Who is in the Dark?
Boston Globe writer, Beverly Beckham, writes in the local news section of the paper about her understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Her article, My Church is in the dark about gays, is a curious piece for being placed in the local news section of the paper, which is perhaps the only noteworthy thing about it.
She begins the article with a personal reflection of her Catholic childhood. She was enamored with the affective aspects of the liturgical experience. However, she was not big on truth or obedience. Nor is she big on logic.
One might think that an article that purports to discuss the Church’s teaching on homosexuality might at least mention what the Church’s position is. There is nothing of that. You might think she would present an argument as to why her position is right and the Church’s wrong. You will be disappointed.Â
What she does do is to explain that as a girl she always wanted to be a saint, but that she was devastated when she was told it was sinful to miss Mass on Sunday. She apparently held this “trespass” against the Church for 17 years, when she did not darken its doorstep. Â
Why did she come back? Because of truth? No; because of a nice priest. Why does she stay? Because of Truth? No, apparently because her parish now has altar girls, lay lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and is non-judgmental. So she is able to turn ”a deaf ear to Rome’s dictates about premarital sex, divorce, artificial insemination, and contraception.” In her church (parish?) there is no finger pointing.
O.k. so what about the Church’s teaching on “gays” and why is it wrong?  Well, because “Straight and gay, God made us and loves us all.” That’s it? Well, it must have been a slow news day there at the Globe. This sloppy thinking (if it can be called thinking) is not just a problem with Catholic dissenters (though it undoubtedly is the reason they can get away with dissent in their minds) but it is a broad problem with our society. Trouble is that the average Globe reader might just be convinced by this non-argument.
Because she does not state the Church’s position it is hard to see what she thinks it is. If she thinks that “gay” is ontological she is confused in her anthropology. If she thinks that God hates anything He creates, she is confused in her understanding of God. If she thinks the Church teaches that God hates sinners, she is confused in her dogmatics. If she thinks that one can sin mortally and be saved without repentance because God loves everyone, she is confused in her soteriology. If she thinks that her opinions (no doubt formed by her culture) can somehow trump divine Revelation, she is confused in her fundamental theology.
I think I detect a pattern here. It is one of confusion.
It is great that this good priest got a wayward Catholic back to Church. However, it does not seem to be doing much good to make ole Bev feel at home in the parish and still be ignorant about the Church and what is necessary for salvation. Beverly unfortunately is not alone. Her uniqueness is in having a platform to advertise her ignorance to so many others.Â
While it is still Catholics who are spreading a false understanding about the Church and what She teaches, it will be a long haul before we are able to evangelize the world with the full truth of the Gospel.
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Excellent commentary. This is the nature of dissent, but I believe that it will be much easier for Jesus to touch the heart of this woman if she remains in some sort of Catholic church.
What this woman has to ask herself is:
If the Church is wrong about the nature of sin, the natures of man and woman and the nature of God, how can she be sure that the Church is right about the things she happens to believe?
But the Devil is insidious. He has cloaked sin in the “acceptable” wrapping of kindness, forgiveness and tolerance. It’s an “I’m Ok/ You’re Ok” theology which doesn’t jibe with what Jesus teaches.
Jesus rebuked people on many occasions and said “…neither do I condemn you. Go forth and sin no more“
Comment by Tony — March 22, 2006 @ 8:51 AM
Tony,
I suppose that your comment: but I believe that it will be much easier for Jesus to touch the heart of this woman if she remains in some sort of Catholic church.
refers to my statement: However, it does not seem to be doing much good to make ole Bev feel at home in the parish and still be ignorant about the Church and what is necessary for salvation.
I thought about this for a while after I had posted it. I suppose that I should be more clear. I agree that it is much more likely of reaching people while they are in the Church. I didn’t mean to suggest that we should supplement the Holy Spirit’s spiritual 2x4s with real ones.
My point here is that all too often priests seem to think that their job is to get people back to Church and so they believe they must soft peddle the difficult truths because they are afraid it will chase them away again. There certainly is a way to present the truth gradually and charitably, but the pastor’s ignoring the truth is not the charity that dissenters need.
I suspect we are on the same sheet of music on this one?
Comment by David — March 22, 2006 @ 9:38 AM
“I am as Catholic as the moon is round.”
Well technically the moon is not round since it has plenty of crater and peaks. Round-like maybe kind of like Catholic-like.
You’re right about her logic which is the very logic constantly used. The common fallacy of:
God everybody, thus God loves homosexuality.
So often they comfuse a sinful activity with someone’s very personhood as if the two cannot be seperated.
Comment by Jeff Miller — March 22, 2006 @ 4:06 PM