Middle America and the new normal.
Acceptance of homosexuality at a new high.
New Oxford Review has a report on a recent Gallup poll which found that mainstream America’s acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, as well as same-sex marriage is at a new high.
A Gallup Poll released on May 29 has found that tolerance of homosexuality in the U.S. has reached a record high. Gallup posed this question: “Do you think homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle or not?” In 1982, 34 percent of Americans said yes. In 2007, 57 percent of Americans said yes, and only 39 percent said no. Among the 18-34 age group in 2007, 75 percent said yes, and 23 percent said no. - New Oxford
Strangely enough, the same poll found that a large percentage of Americans, both liberal and conservative, feel that U.S. morality is in the toilet.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:13 am
More and more people are realizing that someone they know and love lives with same-sex attraction. To their credit, these persons don’t want to see their loved ones suffer; do not want to see them “consigned” to a life of “unhappiness.” The inference is that sex = fulfillment & that no one in their right mind would live a life without sex. But like Fr. Groeschel has said about those consecrated to chastity or just trying to live a chaste, single life: “whatever we missed; it’s not the secret to happiness; 98 percent of the world’s literature and drama are about problems brought about by sex.” The Gay Lobby’s strategy of getting folks to “come out of the closet” has worked well. People are afraid of what they don’t understand, but once a sin (what’s that?) is normalized, then what’s the fuss? Our society is in decline and, while we should pray and work to combat this decline, neither should we be anxious about it. We do what we can and stand for Truth where we are, accepting the wounds of battle. I have a co-worker who’s all excited that her girlfriend of 18 or so years asked her finally to “get married.” They’re planning a commitment ceremony & my co-worker is dieting to fit into her “wedding” dress. Everyone around here is tacitly approving, & those who *may* not entirely approve just shrug with a “what can we do, it’s their life” attitude. True. Their life decisions are their own, but I declined my invitation to attend the wedding and they know full why. It’s no secret I’m a member of *Courage.* So we extend tenderness and compassion and love people where they are, but without confirming them in their sins. Call me intolerant. I’ve been called a lot worse.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Almost in the toilet, yes — in that body of water, too, is seen the Narcissus reflection.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:56 am
No real Catholic would discriminate against homosexuals who follow Roman Catholic Church rules.
No real Catholic homosexual would:
1) Request the Church to remove its prohibition against sex outside of marriage;
2) Change its definition of marriage to include homosexuals;
3) Change its requirement that ordained ministers be restricted to males.
4) Change its dogmas and commandments.
5) Remove its definition of scandal with respect to the activities of Church ministers and employees.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
YIKES!
September 19th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
This is a social experiment doomed to failure.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
The crystal ball for what is considered “moral” in the United States is Western Europe. We are about 10 years behind what they find acceptable, but we soon follow.
September 19th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
dear Jeren
its wonderful of you to ” decline” an invitation , what a wonderful way to confirm your own ignorance.
I must tell you in the same vein declined a heterosexual marriage because they had a child BEFORE they were married.
doesn’t somewhere in that book of fables and myths called a bible it forbids sex before marriage??
they like most breeders after a wonderful ” church ” wedding will some day be divorced.
and its wonderful also that you declined because of your judgmental conclusions . good for you . morality is not down the ” toilet” as you put it. its better to be cleansed in a stream of consciousness where god resides,[ knowledge] who loves all his children rather than that cesspool of putrid ” holy water” which you bless your self righteous sanctimonious self, as decided by centuries old doctrines created by man so that it may build their attendance in those dark corridors called a church.
a TOILET is a LOT cleaner than the minds of most Christians.
have “ courage” dear. create more lies and believe in them .
its what lonely and pathetic existence thrives on to confirm ones own pitiful self righteous existence.
your life is all about CONTROL.
and you condemn those you CANT control . .
acceptence, and love and peace is what christ taught. not what you present as truth.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
satvicwarrior,
I have eight children, and I’m married to their father. You’re being intolerant of my alternative lifestyle.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Jeron - well stated!
September 20th, 2007 at 6:39 am
Dear Jeannette
i dont care if you have 80 children . if it makes you happy then do it. that’s YOUR business and not mine. Hardly intolerant on my part. where did you come up with that ???
.
no one is addressing your “ alternative “ lifestyle as you say. so you should stay out of the bed rooms of others.
Your “ approach to “ morality” is YOUR business and tween you and your god. Whether it be the Christian god of fear and self loathing, or even more extreme the Muslim god of fanatics and hate. its YOUR choice and not mine.
