State
Some local Catholics struggle with church position on gay marriage
LEWISTON — Don't be surprised if you see people passing notes in church this Sunday.
Bishop Richard Malone, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, asked parishes to pass a second collection plate during services this weekend to help raise funds for the group seeking to repeal the recently passed marriage law that reaffirms religious freedom but allows the state to recognize same-sex civil marriages.
Local Catholics have voiced their opposition to the move in letters to the editor recently printed in the Sun Journal, and a group called Catholics for Marriage Equality announced Friday it is encouraging Catholics to place notes in opposition of the repeal effort into the plate as it is passed.
"I think there are so many Catholics out there who don't agree with the church's position, and I didn't want them to feel alone," said Janice David of Farmington, a Catholic.
David attends Mass nearly every weekend and looks to the church for guidance, but said she disagrees with its opposition to the new marriage law.
"Personally, the decision of the church on this issue is an embarrassment to me. I just don't think it reflects reality in terms of the information that's available to us now in this day and age about sexuality and homosexuality, specifically," she said.
Gayle Johnson, an Auburn Catholic, said the bishop has the right to make the rules within the Catholic Church, but not for all Maine residents.
"It's really important to know there is still a strong, faithful community that likes being Catholic and respects the bishop, but is very disappointed in his decision to fight this political battle," she said in an interview Friday. "I think it's really sad and goes against the social justice teachings of the church."
Christopher Rioux, a Catholic from Lewiston, said the church is well within its rights to help repeal the law.
"If the Catholic Church had the power to veto the law, that would be a problem, but we're just Americans like anybody else, so we certainly have the right to express our beliefs, to organize, to raise money and see what we can do about it," he said.
Rioux said those who don't believe in the Catholic teachings aren't Catholics, by definition.
"If you want to be Catholic, it means you believe what the Catholic Church believes; otherwise you call yourself something else or you join another church," he said.
Rioux said if some people want to write notes of opposition instead of making donations this weekend, they should.
"They don't seem to understand the nature of the church if they think that they can have a Democratic opposition to faith or morals and that somehow that's going to make a difference. It doesn't change reality," he said.
But Sen. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, a Catholic who voted in support of the law, said it's time for Catholics to speak up.
"People in the church should have a voice," she said.
Craven said she struggled with the decision of how to cast her vote this spring and lost the support of some constituents because of it.
"These aren't hateful or bad people; these are good people that do a lot of good things, so I am sad that I've lost their support from my one vote. But in my heart, I just had to do what I felt was right," she said.
Craven is still a practicing Catholic, but said she sometimes feels confused by the church's teachings.
"Our priests preach from the altar gorgeous and beautiful words that are inclusive and that are non-judgmental and charitable, and then in the next breath they are excluding people and hurting people and families," she said. "So I feel torn, and I feel that the mission is somehow lost."
Sue Bernard, spokeswoman for the diocese, said she has heard that some people are unhappy with the bishop's decision for a second plate to be passed, but maintained that it's an important issue for the church.
"There are those who think this is a good opportunity to give to the cause that they believe in, and then there are those who think that this is a very difficult time to be raising money when the churches are having such a hard time in other areas. They are kind of mixing the closure of churches with this issue, and we see it as two very different issues," she said.
rmetzler@sunjournal.com
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Madeleine..you, and the
Madeleine..you, and the other blowhards, are the one making anothers 'private life' so public..all they are asking for is equal rights....nothing more, nothing less. It is the people with dirty little pea brains who are making this issue a 'bedroom' one..not them!
Angel...Name calling, just
Angel...Name calling, just proves your lack of character. I personally do not care what anyone does in their bedroom, as long as they are both consenting adults. I am not their judge. Now let's get something straight. If you base marriage on what people do or do not do in their bedrooms, you are far from knowing anything about marriage. So Angel, practice what you preach, and you get your head out of the toliet! Equal right's? Don't you mean tax breaks for being married? Or maybe it is to do with insurance. Either way have the laws changed, but marriage was instituted by God, so take it up with Him...not the state of Maine. They will never be married. They are only deceiving themselves.
verified That's not true. What they
That's not true.
What they are asking for is that the State redefine marriage, something the state has no authority to do. It is NOT about equal rights. If it were simply about equal rights, legislation could be passed recoginizing "civil unions" between same sex couples, and afford them the same priviledges and bennefits allotted married couples. Rights have nothing to do with this issue. The state DOES NOT and CANNOT grant rights, civil or otherwise. They can pass laws that PROTECT rights or grant certain bennefits or priviledges. The reasoning is simple. If government could grant rights, government could also take them away.
