The Ontario government recently mandated that Catholic schools allow students to start Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs, allegedly, to protect kids from bullying. Said the premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty: “There are values that transcend any one faith. … And if you talk to parents, they’ll tell you. They want their kids to be respected and accepted.”
Of course, I reject his very deliberate verbiage. The notion of respect doesn’t “transcend” the cross any more than the “religion” of secularism transcends Christianity. But on with the topic at hand: while the premier appeals to principles the Catholic Church and gay advocacy groups all agree on, like safety and respect for our kids, he conveniently leaves out the rest.
The Catholic Church and groups like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), which provides the support to the 4,000-plus GSA’s across North America have a radically different sexual ethic, and thus, a radically different pastoral strategy for raising teens with same-sex attraction. An honest look at those differences shows that the Canadian government is rolling a Trojan horse into Catholic schools under the guise of “anti-bullying.”
Toronto’s Cardinal, Thomas Collins expressed his concern: “Because this model is so closely related to a movement with particular views concerning the human person and the issues of life, people who disagree with those views are understandably concerned that the model can serve as a means not only to address bullying, but to promote the views with which they disagree.”
The “particular views” of the movement that don’t square with Catholicism include a rejection of the notion that homosexual activity is any less natural or normal than heterosexual activity—in other words, a rejection of Judeo-Christian- and natural-law-based thinking about sexual ethics. GLSEN labels such thinking “heterosexism.”
There is a clear push for people with same-sex attraction to identify themselves as “gay,” and thus, inherently different than everyone else. GSA’s commend kids for “coming out of the closet” and letting everyone know what their attractions are, so that their identity is further solidified.
Finally, for most (if not all) gay advocacy groups, it goes without saying that gays should be open to romantic relationships with people of the same sex, and that depriving them of that would be depriving them of love.
And while they may or may not overtly promote sexual activity, GSA’s encourage teens to talk about their sexual “identity” and attractions without any expectation that abstinence be promoted or even discussed. If we think that doesn’t send a clear message to the average teen, we’re kidding ourselves.
The Catholic approach is obviously very different. As far as “sexual identity” is concerned, Blessed Mother Teresa, who started New York’s first AIDS hospice, sums up the Church’s approach. She refused to call people “homosexual,” instead she insisted they be called “friends of Jesus.” In the words of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, “the orientation of an act is homosexual or heterosexual but the person is not.” A person simply cannot be reduced to or defined by a sexual attraction.
While always distinguishing sexual attraction (which is not sinful) from action, the Church is clear that homosexual activity violates both natural and divine law. But that doesn’t mean the Church is calling gay people to a life of loneliness. To the contrary, they are called to lives of authentic love, which can only be lived with a respect for natural and divine law.
Jesus never advocated sexual intimacy as the path to love and fulfillment, regardless of sexual orientation. Fulfillment is found in union with God, and in making oneself a gift to others in love according to one’s state in life, married or single, regardless of the reason for being single. If someone is single, it’s not always an easy path, but it’s certainly not empty. Most saints throughout Church’s history were single!
And there are a growing number of people with same-sex attraction who have found fulfillment by living Catholicism! Bronwyn Lawrie, who had run a LGBTTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, and Queer) Pride group at college explains her reason for converting to Catholicism: “Rather than defining me solely by gender, or who I was attracted to … I found that the Church defined me by one overarching principle: I am a child of God, created in his own image and likeness, and loved infinitely by him. … I am infinitely more than my actions and feelings. … As I returned to the Church, walking into the Pride office began to feel like a form of reductionism—an implicit assent to the idea that the most important aspects of my personhood were my sexuality and my gender. The Catholic chaplaincy gradually became a refuge for me—a place where I could shed the political labels of being ‘gay’ or ‘trans’ or ‘queer.’ Instead, I could simply be human” (Toronto’s The Catholic Register, June 6).
The folks at GLSEN might not like stories like Bronwyn’s, but the fact is that people can be faithful Catholics, “gay” and happy!
Canadian bishops were set up to look like bigots for protesting a club that simply wants kids to be “respected and accepted.” Of course, they weren’t protesting that. They were protesting the legion inside that Trojan horse.
Ontario Catholic schools already have excellent anti-bully programs and top-notch chaplains who are trained to provide support to teens with same-sex attraction, as well as to their families. They have a long track record proving that they value their students, regardless of creed, race or sexual orientation. The new government mandate is obviously about more than all that. I wish the premier had come out of the closet with his intentions. But when government officials assume a position as the highest ethical teacher in the land, they rarely dignify their opponents with open and honest debates. Instead they pontificate with brief statements like “there are transcendent values” and “we think it is a fair compromise.”
