.That is a problem. Bullies are enabled according to ideological perspective.
Amused might be a better word. I am committed to calling out those who speak untruthfully, in my opinion. That is more indignation, than it is anger.Glad to see you back, but you seem very angry.![]()
Epan,You must be kidding. If you look at my profile, you will see that you don’t outrank me. At my next promotion will you then be quiet, permanently? What is your point? You seem to be getting silly.
Is this what psychiatrists call “decompensation”?
I now suspect that your entire profile is a fraud. (1) You don’t understand rank designations in the US Navy, yet you claim to be a former 0-5. You are clearly not a US Navy Commander. I am, however. (2) You call me a “soldier” when I have pointed out that I am a former Marine, and now a US Navy officer. Neither of those would designate me as a soldier. No former naval officer would make that mistake. It just would not happen.
Are you real or just a fake profile with a fascination with homosexuality?
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17
He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. Proverbs 21:21
good quotes…I see you managed to include me in your profile:thumbsup:What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
Well it’s obvious your angry at Coptic, Just be careful how you may be interpreting things. You harped on him right away and told him basically to take a hike. My observation. It seems your angry from your suspension as well, but you managed to convince someone to let you back on, thats good. I got an infraction once. I was new.Amused might be a better word. I am committed to calling out those who speak untruthfully, in my opinion. That is more indignation, than it is anger.
I was accused of being contemptuous of Catholic Clergy, for pointing out there there has been a severe public relations problem for the Church, which has plagued the current leadership. That is a perfect example of ideological bullying on CAF. Someone who made the opposite point, would be considered laudable (though either mistaken or untruthful).
I am angry at Coptic, as his last postings have exposed himself as a fraud, in my opinion. I have lost body parts in service to the US. Literally. He has posed himself as a US Navy officer, when he clearly is not. That does make me angry.
It’s all good. I didn’t convince anyone of anything. Coptic was obviously never a commander in the US Navy. I wonder why he claims to have been.Well it’s obvious your angry at Coptic, Just be careful how you may be interpreting things. You harped on him right away and told him basically to take a hike. My observation. It seems your angry from your suspension as well, but you managed to convince someone to let you back on, thats good. I got an infraction once. I was new.
Epan, this topic of homosexuality is a hot button. We only get bits and pieces of each other, and it’s hard to really know anyone on here sitting behind a computer. It is easy for some people to internalize comments as personally attacking. If we are all truly trying to live our faith we are all in this together. The devil likes us to split up and attack each other. Now that you revealed this about yourself, I have a different image in my mind, so we don’t really know how to see each other because we are not face to face.
I thank you for your service and sacrifice.
God bless
If we pursue your logic, then if your imagined rank is less than mine, then you are required to be quiet. Is that correct?Epan,
Having checked your profile I see you are 0-5/commander of Lt. Colonel. Well Ok then. Sailor then. Never looked at your profile.
good quotes…I see you managed to include me in your profile:thumbsup:
Epan,It’s all good. I didn’t convince anyone of anything. Coptic was obviously never a commander in the US Navy. I wonder why he claims to have been.
Based on some of his comments regarding medicine, I have suspected his claim to be a physician to be false, as well.
I believe that he is a fraud.
Epan,If we pursue your logic, then if your imagined rank is less than mine, then you are required to be quiet. Is that correct?