Excellent question to ask. I'd add a twist to your post as well: Imagine if all the value-based protesters in the world (anti-gay, anti-sex-before-marriage, anti-everyone-different, anti-whatever) channeled their energies - which are, no doubt, substiantial - into other undeniably justified areas:

Curing cancer. Keeping drunk drivers off the roads. Giving our schools and teachers what they need to truly inspire and support the growth of our kids. Lord knows I could go on.

Imagine that world.

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Sometimes I think these people go to great lengths because they fear that what they oppose is actually who they are. For example, anti-gay _extremists_ fear that they might actually be gay or have gay tendencies so they do all they can to be against it to convince themselves that they certainly are not.

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Our state of Massachusetts hasn't dropped off into the Atlantic just yet. As far as I know, no families have been destroyed by the legally married gay couples living amongst them.

I don't understand the hatred. I do think in most cases the hatred comes first, the pulpit pounding later. It's all too easy to cherry pick Biblical text to justify a position we already hold.

The Bible (yes I know I've said this before) has been used to justify slavery, segregation, subjugation of women, on and on.

I cherry pick or proof text (http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/14435.htm) too. Here are a few examples that I'd love to hear out of the mouth of Fred Phelps rather than the venom he spews. I'm not holding my breath.

http://gadfly.igc.org/liberal/WWJD.htm



http://gadfly.igc.org/liberal/WWJD.htm

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Okay, I was going to write a comment about how, ever since a gay couple (with a son) moved in a couple doors down, our family had fallen apart, etc. (after all, it is April Fool's.) I just couldn't do it. The truth of the matter is, nothing's any different. They're nice guys who love their son very, very much.

What they do in their bedroom is no more any of my business than what any of our other neighbors do. To be perfectly honest, it's a lot less "disgusting" to consider than some of our other, shall we say, less-in-their-prime neighbors.

Further, if God is trying to punish someone for homosexuality, it sure seems to me like he's got pretty bad aim.

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I have thought about it. I'm not anti-gay. I don't hate gay people. I'm not a homophobe...I don't fear homosexuality. Of course, because I subscribe to Catholic teaching on homosexuality, most people figure that I am all of the above.

One time, at a Catholic bible study, one of the women asked why the Church hates homosexuals. That was a new one to me, as I had never been taught to hate anyone, but I had no words to answer or explain. We turned to the Catechism, which contains Catholic teaching in a nutshell. This is what the Catechism says:

Chastity and homosexuality

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

So let's don't call everyone who is against the normalization of homosexuality a mean name. I know that dehumanizing and labeling people makes them easier to dismiss and to hate, but it also shuts down communication of ideas.

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I always thought that christanity always practiced acceptance to all!

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I just watched a program on these sick people with Louis on the BBC and thought they were a little odd to begin with and then towards the end they would rejoice in the death of soldiers, people with cancer etc etc. I was extremely upset as a number of my family have died from cancer. I never get upset by television but it made me want to deliver a fist to their face. They are not human, they are rotten, mentally disabled, psycho animals. Deal with them.

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I don't think that people should be judged because of their race or their sexuality. It's the way that they act, the things the do and the person that they are that really matters.

Everyone has different beliefs and way of life and that's what keeps this world turning otherwise life would be really boring. Life isn't full of sin and evil, that's just the side of it that we see more often.

In my opinion, everyone will lie and do something "bad" in their lifetime. It's all a part of being human an technically it can't be healthy for you if can't go through the normal human processes.

Life is what you make it.

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Sandyone - I couldn't tell from your comments whether you agreed with the Church's teachings, but while the Catechism doesn't explicitly teach people to hate, it does so implicitly.

The phrase, "unjust discrimination" for example, leaves the door open to 'just discrimination' - whatever that is. Is it ok to discriminate against homosexuals who are not chaste?

Which brings me to another issue - that the Church believes they are 'called to chastity.' The Church is effectively saying, 'well, we will treat you with respect, but none of that sex-stuff.' As if it was possible to tell someone that they are being treated with respect and dignity while at the same time telling them never to have sex with a loved one again.

