Opinion: Worn arguments and old attitudes on Homosexual Practice?

To accept Mr. Obama's claim, therefore, people would have to repudiate both the Bible and the Catechism.

RICHMOND (Catholic Online) - On April 6, 2008, in a campaign speech, Barak Obama told an audience in Pennsylvania that people "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations...". According to his logic, anyone who disagreed with his platform was frustrated and irrational. Interestingly, "clinging to religion" was apparently as irrational as antipathy toward people with undefined differences.

At a White House celebration of his proclaimed "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month", Mr. Obama provided some insight into who some of those "people who aren't like them" might be, when he said, "There are good and decent people in this country who don't yet fully embrace their gay brothers and sisters... perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes". Thus, according to him, any person of faith, who believes what the Bible and the Church tells him about homosexuality, is holding fast to a "worn argument" and an "old attitude". This is, after all, the 21st Century, and the rules have changed. Or have they?

What is the Biblical perspective on homosexuality? It is quite clear. In the Old Testament, Leviticus 18:22 says, " You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; such a thing is an abomination", and Lv 20:13 states it even stronger, "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives."

Although many readers think that Mosaic Law was too cruel and was entirely superseded by Jesus, the New Testament does not repudiate this teaching. St. Paul discusses sinners in his letter to the Romans, and says in Chapter 21, verse 26-7, "Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity."

What should the fate of these sinners be? Verse 32 tells us - "Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." Elsewhere, in his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul likewise says, "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."

This, then, is the "worn argument" and "old attitude" to which Mr. Obama refers. Is this teaching "worn" and "old", meaning obsolete? Not according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In Part 3, Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 6, Subsection 2, Heading 5, it says, "Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved."

To accept Mr. Obama's claim, therefore, people would have to repudiate both the Bible and the Catechism. Clearly all Christians do not subscribe to the teaching of the Magisterium as embodied in the Catechism, but it is difficult to see how one could call himself a Christian or a Jew and not accept Biblical teaching. So, what is one to do?

Unfortunately, we live in what has been called by some a "post Christian" society. In essence, what we see is the vestiges of Christianity, like not having to go to work on December 25, all around us, but there is little depth beyond what meets the eye. People simply no longer have enough faith to believe that there is objective truth as revealed by our Lord and the Church. This is largely due to pride, the most pervasive and insidious of the Cardinal Sins. It really amounts to placing ourselves above God, or at least making ourselves equal to Him. It is the Original Sin, where Adam and Eve decided that they knew better than God and would eat the apple despite His admonition not to do so.

The other sin, which is less arrogant but just as deadly, is lukewarmness. Lukewarmness stands in contrast to someone who is "hot" to do something he wants to do, or "cold" about something he doesn't. Lukewarmness means not caring enough one way or the other about something. Tolerance is an example of lukewarmness. Nowadays we are taught that "tolerance" is the supreme virtue, because "live and let live", or "I'm OK, you're OK" are the Christian application of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The problem with that philosophy is that I can't find it in my Bible. What I find is in the third chapter of Revelation, ""I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you."

Our post-Christian society is increasingly lukewarm, or "dead". But the vestiges are still there. We are blessed that we have the Church, which virtually alone stands against the direction the culture appears to be heading, and with increasing momentum. At one time we "accepted and heard", but we appear to have forgotten. Mr. Obama would have us believe that we should forget Church teaching as "worn" and "old". Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Indeed, we are called to repent of our lukewarmness, and renew our commitment to live as our Lord taught us. After Jesus explained the Eucharist to the disciples in John 6, many left as they simply could not accept it. When He asked St. Peter if he was going to leave too, he replied, ""Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." That is still true today.

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Dr. Fred Liewehr is an endodontist who teaches at the VA Medical Center in Richmond and also works in private practice in Fredericksburg. He is a convert to Catholicism in 1983, having been drawn to Christ's Church as compellingly as a moth to a candle. He is a member of St. Benedict parish in Richmond where he sings bass in the choir. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Cooperator of Opus Dei.

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