Canadian bishops have said they will comply with the law but will require that GSA’s be under the oversight of school administration to ensure they not violate Catholic teaching. I hope they will be allowed to do that, but up till now the Canadian government is showing us bullying at its finest.
Of course, I reject his very deliberate verbiage. The notion of respect doesn’t “transcend” the cross any more than the “religion” of secularism transcends Christianity. But on with the topic at hand: while the premier appeals to principles the Catholic Church and gay advocacy groups all agree on, like safety and respect for our kids, he conveniently leaves out the rest.
The Catholic Church and groups like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), which provides the support to the 4,000-plus GSA’s across North America have a radically different sexual ethic, and thus, a radically different pastoral strategy for raising teens with same-sex attraction. An honest look at those differences shows that the Canadian government is rolling a Trojan horse into Catholic schools under the guise of “anti-bullying.”
Toronto’s Cardinal, Thomas Collins expressed his concern: “Because this model is so closely related to a movement with particular views concerning the human person and the issues of life, people who disagree with those views are understandably concerned that the model can serve as a means not only to address bullying, but to promote the views with which they disagree.”
The “particular views” of the movement that don’t square with Catholicism include a rejection of the notion that homosexual activity is any less natural or normal than heterosexual activity—in other words, a rejection of Judeo-Christian- and natural-law-based thinking about sexual ethics. GLSEN labels such thinking “heterosexism.”
There is a clear push for people with same-sex attraction to identify themselves as “gay,” and thus, inherently different than everyone else. GSA’s commend kids for “coming out of the closet” and letting everyone know what their attractions are, so that their identity is further solidified.
Finally, for most (if not all) gay advocacy groups, it goes without saying that gays should be open to romantic relationships with people of the same sex, and that depriving them of that would be depriving them of love.
And while they may or may not overtly promote sexual activity, GSA’s encourage teens to talk about their sexual “identity” and attractions without any expectation that abstinence be promoted or even discussed. If we think that doesn’t send a clear message to the average teen, we’re kidding ourselves.
The Catholic approach is obviously very different. As far as “sexual identity” is concerned, Blessed Mother Teresa, who started New York’s first AIDS hospice, sums up the Church’s approach. She refused to call people “homosexual,” instead she insisted they be called “friends of Jesus.” In the words of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, “the orientation of an act is homosexual or heterosexual but the person is not.” A person simply cannot be reduced to or defined by a sexual attraction.
While always distinguishing sexual attraction (which is not sinful) from action, the Church is clear that homosexual activity violates both natural and divine law. But that doesn’t mean the Church is calling gay people to a life of loneliness. To the contrary, they are called to lives of authentic love, which can only be lived with a respect for natural and divine law.
Jesus never advocated sexual intimacy as the path to love and fulfillment, regardless of sexual orientation. Fulfillment is found in union with God, and in making oneself a gift to others in love according to one’s state in life, married or single, regardless of the reason for being single. If someone is single, it’s not always an easy path, but it’s certainly not empty. Most saints throughout Church’s history were single!
And there are a growing number of people with same-sex attraction who have found fulfillment by living Catholicism! Bronwyn Lawrie, who had run a LGBTTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, and Queer) Pride group at college explains her reason for converting to Catholicism: “Rather than defining me solely by gender, or who I was attracted to … I found that the Church defined me by one overarching principle: I am a child of God, created in his own image and likeness, and loved infinitely by him. … I am infinitely more than my actions and feelings. … As I returned to the Church, walking into the Pride office began to feel like a form of reductionism—an implicit assent to the idea that the most important aspects of my personhood were my sexuality and my gender. The Catholic chaplaincy gradually became a refuge for me—a place where I could shed the political labels of being ‘gay’ or ‘trans’ or ‘queer.’ Instead, I could simply be human” (Toronto’s The Catholic Register, June 6).
The folks at GLSEN might not like stories like Bronwyn’s, but the fact is that people can be faithful Catholics, “gay” and happy!
Canadian bishops were set up to look like bigots for protesting a club that simply wants kids to be “respected and accepted.” Of course, they weren’t protesting that. They were protesting the legion inside that Trojan horse.
Ontario Catholic schools already have excellent anti-bully programs and top-notch chaplains who are trained to provide support to teens with same-sex attraction, as well as to their families. They have a long track record proving that they value their students, regardless of creed, race or sexual orientation. The new government mandate is obviously about more than all that. I wish the premier had come out of the closet with his intentions. But when government officials assume a position as the highest ethical teacher in the land, they rarely dignify their opponents with open and honest debates. Instead they pontificate with brief statements like “there are transcendent values” and “we think it is a fair compromise.”
Canadian bishops have said they will comply with the law but will require that GSA’s be under the oversight of school administration to ensure they not violate Catholic teaching. I hope they will be allowed to do that, but up till now the Canadian government is showing us bullying at its finest.
0 Comments