http://atheistoasis.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/gay-is-the-new-witch-the-christian-persecution-of-gay-americans/
First and foremost, anyone who reads the above link needs to understand the level of bias that is present in the article. It comes from atheistoasis.com. This article is by no means scholarly or meant to be a reflection of my own personal opinion. However, I do believe this article adds some interesting topics of conversation to the question, "Where do we go from here?"
The Catholic Church has a history of persecution and mistakes. From Galileo to witches, the church has had it's blunders where it wrongfully persecuted people. However, the church eventually realized it's wrongdoing and changed.
The reason this applies to the future of christianity is because some wonder if LGBT's current standing in the catholic church will ever change. Will the church always view these lifestyles as wrong, or will they eventually change their views and accept these lifestyles, and their dislike will be a thing of the past? Although not a perfect article, it certainly raises interesting questions about the future of the Catholic Church.
I disaree in part with the notion that gays are the new witches. In old times witches were killed or imprisoned for being accused of being a witch on the other hand the kids talked about in the link are being made fun of because other kids think theyre gay. In all my experience with these situations when someone makes fun of someone else and calls them gay its always a joke, so to some who are being "bullied" they need to realize its a joke and if they dont like it nothings stopping them from bullying back since no one is stopping the bullies in the first place. I also think that the only way you can connect gay to religion is in marriage. Marriage is strictly between a man and a woman. Thats been dogma since the beginning of christianity so I doubt itll change. Marriage is a sacred sacrement that should not be changed in any century because God wanted it to be between men and women.
ReplyDeleteThen why did he make Gay people. And give us all the right to happiness? Also, then why is Newt Gingrich allowed to be divorced 4 times (Something he should have been stoned for three times over for in the old times), and people who truly love each other cannot get married? These are questions that take this issue out of black and white and into the gray area, where it should be. Don't be so stagnant in your views to take people's happiness away. That's what Hitler did to the Jews. He said: "You are not allowed to live because God has told me that you are lesser people than us." You are saying: "Gays are not allowed to marry because God said you are lesser people than us."
DeleteI find the article to be an interesting spin point on the future of the Catholic Church. While marriage is a sacred sacrament, it is desecrated everyday by men and women who divorce, commit adultery and other acts that violate the sanctity of marriage. People who marriage is "meant for" destroy the institution of marriage everyday.
ReplyDeleteI understand why the article is titled Gay is the New Witch. The implications of being accused of being a witch are compared to how students are constantly taunted because of their sexual orientation. The torment they both face and dejection they feel is probably indescribable. It's easy to say, "bully back," if you are a confident individual. However, children who weren't encouraged to defend themselves can't find the courage to speak up and take action.
To Brock,
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand your point that often times the word "gay" is not meant to be interpreted as a literal insult, I feel your response did not accurately critique the point I am trying to make. I also disagree with the counter arguments you made which did directly address the point I tried to make. I'll start by conceding to some of the good points you made.
The persecution of gays certainly is not as serious as the persecution of witches in the "old times" like you said. Therefore, they are not completely alike; in that sense, you are correct. However, I do believe many comparisons can be drawn between the two groups of people. Just as the catholic church has believed in the past that witchcraft was a wrongful choice, so too many Catholics believe that living a gay lifestyle is a choice that goes against God's will. Science eventually proved that witchcraft was not a dark art against God. If research eventually arose which proved that being gay was not a choice, and that LGBT's could not control it (i.e., "born this way") I think the catholic church may be inclined to change their opinion on them. That does not necessarily mean allowing them to marry through the church, but they could decide that they are not sinners against the Lord for being LGBT.
My second concern with your comment was your suggestion of “bullying back.” If we are going to back up our arguments using theological claims (such as your statement, “Marriage is a sacred sacrament that should not be changed in any century because God wanted it to be between men and women,”) then we should consider what the church would teach in this situation. Jesus says in Mathew 5:39, “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” By using God’s word to guide our actions in all situations, your argument would be not only flawed, but would go directly against Him.
The article is very investing and thought provoking, but there are a lot of flaws that stick out at you once you read it. The first thing I should point out is that part of me relates homophobia to societal norms. While Christians have openly expressed their displeasure about gays and lesbians, I feel like most kids in our society today are raised in an environment that does not support homosexuality under any circumstances. As someone who grew up in a fifty-fifty mix of public and private high schools, the public schools contained the more serious homosexual bullying cases. No matter the environment I was in, you always have to dress, think, and act a certlain way. Those norms are present in every single society on Earth, and American schools are no exception. The fact is that most people are not homosexual, and those people form a majority. This majority has their own norms and these norms are to be followed by everyone else. Therefore, I would say that, no matter how you are raised and no matter what your families views are, as a child you will always be exposed to these environments. Ultimately, the effects will almost always be felt. Granted, Christianity has always been the strongest group of any to condemn homosexuality. For this reason, they may be blamed unfairly for the overall violence against homosexuals. But are they the only reason? No. We need to focus on our society as a whole and acceptance of one another, rather than fighting against a religion.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the article though, there was one line that stuck out to me the most. The article claimed that Christianity is concerned that they will lose the right to freely and openly persecute homosexuals. It states that Christianity is worried that this group will be integrated into society and they will no longer be able to "demonize" them. This sounds like a stretch to me. I think that the church disagrees with homosexuality, but they wouldn't support the bullying and violence that they encounter here in America. In fact, another thing that stuck out to me is that all the cases of persecution in the article were related to teenage bullying. Isn't that what teenagers do? Regardless of sexual orientation, teenagers will make fun of each other for saying certain things, doing certain things, etc. Focusing on these cases and applying them to an entire religion isn't fair. While I will admit that there are some cases amongst adults, how often do we hear about them?
I think that this nation is beginning to grow more accepting of homosexuals as everyone is born equally. As they begin to be more accepted you will see more people become vocal about their positions. This shouldn't be equated to a religion ramping up their efforts to degrade someone, but this is because people will defend their views when needed. Now more than ever the debate rages on, and you will always have some people defend their positions in more extreme ways than others. Regardless, this can't be applied to an entire group. A true Christian will accept everyone as all man is created in God's image.
I understand what you said in the first paragraph. But that's the problem that makes gays the new "witches". We, as christians need to change society, not go along with it.
DeleteAlso, we have to think: What happens when gays don't believe in the church? If I don't believe in christianity, I don't have to have a christian wedding. So, if gays are just going to be bullied by the church, what happens when they just leave the church? What then?
ReplyDelete