[img]https://www.sermonindex.net/images/forum/2004/may/featured_news.gif[/img]Grappling with the implications of a Vatican directive issued last week that would bar most gay men from seminaries, Roman Catholics at several parishes around the country yesterday offered sharply contrasting interpretations of its impact on the priesthood, on the potential for sex abuse by clergy members and on the church itself.More than three dozen interviews at churches in Los Angeles and around Boston, Washington and Austin, Tex., underscored that Catholics were as divided as the rest of the country in their attitudes about gay men and lesbians. Roughly half the Catholics interviewed praised the Vatican document as upholding church teachings, which consider homosexuality "objectively disordered." But just as many parishioners criticized it as unfair to gay men, saying that a priest's commitment to celibacy should be the issue, not his sexual orientation.Similarly, some Catholics said that because the majority of victims in the scandals involving sexually abusive priests were boys, barring gay men from the priesthood would reduce the likelihood of such abuse in the future. But others said there was no link between homosexuality and pedophilia, especially many parishioners in Boston, an archdiocese profoundly affected by the sexual abuse scandal.
_________________SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
"Let the dead bury the dead." While I want to punch myself in the face for lack of better words, the Catholic church is festering with Idolatrey and deception, and this is just one more issue added on that stack. Basically, they don't serve God, and it doesn't matter if they add just one more thing to their judgment. Grace and Peace...
The reason the world is about to implode/ explode is because Christians are in their hearts for the most part divided when it comes to understanding and living as part of the Body of Christ. We believe that our particular church has seen the light and until everyone joins our right church others are basically doomed. The Catholic church used to be accused of this but who is doing it now.? This post from groh-frog - name hidden of course- reflects an attitude not of Christian truth and love - but a fanaticism that hurts the Body of Christ ie all true believers. And i am one - a believer - saved - and a Catholic. This may upset some , but it is true. The world wants and wanted to see Christians united in the power of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders are to accompany Jesus disciples. May they all be one so that the world believes..ie if we are not one ( in repentance ..sorry i thought you were doomed etc..) the world will not believe, Of course the Catholic Church has crapped on many and for that it is the poorer. But we are all in need of repentance and the urgent need to throw ourselves onto Jesus.To hold Him to cry and say SORRY. Then the true church will shine.Until then we are empty vessels in our own little corners thinking our corner is everything. My prayer is that we about turn and reach out to the other corners, to each other. Peace and the Love of Jesus be with you all as we wait for the Lord's coming in these last days ONE THING GREATER THAN A PURE HEART IS A PURIFIED HEART
hmmm...I don't want to get too far off into a tangent debate about which particular denomination is more correct, etc., but Christ said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands". But a church that is filled with idolatrey, that bows down to false [edit: IDOLS], etc. And again, do you know that Revelation talks about a one-world-religion? My question to you, is this: If you claim to follow Christ, then why don't you believe his Word? I do believe that it's possible to become a true follower of Christ while you're a Catholic, but the Catholic church has perverted God's Word, and if you're reading your Bible, you'll see that. But it's not the only "denomination" to have done so. There's several little debates on this, but if you'd like to get deeper into it, we should start a new column, or you can email me.Grace and Peace...
"Test Everything..."Grace and Peace...