GAYS AND THE PRIESTHOOD

There has been a lot of talk about the Catholic Church's problems with sexual abuse by priests and the cover-ups practiced by the Church administration for many years. Many priests have been put on trial, many have been thrown out of the priesthood (some in our own community) and many went to jail. Millions of dollars have been paid to victims. Some parishes have declared bankruptcy and the sex-abuse scandal is still not over.

The Vatican remained quiet for quite some time about the whole situation. Some in the Vatican claimed it is specifically an American problem and the American Church needs to take care of it.
Recently the Vatican under Benedict has started to make some noise. Most of what I have been hearing is about homosexuality and the priesthood.

I think the Vatican realizes that many of its priests are gay. That was OK in the past as long as they remained celibate. Now it appears, the Vatican is starting to connect the sex-abuse scandal in the U.S. with homosexuality and is starting a campaign to eliminate homosexuals from its ranks of seminarians (students for the priesthood) while leaving existing priests alone (for now).

A number of gay priests have come out to challenge the Vatican on this policy while certain theologians have come out in support of the Vatican policy.

One local theologian, Monica Migliorino Miller, PhD., associate professor of theology at St. Mary's College of Madonna University, states that the sex-abuse scandal is basically a homosexual problem. She bases this on the fact that the victims were basically boys over 13. Yes they were all boys but I am not sure about the ages, I think some were younger. One local letter writer mentioned that in those days alter boys were all boys and therefore easy targets but not of homosexual men but of pedophiles that can be either homosexual or heterosexual.

I don't pretend to know a lot about homosexuality but I think adult, normal males of either persuasion would know that molesting a boy or anybody for that matter, is somehow wrong. Pedophiles are people with an abnormal psychological makeup - they are mentally sick. I don't agree that the sex-abuse scandal is a homosexual problem.

I think the priesthood has, through the years, attracted a certain male element because of the celibacy requirement and the all male makeup of the priesthood.

Heterosexual young men with raging hormones would have a very hard time envisioning a life of celibacy. Some, overcome by spirituality, may succumb to the so called calling, but many of these probably leave the priesthood once they meet a female they cannot resist. It appears that there are many married priests that would immediately step back into their priestly roles as soon as the Vatican allows priests to marry.

Young men with unresolved sexuality may think of the priesthood as a forced (celibacy) non-sexuality. Some gay young men may consider celibacy as a way to stay out of sinful relationships and there are those that see the all male priesthood as an opportunity for many partners.

There probably is no valid data about the sexual orientation of the Catholic priesthood, mainly because priests probably would fabricate their answers to hide their true sexuality.

As far as the United States Catholic clergy goes, many say the majority are probably homosexual with obviously some pedophiles still lurking in the shadows.

Back to the Catholic theologian, Dr. Miller. She argues that priests should not be homosexual because the Church considers homosexuality as "objectively disordered" meaning that sexuality is inherently marital (procreation) and "other" sexuality therefore would be immoral.

She also argues that one priestly duty requires marriage counseling where the homosexual priest would have difficulty with the concept of marriage. I have been to this kind of counseling and I could never imagine ANY CELIBATE priest teaching me anything about relationships or marriage - they have NO EXPERIENCE.

Dr. Miller then goes on to talk about the priest as a husband of the Church or father to his flock and I am afraid that is where I turn the page - mumbojumbo.

No matter how Dr. Miller argues against homosexual priests, the fact of the matter is that most priests are homosexual or at least lean that way so we would have NO PRIESTS if the requirement was for heterosexuals only. We may get to the state of no priests eventually anyway - it sure is looking that way already.

Personally, I feel the way out of this jam is to allow heterosexual priests to marry (like other clergy around the world). That way you would have a NORMAL person looking over a flock of Catholics (adult and children).

Since the Vatican is adamant against married priests we have to live with the reality of gay priests - celibate and some not (as long as they are not pedophiles).

Can gays be good priests. As long as they are normal, mature adults, I don't see why not. Spirituality, I feel, is indeed a calling and as long as you feel that way, you belong in the priesthood.

Prediction: as there are fewer and fewer priests, married men will step into the priest's role, as they do now, out of necessity. The makeup of the Church will change because it has to...

Janusz

CHRISTMAS OR HOLIDAYS?

Boy I have sure read a lot about the "War on Christmas" lately. Actually the attacks have been by Christians on people and businesses that do "Happy Holidays" and not "Merry Christmas". To Christians that smacks of paganism and cannot be to tolerated. To my knowledge, NOBODY has been attacking Christmas but the religious zealots have invented a war so they can fight somebody.

The American Families Association (AFA) has gone so far as to threaten to boycott Target Department Stores if they don't start recognizing the religious significance of Christmas - now that is serious. Target has spend millions of dollars defending itself in local papers as a community minded business that gives to charities and supports local community projects. To me this is religious terrorism and has to be fought just like any terrorist act but let me address this with some historical perspective.

December 25th or that time of year, is called the "Winter Solstice". This is the time when days stop being shorter and start being longer - a new year. This special time has been celebrated by people for thousands of years. We have records going back 4,000 years to Mesopotamia.

The celebrations were varied but they included gift giving, helping the poor, decorating houses with evergreens and lighting wax candles to signify increasing light. Basically, people partied like they do today for New Years'. Please keep in mind that Christianity has not been invented yet.

The Romans called this holiday SATURNALIA and other countries had different names for the holiday but all celebrated at the same time for the same reason - another year is here!!!