"They close the sexual act to the gift of life."

If the issue with homosexuality is that it closes the sexual act to the gift of life - well, then gays are in the same boat, as far as the Vatican is concerned, as every otherwise-good Catholic who uses birth control. Of course, I don't see a well publicised campaign to stamp out condom and birth control pill use by consenting adults by the American Bishops... Perhaps they are getting to it next week... Do American Catholics even confess to using birth control anymore? And are they required to do penance - or do you have to promise to avoid repeating the behavior before you even get to the penance?

Finally - "Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained" and "They are contrary to the natural law." Well, the psychological gensis is unexplained because the genesis is not psychological. i.e. the fact that you are gay is not all in your head. If the Catholic Church was not so willfully blind, it would realize that homosexual people, and animals as well, are born gay. Unless they think that gay sheep come from watching too much modern tv through the window of the farmhouse...

You would think that the recent scandals involving pedophile priests would have clued the Vatican into that - it would seem to make sense that the group of people *least* likely to prey on children of the same sex would be priests. In fact, I would have hoped that the number of pedophile priests would have been zero, but sadly that has not been the case...

So you can call it the 'normalization of homosexuality' if you want, but the fact is that it *is* normal - it is in accordance with natural law and the way God created the world. Penguins do it, sheep do it, dolphins do it, people do it, the rest of the list is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior

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Yes, this phelps 'grandfather' so to speak, has some issues concerning the Bible. On the program recently aired on the BBC, he proclaimed that they (a group of 70-odd) are the only ones to make it to the kingdom! Ridiculous! It says in John 10 v16, quoting directly: "And OTHER sheep i have which are not of this fold; them ALSO i must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd"(KJV) I'd be interested to hear this fellow's answer to that. Also, if their 70 strong clique are the ONLY ones going to the Kingdom, what is the significance of the 144,000 faithful number, prophecied in revelation?? Surely, that can't represent 70-odd people?! Their attitude also perplexed and confused me. If God had TOTALLY forsaken this entire world other than their small group, why would God have sent his Son to die on the cross for the sins of this entire world? God knew how this world would end up, but still he gave his ONE and ONLY Son for US. I'm sure he wouldn't have if he didn't love and care for each and every one of us, regardless. Jesus represented the TRUE example of a pure life, and as far as i'm concerned from the Word it doesn't say ANYWHERE that Jesus brutally condemned people of their sins, using various signs and other means parading the streets of Galilee, making people feel terrible about themselves! He approached them with love and kindness and never put himself on a pedastool to look down from them upon. Jesus came in LOVE and he continues to. He loves each and every one of us even when we stray from him or pull ourselves from the arms of his love. I would really like to have an interview with this man, not to condemn so much, but to show him that somewhere along the lines his spiritual discernment has been warped and he's wandering down a dangerous path. Proclaiming 'self-righteousness' in the first place, should be a warning to everyone about how misled and blinded they are to the REAL truth.

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I agree with many of these comments and views all of you give in response to this blog. Another possibility of why this family may be doing what they do, picketing and whatnot, because they may be craving the attention. This comment is mainly agreeing with what TwinMom said. They may be facing some sort of identity crisis, not knowing their sexuality preferences and went to this extent to let the world know that they are definitely not homosexuals.

I've never read the Bible before so I don't know whether or not there is a statement, claiming that being a homosexual is a sin and punishable by death. But I highly doubt that God would smite people for the sexuality of the people they love. This family is taking God and using him as their excuse of saying that it is "wrong" to be gay.

It's just sad to know that their children actually agree with these views of people and life. I mean, it is most likely that if their children ever have children of their own, that they're going to pass these views of God, homosexuality, and life in general to those kids.

Anyone can ascend to heaven after death (or have a good afterlife if you believe in karma and/or reincarnation) as long as you live your life to the fullest.

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