S o to apply your stream of what is right or wrong to others who you know nothing about is nothing more than control issues to confirm your own existence.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:22 am
sattvicwarrior: please pray for me, as I will for you. We all need forgiveness for the myriad ways we fail to follow God’s commandments. I used to think *Courage* members were self-loathing. That is, until I opened my mind to the 2,000 years of Church teaching. Ironically, *Courage* is a wonderfully liberating organization because it helps its members live according to the teachings of Christ and His Church. We all have crosses we must bear and we must all continue to discern Truth. Not “my truth” or “your truth,” but Truth as revealed in the Person of Jesus. God is not a god of fear; but the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. Not in a cowering-in-subservience kind of fear, but holy awe and respect. God is God, and I try to let Him be God and not set myself and my “feelings” over Him. I’ve found such wonderful peace and purification in the Church. I hope someday you find the same.
September 20th, 2007 at 10:18 am
sattvicwarrior: please pray for me, as I will for you.
[ my response is in caps. for no other reason that it separates the two dialogues]
PLEASE DEAR.
DON’T BE SO SELF SERVING. PRAY FOR YOURSELF. I HAVE ENOUGH GOING ON KEEPING MYSELF IN LINE AND IN THE GRACE OF GOD. BUT FOR YOU TO PULL ME INTO YOUR NEUROSIS IS THE HEIGHT OF SELF INDULGENCE ON YOUR PART AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH KNOWING GOD. . ONES IDENTITY IS ESTABLISHED ON A SINGULAR LEVEL AND NOT A COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS GLOSSED OVER WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S DOGMA
We all need forgiveness for the myriad ways we fail to follow God’s commandments. I used to think *Courage* members were self-loathing.
UHHHHHH. SWEETIE. !!!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION ITS USUALLY THE CORRECT ONE . .
That is, until I opened my mind to the 2,000 years of Church teaching. Ironically, *Courage* is a wonderfully liberating organization because it helps its members live according to the teachings of Christ and His Church.
CORRECTION PLEASE. THERE IS S HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH. . THE CHURCH HAS MANAGED TO DISTORT THAT OVER THE CENTURIES, IF YOU TOOK THE TIME TO REALLY STUDY CHURCH DOCTRINE, THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 SECTS OF CHRISTIANITY FOR ABOUT 125 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF CHRIST./. SO HOW CAN YOU SAY THEIR TEACHINGS ARE ACCURATE DEALING WITH THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST??
YOU HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED. . ITS THAT SIMPLE.
We all have crosses we must bear and we must all continue to discern Truth. Not “my truth” or “your truth,” but Truth as revealed in the Person of Jesus.
CLASSIC BRAINWASHED GARBAGE. GOOD FOR YOU . PASS THE BUCK! . NOW YOU CAN GO ON JUSTIFYING YOUR HATE FEAR AND SELF LOATHING FOR YOUR SELF AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO DON’T SEE IT YOUR WAY. . WHOOPEE. THEY HAVE WORKED THEIR MAGIC ON YOU . NOT THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST WHOSE TEACHINGS WERE QUITE SIMPLE. .
I DO WISH PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF WOULDN’T USE THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST. YOU ARE USING HIM AS A CATALYST FOR YOUR OWN IGNORANCE NOT FOR KNOWLEDGE OF LEARING WHAT GOD CONSCIOUSNESS IS ALL ABOUT
God is not a god of fear; but the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. Not in a cowering-in-subservience kind of fear, but holy awe and respect.
WELL YOU BETTER CHECK YOUR BIBLE DEAR. HERE ARE AFEW DIRECT QUOTES….The Biblical picture of God can hardly be reconciled with Christian teaching that “God is love”, eg.
All forms of life destroyed because of one imperfect species - Genesis 6:5,7, 7:23.
Human sacrifice commanded by God - Leviticus 27:28,29. God agrees that Jephthah sacrifices his daughter as a thanksgiving - Judges ll:29-40.
God sends ten plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh won’t release the Hebrews, but he deliberately hardens Pharaoh’s heart so he refuses to release the Hebrews making these plagues necessary in the first place - God admits this is so he can perform ‘his wonders’ (Exodus ll:9), ie. wholesale mass slaughter of life in Egypt - Exodus 7:3-4,l3-l4, l0:l,20.
God sanctions slavery and a man selling his daughter - Exodus 21:2-6,7.
