West Bend Daily News, July 14, 2008
"Your Views" section
Preferential Treatment Irresponsible
The time has come for me, a priest, to make arguments against high school policy that is inconsistent in its moral directives. Whether or not a child struggles with a samesex attraction, sexual expression is inappropriate at school. Promoting homosexual behavior as acceptable to those who are morally opposed is offensive. Giving preferential treatment to self-identified homosexual students is irresponsible. Here’s why. From secular law, our state defines marriage as between a man and a woman. To agree with that definition is not discriminatory, nor harassing. From natural law, attraction to the opposite gender is natural and normative. Heterosexuality is ordered to the procreation of children as well as the good of the spouses. Same-sex attraction is not natural because any sexual activity between like genders cannot accomplish its natural end, and there deviates from the norm which by definition is abnormal. From God's law, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind. It is abomination” (Leviticus 19:22). Homosexuality is forbidden by God in the Old Testament.
These Scriptures, which are sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, judge homosexual acts as gravely immoral. The New Testament has additional admonitions (Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10). The Catechism of the Catholic Church distinguishes between the inclination toward homosexuality and acts of homosexuality. The inclination is “objectively disordered,” a temptation, but not sinful. “Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” and always sinful. Those who experience the inclination “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” 9CCC 2357 and 2358).
To make the distinction between accepting a person but not their behavior is not prejudice, discrimination or harassment, it is called right judgment.
To teach reading, writing and arithmetic is the responsibility of our educators. Moral guidance is the responsibility of God’s Church.
Father Rick Wendell, Holy Angels Parish, West Bend
_______________________________________________________
Ok, so I don't even know this man, but his words gave me goosebumps and tears... The first word that came to my mind when reading this was "courageous." Why? It takes courage to speak up in a small community where many people may know you, especially when you are one of the very first clergy to do so in a public platform. I applaud this man's obedience to speak what is right.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment