Thursday, November 12, 2009

It's things like THIS that upset me...

Today, a friend of mine linked to this Washington Post article online. In this article, it talks about how the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington may pull their support of a broad range of social services if the city does not change their proposed same-sex marriage law.

And therein lies one of my issues with many organized religions. People become so caught up in what they believe is right, and become so judgmental of others, that they lose sight of the real task at hand.

See, I don't have to agree with your choices. How you chose to live your life may not be how I chose to live mine. But that does not give me the right to treat you poorly because our choices differ! This organization has seen fit to provide services to people who have drug and alcohol issues, which I assume they are not supportive of. Why should this be different?

I went to my Bible (For the record, I use the Life Application Bible for Students most often.) and a couple of scriptures, in my own mind, spoke to me here. First was the parable of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37.) Then I read Acts 10:34-43. Ephesians 2:11-16. Again and again I read that we have a responsibility to our neighbors, and a reminder that we are not perfect. I can't help but feel that if we, as believers, put ourselves in a position where we act as if we are "too good for that", we're DOING IT WRONG.

The city is not asking the church to perform same-sex marriages. They don't have to make space available FOR same-sex marriages. They just won't be allowed to discriminate against individuals in same-sex relationships. So, because they might, in the event that they have an employee who is in a same-sex relationship, have to extend benefits to the partner in the relationship, their answer is to yank services to 68,000 needy people.

Honestly, I think that's pretty immature, and I'd like to just remind everyone that we are ALL sinners. Our salvation is only by the grace of God. It's not up to us to judge, but it is up to us to reach out to those who are less fortunate. And that's pretty hard to do when we're having a little hissy fit over in the corner. And that's kind of what this looks like to me.

6 comments:

  1. It is instances like this that make the Catholic church look very bad, indeed. I am a Catholic, and can't stand when one diocese makes a stupid choice like this.

    That said, there are plenty of other Catholic diocese that *don't* discriminate or make bonehead moves like this.

    ~Elizabeth
    http://confessionsfromaworkingmom.blogspot.com

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  2. Oh, I hear you, Elizabeth. It's these kinds of ridiculous things that can make any religious group look less than great. HATE that. That's the issue I have with my husband, these are the things he sees and hears, and not nearly enough of the good and positive. I'll just keep trying!

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  3. The Catholic Church (and I am Catholic) is going to have to do a lot of soul searching on how they will handle gay marriages as states recognize same sex marriages and unions. I know that many church services do not try to exclude those who are gay or otherwise living outside of Church principles. However, there has been no official stance as to how gay couples should be treated.

    This is very similar to what is happening to our Catholic politicians who support legal abortion availability. There are parishes and priest who outright refuse to give these folks communion, and yet this is not a universal stance.

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  4. Christians are called to be kind and follow in Jesus' footsteps...it clearly says He died for us WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS - so, I'd have to agree with you on this one, Megan. This particular church isn't acting very Christian, is it? That's very sad. They are doing great damage to the reputation of Christ and Christians everywhere.

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  5. I really appreciate the comments on this topic. Please note first off that I am not attempting to attack any particular religions, it's just a current example of my issue with "religion". I'm of the opinion that there is a biblical official stance- it's not my place to judge, it is my place to lead by example. It's unfortunate circumstances like these that DO give people of faith a negative connotation in the minds of others. I struggle with the idea that religious "leaders" think of their parishioners (and this happens in all religions, again, this is not an attack on Catholicism, or any specific religion, it's an observation overall.) as mindless sheep, needing to be led. I HAVE A SHEPHERD! And He is my leader. And He gave me a mind of my own, and free will.
    I am a staunch supporter of churches where it's about the personal relationship with God. That's my choice. I also recognize and respect that there are people who desire more guidance than that. I just have a hard time with it when it feels, in my opinion, as though that guidance is in direct opposition to the Word.

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