I saw this little gem making its rounds in the world of social media last week on the heels of North Carolina’s passage of Amendment One, which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Now, I’m not particularly fond of being called “stupid” (whether it be in the past, present, or future tense), so naturally I was a little offended. Of course, name-calling usually stems from ignorance, so I’d like to take the opportunity to clarify what I believe (and what the Catholic Church teaches) about how gay people ought to be treated. Brace yourselves. It’s pretty “out there.”
Are you ready?
Here it is:
“They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (CCC 2358)
Crazy, huh? Yes, the Catechism of the Catholic Church— archaic and backward thinking as it is—actually says that about how Christians are to act towards gay people. The nerve!
It also says (and we can only assume that Nancy Pelosi just hasn’t read this far…) that marriage is meant for one man and one woman, at which point many cry out “Hypocrites! That’s unjust discrimination!”
I’d like to here point out, with the help of an image found on the interweb, that same-sex marriage is not an “equal rights” issue:
When it comes down to it, all individuals have the same rights when it comes to marriage. As crazy as I am about my fiancé, the state isn’t going to recognize our marriage as valid just because we both think the other is super awesome and we love spending time together. We are free to feel that way and spend all the time we want to together without the consent of the state. But marriage is about more than feelings, and yes: it is even about more than pledging to live your life with and for another person for as long as you both shall live. The state has other reasons for recognizing marriage, but I’ll let you research those on your own.
There is no question. We are called to love one another as God loves us, and to treat everyone we meet with dignity and respect.
Just please: never again use, or accept as sound logic, the argument that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unjust discrimination. Regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation, all individuals have the exact same rights when it comes to marriage in the eyes of the state. Anyone who says otherwise is simply not thinking logically.
Also, comparing the peaceful protests of the redefinition of marriage to the violent mobs and race riots of the 1960s is as intellectually dishonest as it is offensive—to both African Americans and homosexual persons.
