Guest Opinion: The Phenomenon of Homosexuality in Today's Society

2/9/2013

(Page 3 of 3)

children" of the 80's, as the children of this generation now have all these psychological problems.

In June 2012, the American scientific magazine "Social Science Research", the most prestigious peer reviewed publication of its kind, published two new innovative and definitive studies on children raised by same-sex couples. From the studies it emerged that 12% of children brought up by same-sex couples contemplate suicide (against 5% of children with heterosexual parents), they are more inclined to be unfaithful (40% against 13%), they are unemployed more often (28% against 8%) and they are more likely to visit a psychotherapist (19% against 8%). They are also more often under social service surveillance compared to peers who are raised by heterosexual couples. In 40% of cases they will catch a sexually transmitted disease at some point (against 8% of peers raised by heterosexual couples) and they are generally less healthy, poorer and more likely to smoke and commit criminal offences.

The few studies published so far that support the theory that there is no difference between children brought up in heterosexual and homosexual families are - unlike the new studies - based on non-random, non-representative data often employing small samples that do not allow for generalization to the larger population of gay and lesbian families

Once legal, the state's coercive power will punish those who refuse to embrace gay marriages. This is already happening in Canada in places like Saskatchewan. Under a legal regime that permits homosexual marriage, public officials are obliged to officiate at same-sex "weddings". Public schools are also required to teach children that homosexual acts are good and healthy regardless of their parents wishes. In the U.S. Catholic adoption agencies are being forced to close due to their unwillingness to allow homosexual couples to adopt.

Gay marriage is an oxymoron. The family is the fundamental cell of society. The family - and through it, all human society - have their source and origin in marriage. Marriage is ordered to the procreation and education of offspring.

As the basic expression of man's social nature, marriage exists solely between a man and a woman who through their personal gift of self to each other, perfect one another into a communion of persons. This human development of the spouses and the proper nurturing of children who are the fruit of such unions makes an immense contribution to the common good of society. One does not need to have any particular religion or belong to a particular political party to recognize this, or that the family based on marriage is the best way to bring up happy, productive children.

Caesar Augustus, a pagan, sought to strengthen Roman society by outlawing adultery and sodomy and by encouraging traditional marriage and procreation He understood that there is such a thing as public morality. Emperor Augustus saw this, but it was too late to overcome the sexual license of the late Roman Republic. This was the real reason why it collapsed. Let us hope that the same does not happen to us.

Given the overwhelming evidence about homosexuality and its penchant for undermining the foundation of the family, same-sex couples should be given no special legal rights. On the contrary it should be vigorously opposed. St. Paul tells us that the "aberration" of homosexuality is both the proof and the result of the exclusion of God from collective attention and social life.

The Christian approach to modern-day homosexuality must distinguish between the respect due to persons and the necessary repudiation of any exalted ideology of homosexuality. In defending traditional marriage and family and renouncing homosexual acts one does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood.

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Mr. Paul Kokoski is a freelance writer who holds a BA in philosophy from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. His articles have been published in several journals including, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, New Oxford Review and Catholic Insight.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: homosexuality, gay, gay rights, gay marriage, homosexual marriage, gender identity, morality, Paul Kokoski

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1 - 10 of 22 Comments

David Rutledge
1 month ago
A Catholic, I love Christ and I love the Church. But the commentary displayed here makes me feel ashamed and saddened. Persons more eager to condemn, than to follow Christ's demand that we "love one another as I have loved you." If you have not walked in the shoes of a gay person growing up in fear and confusion because of culturally sanctioned intolerance which is only now abating, do not dare to presume to proclaim what you know not. The pain and suffering of other people will be something you will answer for when Christ asks you about "the stranger that you did not invite in." Are your words leading to greater love and care for the gay person, or to your feeling of righteousness and self-satisfaction. It is obvious to any intelligent person that sexual orientation is so complex and little understood that we have no business making moral pronouncements; we can but govern our own behaviour in fear and trepidation based on prayer and seeking after the Christ we love.
Lisa
2 months ago
Hanna -

I agree with you about accepting sinners into the Church, that is core to our teaching. But accepting them to come to church doesn't mean to validate. We can love, encourage and pray for alcoholics, pedophiles, murderers, etc. but we don't have to validate/encourage their choices/lifestyles. If you believe that homosexuality is a sin as outlined in Romans, than, you certainly love and can pray for homosexuals (as you would any of the sinners listed above) and certainly encourage them to come to church. This line of thinking is not popular with the homosexual community because they are not interested in our compassion and prayers for transformation -- they want our validation of their continued sinning in living as homosexuals. I know this as I have debated the issue with many. We simply cannot abandon our teachings to accommodate a choice to continue sinning.

The homosexual community depicts anyone who disagrees with their agenda of full validation as intolerant. Well, it seems to me that the definition of tolerance is to live among those you know to be in active disagreement with you. It shouldn't mean that you have to convert to them to your way of thinking -- that would be intolerant. The truth is most of us who believe that homosexuality is a sin have friends and family that we love who are homosexual. We love them and they come to our weddings, baptisms, parties and maybe even accompany us to church. Life is just not that simple to depict everyone who disagrees with you as the villain.
lisa
2 months ago
Rob -

If only the world had enough NRP, we would all see the light...
This has *nothing* to do with soaring divorce rates in the heterosexual world, it has everything to do with a well-funded and well-organized machine bent on dismantling traditional marriage. The agenda is really, really simple...if we validate the homosexual lifestyle, we equate it to everything that we hold dear. You see, it's not enough to have civil ceremonies with all the rights (financial and otherwise) of marriage for same-sex unions, we have to call it marriage. Only that way can the larger public truly embrace homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. The scary thing is that fair-minded Christians may not see that the church is under attack and the long-term vision is to remove Christ and his teachings from the Church.
Rob
3 months ago
Maybe, just maybe, if we have focused on all the problems confronting those who are heterosexual, perhaps we would have some sort of credibility when it comes to discussing the implications of homosexual unions. I dare say the scourge of pornography is doing more to harm marriage and the person than two homosexuals getting together. Our 50% divorce rate is harming marriage more than a homosexual union will.