We already have equal rights regardless of ones choice of lifestyle. Every man, woman and child, every gay or straight person, regardless of ones ethnicity, have the same rights. The confusion over this issue exists because some people think this is about rights. It is not. Marriage is not a right, it is an institution ordained by God. Marriage existed long before governments. Marriage would, and does exist, even in the absense of government. The family (one man, one woman and, if they are so blessed, children) is the foundational building block of society. It is for this reason that most governments pass laws that protect the institution of marriage. (Some of these laws also exist in the form of revenues, i.e. marriage licenses, etc, which also have nothing to do with rights.)
Another option would be to ammend the laws that exist for married couples to include domestic partners. That would cover everyone; married couples, heterosexual couples that live together but are not married, and gay couples. Now THAT would be truely fair and equal.
John A. Chick
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancey (January 6, 1816)
I am in full agreement John
I am in full agreement John A. Chick.
What two consenting adults
What two consenting adults do in their bedroom is their business...But they are not asking for privacy...they are asking for the world to embrace what they do behind closed doors. It's not going to happen! Marriage is between a man and a woman. God instituted marriage...not the State of Maine!
hfulp..........it is NONE of
hfulp..........it is NONE of YOUR business what ANYONE does behind closed doors!! Are we asking YOU what YOU do with YOUR 'partner'?? I think not..so, again...IT IS NONE OF YOUR DIRTY LITTLE MINDS BUSINESS!!
Taxpoor, Do not blame God
Taxpoor, Do not blame God for the sinfulness of man. Maine is in the condition that it is in because the sinfulness of many in this state. Don't complain about being poor, or anything else for that matter Taxpoor...when you shut the door on God, you decided to do it for yourself...your way. Maine isn't doing so well since the churches began closing. God did not leave Maine, Maine turned their backs to God, to embrace every sinful lifestyle known to man kind. Read your newspaper.
verified I am Protestant and my
I am Protestant and my church stands against same sex marriage and I agree with their stand... Not only should churches stand against it they should campaign against it... Homosexually is an aberration.... Seriously think about it... What do men with men and women with women do behind closed doors??? It's not natural...
You people that waste your
You people that waste your time going to a church and giving your money believing in some god I don't think are very intelligent. There is no god . You believe in a book older then dirt. There are so many things in this book that makes no sense but you still believe in the impossible. Where's god when a child is abused, has no food, is born with disabilities and so on. When something turns out well its ,Thank god, god was with me, god was watching out for me. Well where was god when a little kid dies in a fire, car wreck, is murdered Churches are just a money making business hoping they can keep you believing and giving them your money. Its time for all churches to pay taxes on every cent they receive I don't need a book older then dirt to tell me there is something very wrong with someone that is attracted to the same sex AND they have the same rights as everyone else but they want special rights. It don't mean anyone hates them just because they don't think they should be able to marry each other
verified I am not a Catholic, and I
I am not a Catholic, and I plan to vote YES on Question 1, but I regret the focus on money by the people most in the media on this issue: Marc Mutty of the R.C. Diocese of Portland and Baptist pastor Bob Emrich. I keep getting their fund appeals, but they never give an account of what has been done with the money they receive. I strongly suspect that the number of Yes votes on 1 will not be determined by the number of $$ collected by Mutty.
I have written a pamphlet ("There is no Right to be Agreed with") discussing why the new law should be rejected. It doesn't get into religion at all. I'd be glad to send a copy to anyone who requests it from me (299 High St., Farmington 04938; e-mail: licia@qhpress.org)
verified So if the bible says that
So if the bible says that being gay is wrong, does that also mean that owning slaves is okay? That's what the bible says....how about the Leviticus Holiness codes....According to the codes, a worker must be paid his wage on the day of his labor. A field is never to be harvested to the edge. Two types of yarn are never to be woven into the same cloth. Raw meat is not to be eaten. Tattoos are forbidden. Bigamy is clearly acceptable. Or is it okay to pick and choose what parts of the Bible you choose to live by?
It seems that we make "god"
It seems that we make "god" in our own image. The "god" of these blogs is small minded, mean spirited and lacking in grace.
I wonder how many gay or
I wonder how many gay or lesbian catholics there are and how they feel about the issue. I also wonder why sexually abusive priests picked on boys. Are those or were those priests gay besides being criminals? I think that instead of saying "no way", catholics should all take a look in the mirror and at their friends and families. If you had a gay son and he married another gay man, would you love him less as your son? If the answer is yes, maybe some soul-searching needs to be done to figure out your priorities.
Studies show that most
Studies show that most pedophiles are heterosexual. Sex crimes against children are about power and control, not sex.
We seem to have lost the
We seem to have lost the thread here. Ms. Bernard, these are not at all different issues. You can't spend the same dollar on two different things. "I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me;" because you chose to close schools and churches and pay an out-of-state company hundreds of thousands of dollars to come to Maine and take away legal rights of Maine citizens.
John28: m I think you miseed
John28: m I think you miseed annie's (well-written) point. And how can you get from her post that she would kick her child out of the home if he/she were gay? Quite a bitter sentiment with no factual basis. She would still love her child, but maybe not his/her lifestyle.
