I don't know how i feel about this. [Spiratuality&Sexuality]

I think you've got every right to be a bit extra sensitive about this, because you're right. Although there are laws in Canada which do allow same sex marriage, the catholic church refuses to go through with them. The reason they are allowed to do this (I think, I'm not 100% sure) is because the Catholic church is a separate body which is controlled by the pope. Unless the Pope gives the go-ahead then most churches will refuse to marry the happy couple. So, You could cause a big stink about it, go to media and everything, but really, when I compare my situation to yours, I'd rather be in yours. In Australia, minimum age for legal homosexual sex ranges from victoria where it is 17, while in Western australia is 21. Despite that, Heterosexual couples are allowed to have sex from age 16.
Also, Homosexual couples are not allowed to become married.

I think as someone else posted before, we kind of need our own MLK to help us get the rights we deserve. We have as much right to marry who we love, and they say "Until death do us part" but some heterosexual couples don't even last a year or two! When you consider that a homosexual relationship can last for far longer then that, it really does seem unfair to us that we are not allowed to be married.

 

Just as the catholic church can't force you to be straight, you can't force the catholic church to marry you. That would definitely be like bashing your head against a wall, waiting for the wall to say 'uncle'.

I'm curious to know why you'd want to be married by an organization that condemns your way of life? Wouldn't a civil service at a nice golf course or something be just as nice? You could still have bible readings if you wanted...

 

The Catholic church, like any religion, is based on man's interpretation of one, enlightened, man's teachings 2000 years ago. Every person who wrote the bible put on their slant and their way of seeing life and society.

If you are happy being a Catholic and it brings you emotional support then that is fine but I really wouldn't take each word of the bible literally. The people who do take it literally normally do so because it suits them to hide behind bigotry and prejudice but if you look at what is really meant, by reading between the lines you will find a very usefull life's guide. You just have to know how to sort out what is interpretation and what is the meaning behind the words.

The first writtings of the bible were made 70 years after Jesus died, that's more that two generations!!! At no point can we say with 100% certainy(or any certainty for that matter) that Jesus/God is against homosexuality.

Live your life by your principles and your moral codes and don't worry about what people say. God made you the person you are, God loves you.

If you go down the path that the devil puts temptation in our paths and we have the will power to chose to be bad or not, I cannot believe for a moment that it is the Devil tempting you... Murder, rape, paedophilia, deliberate conning of people out of their lifes savings for personal gain, genocide, etc, etc. that is evil. Homosexuality is just a variation of our sexual orientation which society condemns but there is no proof that God does.

 

I kind of feel similar to you, in that I'm kind of Catholic, and would love to marry in a church - but there are, unfortunately, some things you cannot change, and I cannot ever imagine the RC church allowing weddings. It's so very annoying and frustrating, but it's something that cannot be helped, unfortunately. If you can get an RC blessing somehow (hard to come by), then that would be good, but I can see your frustation. But other than the Pope suddenly ceasing to be Catholic, (as you say!) I can't help you on that front I'm afraid - in fact, I feel similarly disappointed that I won't be able to make vows before God (in a church)

But I'm glad that you don't take the whole of the bible literally, or take to heart those passages that homophobes throw at us - it can be really hard if you have faith, especially when others with that faith say you must either lose your faith or your religion. (I always throw stuff back like, have you ever had sex before marriage? have you ever divorced? Have you ever used contraception?).

I don't know how marriages work in Canada but if you were to have a civil wedding, could you put your own religious vows in or something? Not the same, but maybe still something!

But yeah, I get you on the marriage-in-church front.

 

I know what you mean about the whole bible verse freaking you out thing, same thing happened with me.
i can't think of the name of the book (i'll put it up later) but this book basically reconciles homosexuality with Christianity. It might help you with your own own spirituality. You can be both Catholic and a lesbian, Jesus preaches universal, unconditional love- if his followers at this point time can't love you for you then they need to realign themselves with Jesus' teachings- not you.
I don't think you'll be able to get married in the Church because of the rules set forth by the Vatican, but that doesn't mean you can't have a Catholic wedding. You can still have all the same rituals, blessings, etc. that would normally occur. And yes it is sort of segregation, but baby-steps. All things come in good time- at least I'm hoping they do.

 

O gosh I'm late here.

I'm gay and Catholic. No issues on this at all. You need to learn that the people on the Vatican that runs the Catholic religion have done a lot, LOOOt of mistakes throughout the years, decades and centuries, and they're just a little off and wrong with the anti-gay laws.

It's just a matter of time for them to accept that God is ok with us, if we follow his commandments of not being promiscuous and respect others as we respect ourselves and to love everyone as we love God, and as He loves us.

Yes, I know I won't be able to openly ger married via the Church, but I'm sure I can help make a change to be an active catholic, to tell everyone about God and to be proud of it, and at the same time say that I'm gay and that God loves me regardless of my sexual orientation. God created Latino, Blacks, Asians, Men, Women, and he knows our thouhgts and our lives. He knew about homosexuality waaaay beforehand he created the first humans.

Catholic people use the "He created Adam and Eve, male and female" to try and convince people that homosexuality is not good. Guess what? The reason God created a Hetero couple is because, how in the world they'll reproduce if they'd be gay? And well, since God gave animals their behavior and he "programmed" all their do's and dont's, well, animals show homosexual behavior. If God disposes, hates and rejects homosexuality, they wouldn't do that.

So going back on topic: No need to chose one or another. Choose both. I did and I am proud that I will be able to help make a change and that I will be able to help all the other Catholic and maybe even people from other religions to show them and everyone else that God, no matter how you call him or the name you give him, loves the world, everyone and every single person on this planet and that he dislikes not homosexuality, but racism, sexism and demigration.

 

If you check out Dignity Canada's website, they have a list of chapters that serve welcoming masses for LGBT catholics at various churches...

And if you google independent catholic churches, you can find reformed roman catholic churches all over the place. You just have to search for them, but they're all over the place.

As for marriage inside the RCC, I doubt that we will be allowed the seventh sacrament in our lifetimes, if ever. However, there are churches that will do partnership ceremonies (mostly independent Catholic tho )

and nope, hon, you're not being oversensitive. It's about time we were accepted by the magisterium.

(P.S. I have a post somewhere around that links to a whole lot of catholic GLBT resources and has a defense from the catholic perspective.... looking for it )

Here it is