Catholic and Gay: The Big Question

I am catholic as well. I actually don't practice it regularly now for the exact same reason you do not want to engage in anything homosexual.

I haven't had any experiences yet, but just the fact that I am and think about it seems to me to be a sin in some respect. So out of respect for the catholic church I try not to go to church. It seems wrong for me to be in there. Yet, I don't think the God I believe in would condemn us in such a way. What is wrong with love, especially considering the overwhelming amount of hate in this world?

I know none of this answers your question of how to deal with it. My solution thus far is to distance myself from organized religion and focus on my own personal spirituality (not doing a good job of this lately...). If you want a more indepth answer or just to talk it out you can PM me. But no, you are not the only one.

 

All good points, none of which I have the answer too, sorry.

I'm not exactly sure how the church not condeming striaghts for kissing would make it okay for two guys or two girls to? I guess I'm missing something.

 

I assume he means outside of marriage... If it's ok for straight couples, it must not be considered 'sex' and therefore would be ok for a same sex couple too.

(He beat me to it and responded before I finished my post!!!)

I admire you for your religious convictions. I wasn't raised in a religious household, so I've only had the social stigmas to overcome, not the religious ones...

And having said that, I'm not really qualified to comment on your question. But that's never stopped me from commenting before!

I believe that a lifetime spent depriving yourself of physical intimacy would be difficult to say the least, and incomplete. We are all sexual beings, and expressing your sexuality - whether it's hetro or homo - in a healthy way is a pretty fundamental component of living. I'd just hate to think of someone missing out on that...

But again, it really is a question that you'll ultimately need to answer yourself.

Welcome to EC. Based on this post, I'm looking forward to your insightful contributions to this forum! :smilewave

 

Uhm... all I can say is yeah, you might want to do some heavy reading in the comparitive religions vein.

Also, http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-Social-Tolerance-Homosexuality-Fourteenth/dp/0226067114

and

http://www.amazon.com/Same-Sex-Unions-Premodern-Europe-Boswell/dp/0679751645/

I think it's important to realise that modern interpretation of the Scriptures is just that: modern interpretation. Catholicism, like all religions, is a living, breathing thing that has changed over time and in response to certain powerful groups of people's wishes. It is certainly not the same now as it was 100 or 1000 years ago.

 

I totally agree with your first statement. My new friend and I have spent the last couple of months getting to know one another, and developing different forms of intimacy (emotional, intellectual) without being sexual. And yes, even physical intimacy can be present without sex.

But I think you understood the point I was trying to make. There is a very natural evolution of that physical intimacy that you would essentially be 'fighting' for the rest of your natural life. I don't think that is what was intended for any of us.

 

I'm an ex-Catholic here so yes I have dealt w/ the same issues you have. I actually stopped associating w/ my faith after all of the molestiation scandals that were going on and how the Catholic church seemed to not give a damn. Anyways according to the Catholic church it is not a sin to have homosexual thoughts, but it is a sin to act on them. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

 

i wish more of the world would come to that conclusion. like jim, i wasn't raised in a religious household. my parents believe that religion should never be forced on anyone else. they said that i'll find my beliefs as i grow up, and i have. but that's neither here nor there brah.

as joey said, the problem with modern organized religion is that they've been interpreted. in my opinion, i believe the bible has been so bastardized. who knows if any of it is even accurate to the original, yah?

look brah, i think that yer god is down with love, be it straight love or gay love. love in whatever way you want. have the sexual relationship along with the emotional. i'm pretty shure yer god will be fine as long as you love and not hate. i think yer god is more against the hate mongers than two men loving eachother.

 

I suggest you watch this clip from the West Wing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5-zhNiGlogQ

While the Bible clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination, you MUST put it into context and perspective of the period in which it was written and the way of life back then. People who take the Bible literally are just that, literalists--they think that every single word that is written in that book should be followed. I mean seriously, in the same book (Leviticus) that states that Homosexuality is a sin, it also states that it is an abomination to eat shrimp!