The church's stance is
The church's stance is correct. God comes first. The church is not asking anyone to turn their backs on the gay community. What the church is saying is that marriage is between one man and one woman...Not two of the same sex. If you have a problem with this, then take it up with God, not the church. You can not love your neighbor if you do not love God first. God is love. You can not love God if you are not obedient to His word. If you can not walk the walk, then don't call yourself a Christian, that would only make you a hypocrite. I believe that we are to love everyone, yet I also believe we do not love anyone if we must sin against God to please the flesh and it's desires. We have many that turn their eyes from sin...everyone has an excuse. We have woman and men that believe shacking up together is alright also, until babies start dying left and right because of the needs of their parents. Did anyone read the paper this week? Two year olds getting raped. Sinful decision making always leads to great pain and suffering. Wanting the best for someone is not joining in with them and sinfulness. Because when the consequences come down the enablers are just as guilty.
What happened to the fiction
What happened to the fiction that America enjoyed a separation of Church and State?
People all over the world do the most evil things in the name of their religion.
Personally I prefer "civil unions" over gay "marriage", but so-called "religion" has nothing to do with it.
Annie, Your words, not mine
Annie,
Your words, not mine "The Bible is a book of LOVE & FORGIVENESS". Then why must you hate so much. I bet if you have or had kids of your own that were born Gay, you would kick them out of your house. That's not LOVE!
annie The church gets its
annie
The church gets its way of thinking from the Bible. People seem to forget that. We, who call ourselves Christian's are told to love ALL men. God is love, and God loves the homosexual, (he loves everyone!) but he hates sin, and according to the Word of God, homosexuality is a sin. That is not my opinion, it is God's. So for the church to EVER condone marriage between same sex couples would be for them to go AGAINST the Word of God. If you do not believe what the church stands for, leave. The church should never alter it's stand on things that the Word opposes. And don't assume what the Word of God says, read the Bible for yourself. It is not a book of condemnation, but of love and forgiveness.
"It is not a book of
"It is not a book of condemnation, but of love and forgiveness." ......Now and historically, it has not always been used that way.
Please remember, God gave us all free will and the ability to question and think for ourselves.
verified First off, the church has no
First off, the church has no right getting involved in politics in the first place. The catholics may not believe in homosexuality , but yet the preists themselves are the biggest perpertraitors of this. Whats up with that anyway? If preist were allowed to marry and have a family like normal people, there would not be so much sexual abuse of preist molesting children. Nobody has the right whatsoever to jude except GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF. IT IS HIS DECISION and NONE OF NOBODYS BUSINESS. Religion and politics do not mix. KEEP RELIGION OUT OF THE POLITICAL ISSUES.
You are equating
You are equating homosexuality with pedophilia. They are not the same.
Why stay in the Catholic
Why stay in the Catholic church if all you are going to do is complain?
verified Seriously mom. Are you a
Seriously mom. Are you a blind follower? Are you saying it's not OK to be a Catholic and ask questions? Have an original thought mom. You might like it.
verified Why stay in the United
Why stay in the United States of America if all you are going to do is complain?
I am also a Catholic who
I am also a Catholic who does not believe in every single thing the church preaches. I am 110% for marriage..no matter who you chose to marry! The people who say things like, "what's next, we can marry our dog?", or , " Whats next, we can marry our sibling?" are just plain DUMB....this country is based on FREEDOM....what, not just the Catholic Church, but others as well, are trying to do is take a human beings freedom away from them, and make them feel like they are lower class humans, just because GOD chose to make them love someone of the same gender. REMEMBER..being gay is not a chosen lifestyle, GOD made these humans this way...would God not want HIS children to be loved and happy? The God i believe in loves all his children....society has made the bishops the way they are....MY Catholic God believes in equality for all......Thank God for my God!!
All the anger and hate that
All the anger and hate that so many of you have against God's Children and see the Bishop on TV recently, red face and nearly foaming at the mouth for his hate and anger of God's Children. May God have pity on his soul. So many of you must really hate ALL that God created.
If you don't agree with the
If you don't agree with the Catholic church's position on gay marriage....don't put anything in the collection plate or better yet leave the church and join another. The Catholic church is not the be all and end all of religion. Catholics need to start standing up to the church when they don't agree with the bishops and pope.
I have never in my life been
I have never in my life been so ashamed of the Catholic Church and especially the idiocy spearheaded by Bishop Malone. The church that preaches love and tolerance is now one of discrimination and hate. More and more, I wonder "What Jesus Would Do?"
Ms. Bernard, these are not
Ms. Bernard, these are not at all different issues. You can't spend the same dollar on two different things. "I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me;" because you chose to close schools and churches and pay an out-of-state company hundreds of thousands of dollars to come to Maine and take away legal rights of Maine citizens.
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