Death demanded for heresy - Deuteronomy l3:l,2,5,l4,l5.
God says that if a man strikes ‘his slave’, male or female, and they do not die immediately, the man shall not be punished because ‘the slave is his money (ie. property)’ - Exodus 21:20-21.
God orders people to slaughter their own relatives because they rejected Moses’ religion; 3000 killed. Moses tells the killers that God would bless them for doing this by making them ordained for his service - Exodus 32:27-29.
A person to kill their own family for a difference of religion - Deuteronomy l3:6-l0.
God demands death for anyone not circumcised - Genesis l7:9-l4. God demands the sick are to be driven out of the community - Numbers 5:l-4.
God burns people to death for complaining - Numbers ll:l.
God kills 24,000 people by a plague because one of them brought a Midianite woman to his tent - Numbers 25:6-9.
AND THATS JSUT A START. [ YO WOULDNT QUESTION THE BIBLE WOULD YOU . AFTER ALL IT IS THE " WORD" OF GOD!!!. AND THERE YOU HAVE IT . RIGHT BEFORE YOU .
God is God, and I try to let Him be God and not set myself and my “feelings” over Him.
OK . NOW THAT IS THE MOST SIMPLEMINDED STATEMENT YET. HOW CAN YOU DESCRIBE INDIVISIBLE OMNIPOTENCE THAT WHICH IS WITHOUT DUALITY AND TRAPPINGS OF ALL THINKING PRINCIPLES. WITHOUT EXPERIENCING IT FIRST?
I’ve found such wonderful peace and purification in the Church. I hope someday you find the same.
…………………..and. SURPRIZEEEEEEEE..
I FOUND “ SUCH WONDERFUL PEACE AND PURIFICATION AFTER I LEFT THE CHURCH”.
THE CONCLUSION HERE IS LIVE AND LET LIVE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE SOMEONE ELSE'S BELIEFS THEN DON’T CRITICIZE THEM WITH YOUR OBVIOUSLY FLAWED DISTORTED DOGMA.
JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR YOU , DOES NOT MAKE IT A “GOLD STANDARD” FOR OTHERS. .
THAT IS THE HEIGHT OF SELF IMPORTANCE SELF SERVING PONTIFICATING ARROGANCE ON YOU PART, AND IF THAT'S A PART OF YOUR “ PURIFICATION “ THROUGH YOUR ORGANIZATION OF SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO CANT THINK FOR THEMSELVES . THEN I THINK YOU HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
[ Jesus told me to tell you that ].
LOVE.
sattvicwarrior
September 20th, 2007 at 11:01 am
sattvicwarrior and Jeron - I get it that you disagree. So I will leave it at that.
Thanks for your comments.
September 20th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
A quote from Jeff Cavins: “If you break God’s laws, your life will be broken.”
September 20th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
thanks tara/
you might want to inform dear Jeffy.
. a MAN who lives by what he loves [ in this case his own sense of self importance]…… but what he HATES is truly a Christian man .
thanks:)
sattvicwarrior
September 21st, 2007 at 12:11 am
opps. sorry tara.
It should have read. ”
a MAN who LIVES NOT by what he loves.[ in this case his sense of self importance]…. but what he HATES is truly a Christian MAN .”
September 21st, 2007 at 1:29 pm
sattvicwarrior
In reading your posts if I were to summarize what you are trying to say I would put it like this ” its OK to do and believe what you want, when you want, as long as it’s what you want.” I get it, we aren’t created in the image of God anymore, we just create our own image of God. Universal truths, natural law, forget about it - its all relative now baby. That might have served us for a couple of thousand years, but no more we’ve finally figured it now, we’ve become enlighten. I know its probably worthless to you to point out that the Church is guided not only by scripture but also by tradition and authority so I won’t even go there. I will say that your opinion is becoming more dominant and I expect it will continue to grow. Ironically, in the upcoming years Catholics who try and be faithful to the teachings of the Church will probably be as much of a minority in society (3-5%) as there are homosexuals in the general population. I can’t wait to see the results…………….. God help us all.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:26 am
sattvicwarrior: Sorry but I find you a bit confusing–are you saying you should live by what you love? Hmmmm if thats the case, I love cookies, cake, pie, french fries, potato chips and high fat ice cream–are you saying its good for me to have what I love so I will not suffer? seriously confused.
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:32 am
Dear Tara.
no no no . in this context we are speaking ” spiritualty” not of baking products. cmon thats apples and oranges
two totally differnt subject matters.
hope you get this before its deleted:)