« OrGov: Sheilds, Walden Prefer Not To | Main | Bill Sizemore for Governor 2: Electric Boogaloo »

November 22, 2009

Reaping The Catholic LGBT Whirlwind

One of the manifold reasons I'm disaffected with the Mother Church (my term for the Catholic Church) is that it has not only treated my human brothers and sisters who are LGBT so very unforgivably shabbily in the past, but continues to pretend that the those problems in the past were not such a big deal, and what attempts at healing there are are half-hearted at best, while still seeing to it that LGBTs are made to suffer or feel as guilty as possible over what they are.

The list of injustice has never been seriously addressed. How can such a church expect me to have faith that they speak for God when they will countenance such continuing behavior by its own – or even hold the well-being of the least amongst us as hostage to a city government's toeing the church's line on gay marriage?

By that measure alone, the Mother Church has lost all of its authority to even suggest that it has the charge to order my life – or, indeed, anyone's.

But I'm fortunate (if I can be excused an awkward word for the circumstance) to be "straight". Nobody's – well, ostensibly, anyway, coming after my way of life. At least as far as I can tell. But after years of being crapped on, there should be no surprise – and if you are surprised, come out of your cave, please – that those who have been pretty relentlessly attacked as abominations should object:

For generations, in Catholic churches across the country, LGBT youth are told they should be ashamed of who they are and that they should lead loveless lives as social and religious abominations. The emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse inflicted on them by Catholic priests and our church hierarchy is in reality as damaging as the physical or sexual child abuse anyone would quickly condemn. Yet to this abuse, few raise their voices and say "ENOUGH!"

It is shameful that in many Catholic churches, this abuse is being supported by men, who are gay themselves, leading closeted lives of self-persecution and quiet desperation.

Even more shameful, is that many of these priests, while remaining silent, actually lead duplicitous lives rich with romantic and sexual relationships -- both homosexual and heterosexual.

This hypocrisy must end.

ChurchOuting.org is a website that's accepting stories from disillusioned Catholics about what they hold is the hypocritical conduct of many Catholic priests, and by doing so, illustrating that the Catholic priesthood, like many pastors of today's churches, are the "do as we say, not as we do" sort.

I grew up Catholic. In my time in the church (and I cared so much about being a Catholic that I saw to my own confirmation) I've never met a priest who was anything more than an honest worker and morally upright, but as news events here in Oregon have suggested, the Catholic Church clergy's sexual house is in such disarray that they really have no business telling any LGBT person that they are out of any sort of line.

I still am permanently fond of the Mother Church, but her behavior continually calls into question whether she hears God's voice anymore, and until they honestly resolve the questions of sex amongst the clergy – by healing past wounds and realizing that a celibate priesthood is an artifact of Man and does not result in a happy clergy – then I must hold myself at arm's length.

Perhaps such an evolution could result in a stronger, more just Church. Who knows? Certainly it's worth a try, I'd think.

But by continuing to pretend the problem has been solved, and that the Catholic Church can believe they are not acting unjustly … well, I believe reaping the whirlwind is from a phrase in the Bible, no?

The Church could take its own counsel in this area.

Then there would be no reason for websites like ChurchOuting to even exist.

Posted by The Chinuk at November 22, 2009 07:06 PM