I also suggest you watch this documentary called, "For the Bible Tells Me So." It is about coming out in a religious family and how it affects the lives of those families. I just watched it last week, it was very good... informational and emotional! I think it will definitely help with your current dilemma. Here's the trailer:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ajBR0dq0XXk

 

Leon, here is a website that may give you some clarity:

http://www.dignityusa.org/

 

i honestly wouldn't. if yer god was really against something, it would be clear in the bible. i.e., it would be the same in every interpretation of the bible (such as the 10 commandments).

 

Catholic and Homosexual here. AND PROUD!

 

gee, that's weird...yer profile says bisexual.

 

Very weird... How is bi not homosexual? >_>

 

hey Leon, I tend to mostly agree with Surfrboykai and joeyconnick above. I have been a Catholic for over 50 years, although I don't go to church these days. I have studied the Bible and church teaching in formal tertiary education. I am not a person who believes in the bible as a literal truth. The interpretation is the focus and we need to remember the background of the people who wrote it 2000 or more years ago. The official church teaching has changed on many things, including the nature of what we have called SIN.

Love is the focus of Jesus' message. The 10 commandments are part of who we call the Old Testament, the Hebrew Texts. Jesus came and (if you like) updated that teaching. He was on about LOVE not about laws and certain practices like ritual washing and stuff. Jesus was a bit of a rebel really. He challenged the old teachings of the Scribes and Pharacies, check it out in the Book!!

Any way, enough religion.

I truly believe, personally, in the love of God, however a person sees God. God is LOVE. So, if people love each other, and they express that love in a personal and physical way, that would be cool with God, as I see it. As surfrboykai said "i think yer god is more against the hate mongers than two men loving eachother."

Oh, about what we call SIN! Forget the old church stuff about sin. Forget the word.
Sin is really about our relationship with God and our neighbours. That means every human on this earth. If a person purposely offends another, like knowingly, then God doesn't like what happened. But God loves the person any way!

Who really knows what God thinks, except to read and ponder the Gospels (the Good News). Try to look at the big picture of Jesus' teaching. if ya pray, pray about it too.

But don't worry over it mate! just get on with the lovin' !!
Please IM me if ya wanna. Paul.

 

I am not a religious person but I do believe there is something that guides us in our life... I call it destiny, and what I call spirit you call soul but whatever.

Your worry, if I have understood, it is hurting God and the subsequent loss of your soul. God made you gay, white with blue eyes (just guessing for the sake of argument) and living in America. He didn't make you black, born in a tiny village in Africa 10 miles from the nearest clean water and already HIV positive

I believe that God want's us to make to most of what we have been given.

With what God has given you there are clear guidelines in the bible of what God expects from you ie the 10 commandements. These are clear and precise and leave no room for doubt. I believe that if there were specific things that you are not meant to do, to the point of loosing Gods love for you and your soul, he would have given clear instructions.

Catholic christianity, in the main, is one of love, forgiveness and tolerance. The only areas of doubt are in the interpretation of passages translated from a foreign and very complex language written thousands of years ago, re-translated, up dated, given the slant of the moers of the time and of the person doing the translation.

I think if you live your life trying your best to live up to what God specificly asks us to do, love thy neighbour, forgive, don't steal, etc., not necessarily to the letter but more in the spirit of what he expects from us, I honestly don't see how a caring God could turn his back on you and condemn your soul because you were true to yourself, true to the way he made you and haven't deliberately gone against any of his definitive directives and not just the interpretations of the bible.

I think God wants us to live 'good' lives and be happy. You cannot be happy if you have to live your life as a lie, if you are not happy you don't make other people happy and I believe this is what l God wants from us.

I don't belive God judges us on who we chose as our life partner. I do believe we may be judged on how we have lived our lives, how we have treated our neighbours and what we have given back to society. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes from time to time but if when you put your life in the balance you and look back if you can be proud of yourself, then god will be also.

Well those are my thoughts on the subject, I hope they are of some help to you in this dilema.