The recently appointed CEO of Mozilla Corporation, Brendan Eich, has been forced to resign under pressure from lobby groups over his donation in support of California proposition 8. He has done nothing except exercise his right to free speech in support of traditional marriage. Blogger Andrew Sullivan, a gay man himself, says it best.
Will he now be forced to walk through the streets in shame? Why not the stocks? The whole episode disgusts me – as it should disgust anyone interested in a tolerant and diverse society. If this is the gay rights movement today – hounding our opponents with a fanaticism more like the religious right than anyone else – then count me out. If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us.Not content with equal rights under the law, some segments of the gay community want to force Christians and anyone who does not accept their new dogma into the same closet they came out of. I am pleased that someone in that community has chosen to speak out so forcefully. Fear of job loss, financial ruin and social rejection has forced many to remain silent.
In Charlotte, NC the controversy over Sr. Jane Dominic Laurel's presentation at the high school assembly continues. A meeting was held recently for people concerned about it but the bishop did not attend. He was represented by the diocesan vicar for education Fr. Roger Arnsparger. Both the vicar and the school chaplain have apologized to the parents. As near as I can tell, Sr. Jane quoted some scientific studies that are open to debate. According to the diocesan representative
"I understand that Sister used data from the Linacre Quarterly, a reputable (Catholic Medical Association) journal, and from other sources," Father Roger Arnsparger, the diocese's vicar of education, said to Charlotte's Catholic News Herald. "That data can be debated and, in fact, is debated back and forth by scholars who are researching the areas of human sexuality. Because of the ongoing debate, it would have been better if these studies and data were omitted from the presentation to the students."This is at best a "gotcha on a technicality" because while the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality is unequivocal, it remains silent on its causes. Remaining silent where the Church is silent may be prudent in a high school but this controversy has had the effect of silencing Sr. Jane altogether. She has cancelled upcoming speaking engagements and taken a leave from teaching. She is being forced into the closet.
Both of these situations are massively unfair although not unexpected. Our Lord said
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el′zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. Matthew 10:16+
Andrew Sullivan: The Hounding of a Heretic
Brendan Eich resigns as Mozilla Corp CEO
Nearly 1,000 attend Charlotte Catholic meeting on nun’s speech
Dominican nun at heart of Charlotte Catholic controversy takes leave from teaching
5 comments:
The saddest thing is that Sr. Jane is being forced into the closet by her "own". Young "Catholics", their parents, and the cowardly clergy - have taken up the cudgel and quickly spirited sister out of the classroom and into a closet.
The pace of desacralization of our society is quickening. These are shocking events, esp. with the nun Sr. Jane. I just blogged an entry on this. http://bit.ly/1gZhuWY
Only when Catholics stand up with signs, protests and events in their churches and communities will Bishops get the message and evil be put down.
God have mercy on us. In Ontario we have "Catholic" school teachers who have aligned themselves with the homosexualist movement in order to protect the rights of gay students and teachers by participating in the world pride event in June. No repercussion, no condemnation, no request to have the name Catholic removed from the name of the Association. But by all means let us muzzle a teaching religious sister who stands for truth. Why am I putting anything in the collection plate on Sunday? Am I just perpetuating the culture of the church of nice?
Pardon me for asking, but what did she say the causes of homosexuality are? Fr. John Harvey identified them as 1)problem with a same sex parent, 2) child molestation and 3) porn. Is that what upset everybody? There is no doubt that ordinary Penthouse porn leads to homosexuality (although it doesn't have to), but there are Catholics who have come out of the gay lifestyle and firmly blamed reading porn at an early age like 8 and 10 years old. And a good 90 percent of the people working in the porn industry were sexually abused as a child. Re: same sex parent, there are sociological studies showing that children of same sex relationships grow up and self identify as anything but heterosexual. Could she have cited research on epigenetics, not a gene, but something temporary that can get passed down by the family sort of accidentally in nature. If the existence of such a thing is real, it is irrelevant to the question. Just because someone inherits some abnormality does not give anyone the right to practice homosexuality! We are to strive for chastity, married or unmarried. The chaste celibate life can be as fruitful as the married life! In heaven there is no giving and taking in marriage in heaven, yet we will retain our human bodies, male and female. We will be "sons of the resurrection." Personally, I'm looking forward to it -- in due time of course. As the Catholic organization of Courage advocates, we must always and everywhere strive for chastity!
God bless you. Susan Fox www.christsfaithfulwitness.com
Unfortunately details about what she said about the causes of homosexuality are sketchy. The quote from the diocesan vicar are the best I could find. Her mother superior mentioned sociological studies. The Church does not speak about this matter, choosing to state that the act is gravely immoral and intrinsically disordered, whatever the cause. The causes of homosexuality are open to debate.
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