Talk about bitchy women...
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An organization of American Catholic nuns has denounced the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for reiterating its opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage at its annual meeting in Baltimore this week while remaining silent on anti-gay bullying and gay teen suicide.
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In a statement released Tuesday, the National Coalition of American Nuns accused the bishops of acting like “blinded Pharisees” for waging a fight against marriage equality while failing to speak out on gay teen suicides brought about by school bullying and harassment. - Source
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The last time I checked, Catholic doctrine does not support gay marriage, therefore, Bishops speaking out against its legalization would be appropriate; teen suicides and bullying are not, per se related to Catholic doctrine, thus, it makes perfect sense that the Bishops would fail to speak out against either.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to bet that these same "Catholyc nuns" would define bullying gays as telling them what the Catholic Church actually teaches about homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteOf course, 1 quick check of their website & you know they are a gang of dissidents. I can't figure out how a link to the Vatican was there given every other link is to groups diametricly opposed to authentic Catholicism.
Doctrine, schmoctrine. What's important is to be loved by the world, isn't it?
ReplyDelete/sarc off
T - as expressed in recent weeks, the issue of "suicides" is broader in scope than gay teens. The sisters' tongue wagging of the secular mantra is their contribution to the chaos found in the pews and the minds of young children and teens—let alone the adults. We spoke of the young Catholic girl who hung herself recently who, it seemed, wasn't able to spiritual synthesize all the conflicting voices & actions, particular within the Church. By focusing on a particular teen segment, especially when this assault on oneself is touching teen culture at large (globally), is a disservice to these young souls and their parents & society will miss the "best" way to bring healing and course of actions that will help lead many teens away from this sense of despair. The MASTODON in the living room must be named correctly.
ReplyDeleteWhere I agree is the teen culture must be addressed seriously, as well as the lived culture within their homes and religious institutions.
Although I'm not a real big "social justice" person--about as close as I've gotten has been to read Dorothy Day's autobiography--I do agree inpart that the bishops SHOULD have mentioned something about the disturbing rise in teen suicide--gay or otherwise. Teenagers should not have to put up with such severe harassement and bullying that to end the pain they have to take their own life. That shows that there is a very serious problem in our churches, in our schools, in the world in general. Brushing it aside because yuou are afraid to touch the "gay issue" isn't going to make it go away.
ReplyDeleteIn Utah we are still working on "basic human rights" for LGBT people...they still struggle to be able to get housing and not lose their jobs if outed. Those are basic rights that everyone should have. There is ALOT of gay persecution here because of the predominately Mormon faith, where gays need to be "fixed." I hear the harassement in the public school system is reprehensible...all you have to do is look the wrong way or at the wrong person and you're branded a "faggot" and your life is made absolutely HELL..and in this day and age of cell phones and IM and FaceBook a vicious rumor can be started and passed around within MINUTES..
By NOT saying anything about the harassement that teenagers face the Bishops are in fact condoning and accepting the practice..
Sara
Sara,
ReplyDeleteThe church teaches about dignity for all humans from conception to natural death, which would encompass teenagers, gay and otherwise. Your statement that the Bishops condone harassment by not specifically singling out harassment of gay teenagers is out of line.
Bullying has always been with us and that isn't likely to change, despite all the efforts to force people to embrace those with disordered lifestyles. The problem is not the Bishops but rather society's endorsement of homosexual lifestyles, that go against the natural law.
Is there really a rise in teenage suicides or is there a rise in our knowledge of teenage suicides with the continuous media stream now available?
Why don't the suicidal teenagers parents notice that there's a problem and do something about it?
Why don't the bullies parents see that they're bullies and do something about it?
Why don't you suggest to the Mormon elders that they do something about the bullying problem?
We need to stop calling ourselves ‘Catholic’ if we don’t stand with the Church in her teachings – all of them.”
ReplyDelete--Abp Chaput
Nan--
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right--the church teaches about dignity for all humans..
Nothing wrong with the Bishops standing up in front of the press and media and actually SAYING it..and actually explaining WHAT it means...we are not a closed society and not everyone out there has a Catholic teaching or background. When the Bishops say something to the media it brings attention to the subject.
Lord knows they sure do blather away on assorted other subjects...
And in answer to your questions..lots of parents hide their head in the sand and say "It can't POSSIBLY be MY kid...she/he is such an angel, goes to church every Sunday, in Scouts and cheerleading..." and the schools for some reason REFUSE to do anything because of parents raising all sorts of hell until it gets to the point where the situation is out of hand..the Mormon elders wring their hands and say things in their annual sessions that just add more fuel to the fire..the statement made in the last General Conference doozy.
We are responsible to make our communities a better place to live by community involvement to include EVERYONE, not just Catholics..and we look to our Bishops for leadership and guidance..in the case of MY local Bishop I am sadly disappointed....
Sara
Can't help but think of Christ telling Peter to "get thee behind me, Satan" when I read about these nuns.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why a woman becomes a Nun if not to serve the Lord. Did her beliefs change over time from the influence of some evil resident in the Order?
ReplyDeleteIrregardless we are responsible for doing good in the world and I stand with believing that God expects that of us no matter adherence to doctrine.
I think it very much more likely that suicides by teenagers who have sunk to homosexual behaviour would be caused more by an inner revulsion at what they have done rather than by being "bullied" or ridiculed.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as for the bullying: well, that's just tough. Maybe some good, old-fashioned bullying and ridicule will wake up these people, and pave the way to their abandoning this most atrocious of mortal sins.
And commentators...please: stop referring to these people as "gay". There is nothing gay about homosexuality.