Maybe I'm flat out wrong. But I suspect that if we had cleaned up our own house, we wouldn't be here right now. Kinda hard to preach about these things when we have yet another big abuse scandal to deal with. We aren't exactly putting forth the best face on things sexual. But please, let's keep putting our heads in the sand and pointing at the gays. They are the cause of all these problems. Geez.
OSAGIE JESUOGHAE
3 months ago
THERE IS NOTHING NATURAL ABOUT IT. THESE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS ACTS ARE SICK AND NEEDS TO BE COUNSELLED, JUST LIKE DRUGS ADDICT AND HIV SUFFERERS.
Robert Burford
3 months ago
Good and informative. However, let my comment focus on unions. The young people of today do not marry. They live together and have prodigy. They have children sometimes with multiple partners. I agree with the article that the institution of marriage has been attacked successfully by our society. We do need to fix this and the only answer is prayer.Families need to encourage holy matrimony and honor it as it should be honored. Thousands of dollars spent on a dress and reception are not as important as encouraging a young couple and honoring the fact that they seek holy matrimony. We cannot turn a blind eye to this because the very fabric of our faith is at stake. If we do not speak out we are guilty of sin also.
Crystal Kearney
3 months ago
Becoming a heretic is as easy as condoning sin or making room for it.
Homosexuality is a sin. We can't sit by and lovingly watch someone commit suicide and truly say we care but we also can't MAKE them do what we want. We SHOULD love everyone, including gay and lesbians but never say that the way they live is good and right. It is NOT okay and we shouldn't accept it. It may feel natural and right to the person but that doesn't mean it's so...the bible says that we should test all spirits and I earnestly believe that some people think that because they "feel" it it's okay. Something wicked is happening in our world, and it'll continue to be more and more corrupt and awful until they day our lord returns. Hold close to your bibles, read it and meditate on it's word.
Ashley
3 months ago
ProdglArchitect your insight on Sodom and Gamorrah should not be used to say homosexuality is ok. It clearly states in the New Testament it is not. That may have not been your intention, but I can see how people reading your comment are going to think that as long as you don't act like an animal in a homosexual relationship that it is ok and that is never the case.
Ashley
3 months ago
Hanna, You can tell someone they are sinning and doing something wrong, and that is not having a lack of compassion or being judgmental. Ultimately it is God who judges whether a person is going to heaven or hell. We are not judging the person we are judging their actions. Your statement is dangerously on the side of moral relativism. For example, it seems you are saying that you as a Catholic believe homosexuality is wrong but who are you to tell anyone else it is wrong. In other words I believe it is wrong, but if you don't I'm just going to love you and never try to help to turn from your sins. That in and of itself is not being compassionate.
DLL
3 months ago
I personally think that homosexuality is an early misunderstanding of the beauty of the heterosexual relationship. It is also related to the failure of heterosexual relationships as divorce became socially acceptable,where in the past it simply was not acceptable,as divorce was the sign of weak character. At one time a divorced person was considered risky as an employee because they could not hold their marriage together. Lesbian relations I always felt was because of sexual abuse usually because of incestual relations between family members such as cousins or uncles,even ones own Father or brother. Sexual relations without love is the major factor for becoming confused sexually wether it be heterosexual or homosexual relations that are engaged in. Intimacy is what is the ultimate sense of a relationship. Intimacy is destroyed when sex is disregarded as a relationship that is meant to be intense,intimate and an expression of a life long love,meant to be a procreative process where the innocence and love for the children of such relations is commitment to love nurture children until maturity. Men,women and children are not objects of sexual gratification. If they are than the nature of the sexual relationship is distorted and ugly even considered dirty. Normal sexual intimacy and love is never distorted as it is always when two commit to on another for life to raise a family in a Holy and beautiful unselfish loving manner. Poor sexual practice is simply bad manners. Abused people sexually look to alternate life styles in hope of intimacy simply because they have lost faith in normal heterosexual relationships because of a lack of sincerity that they have perceived in such relations. For the alternate lifestyle person it seems intimacy is acceptable in any sort of a sexual encounter if one feels some sense of a love or bond that way to ensure a sense of some sort of social acceptance that buffers the pain of a rejection by ones own family or church or society in general. All people seek love and that is inherent in human nature because that is the way God created each and every one of us. Commercialized sex has been the curse of society because it has reduced sex to its lowest common denominator because intimacy has been reduced to technique. When that happens there is no love simply abusive and selfish desire to use one another for sexual gratification so that sex is simply disordered and non productive. The consequences of disordered heterosexual sex is aborted fetuses. The church must consider that gay people who seek to adopt an unwanted baby are thinking with heart as they may hate abortion as much as the Catholic Church does. What has not been proven is the stability of gay marriage. Gay marriage is a product of sexual liberation philosophy. Sexual liberation, homo or heterosexual,etc. that is selfish or abusive,really equals sexual abuse and the loss of intimacy and love. The distortion of family is a distortion of society and a fault in the society of these times because a family is a constant as mother,father,child and that is the formula that is hard to beat or to replace with some lessor or uncertain version as is prescribed by sexual liberation society folks or those that consider themselves to be politically correct.

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