Enter the Christians - we can't have all this pagan celebrating going on! Lets Christianize this holiday and call it Christmas as in Jesus was born on this day. Well, no one knows when Jesus was actually born and for that matter, where. Bethlehem was mentioned by the Gospel writers because if you wanted to be from the House of David you had to be born in Bethlehem and the Gospel writers wanted Jesus to be from the House of David as predicted in the Old testament but that is a future blog. Historians believe Jesus was born in Nazareth.

No matter how the Christians tried they could not stop the people from celebrating in their pagan manner, i.e. trees, candles, presents, party, etc. And to this day we have Santa, Christmas Trees, candles, presents and spending a lot of money on ourselves, our family and on the less fortunate - just like they did thousands of years before the Christians arrived.

So what is my point in all this. The time of year known as Christmas, Winter Solstice, New Years, Saturnalia, etc. is a time celebrated by all people for thousands of years. It does not belong to any one group or one religion. It is a "natural" celebration in that it celebrates the natural passing of time, in this case, one year. It is a joyous celebration because a new year has started so Spring is on its way.

The Christians have artificially injected Jesus' birthday into this time and now expect everyone to recognize and celebrate only that fact - bullshit.

The Christians do not own Christmas. They should celebrate it the way they want BUT leave everyone else alone to celebrate in what ever way they want to - not everyone is a Christian.

President Bush sent out a Christmas card in which he said "Happy Holidays". He is getting a lot of grief for that. Since the President sends his card to many people, not all Christians that also celebrate this time of year, it only makes sense to say Happy Holidays.

Some Christians are getting just too eager to cram their religion up everyone's butt - I feel a war coming on.

Janusz

UNBAPTISED BABIES GO TO HELL?

I was raised a Catholic in the 1960s' - grade school and highschool - nuns - get the picture. One of the items we were taught was that if you are not baptized and you die, you go straight to hell. Even little innocent babies if they die on their way to get baptized - hell! No ands', ifs' or buts' - that was the law. It never made any sense to me even then and I concluded that if God is such a stickler for rules than I don't really want him as my God. Other Catholic schools taught that the babies went to Purgatory instead; a place of limbo, in between heaven and hell but still bad.

My parents threatened to kidnap my kids and get them baptized for this very reason; they fervently believed that my kids were doomed to eternal damnation in hell if they somehow did not take matters into their hands and have them baptized. I told my parents that if baptism meant so much to them then go ahead and baptize them - I had nothing against it.

Last week the Vatican said it is revisiting the whole issue. It appears John Paul II had problems with it and set up a panel to address the issue. The panel was headed by then Cardinal Ratzinger, today's Pope Benedict.

The idea of Purgatory or Limbo was a Middle Ages (read dark ages) invention - 700 years worth of Purgatory.

The Vatican wants to plainly banish the very idea of Purgatory / Limbo. Pope Paul II in his 1992 Catechism said that babies that die without baptism go into God's hands. That is a little bit better.

My problem with all this is how in the hell did they even come up with the idea of Purgatory - did God tell them or did they get drunk one night and dreamed this up like many of the Church rules. I think it had more to do with selling "indulgences" that got your loved ones (babies included) out of Purgatory - a great money making idea that went on for centuries.

What bothers me is that they scared the hell out of people to this very day with their "un-baptized babies go to hell" crap. Catholics really believe what their Church says and I'm saying you cannot believe those morons cause they really don't know what they are talking about - NO ONE DOES when it comes to God.

I can rant all I want to but loyal Catholics will accept everything the Church throws at them just like meek little sheep - doesn't anybody have a brain or at least some independent thought?

Janusz

FORD THREATENED BY CHRISTIANS

Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan was told by the American Family Association (AFA) of Tupelo, Mississippi to end their gay friendly ways or the 2 million AFA members will boycott the company by not buying any Ford products.

The company is really hurting for sales this year and by all indications, has made a secret deal with the radical, Christian group to do just what they ask - become anti-gay.

An obvious indication is Ford's pulling of their advertising for Land Rover and Volvo from gay publications. Other anti-gay moves have not been announced by the company although it denies vehemently that all their decisions are strictly business and have nothing to do with the gay issue and the boycott.

The AFA issued a statement saying they are happy with the Ford response and are calling off the boycott.

The problem, as I see it, is that these wacky Christians will impose their twisted views on us by hook or by crook. They are using their numbers to wage economic terrorism on businesses to make them conform to their way of thinking or they will put them out of business. Even though it appears to be against the law - it is not.

On a side note, the gays who have way more purchasing power than the twits from Mississippi, can also threaten a boycott and we would find out who can hurt Ford more economically.

This is obviously not good for Ford either way but Ford has already opened Pandora's Box by making a secret deal with the AFA, so now they will get what is coming to them but alas my family is a Ford family and I hate to see them suffer BUT maybe that is reason enough to fight this terrorism by the Christian Right.

I am not lumping all Christians to the AFA and the way they operate. I have already had a run-in with this organization. They seem to have a strong agenda.

How do we combat these Christian terrorists - only with other Christians since most of the country is Christian and the other religions do not want any part of this battle, fearing they might be called un-American. I hope normal Christians will see the danger here and unite to fight these idiots.

The core of the problem is that many Christians feel Christ or the Bible are specifically anti-gay or consider the gay lifestyle as a sin and an abomination and therefore to be opposed and eradicated from the face of the earth. I will have more on that in a follow-up blog.

Janusz