A Call To Catholics For Reason; Will It Be Heard?

This post is a rebulishment of a comment I made on DTF-jayg.blogspot.com:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

What people should be willing to talk about is the fact that our society here in America is not completely Catholic, nor are it's laws designed to enforce Catholic teachings. Our laws are a representation of what the total body thinks is best to serve everyone's needs. For far too long some have been denied equality because of a certain aspect of themselves, be it the color of their skin, their gender, heritage, or sexual orientation. Catholics have every right to believe what they want, to teach what they want, and to live their lives based on those beliefs.

One's rights end where another person's equal rights begin however, and our society has mandated a social philosophy that says we are all equal in the eyes of our government. My right to believe that God made me gay and wants me to find happiness in accepting who I am, and as I am, is protected as equally as any beliefs other people have. When people try to use God as a reason to deny my equality we have to refer back to our Constitution, and not the Catholic doctrine, since the country is founded on the former and not the latter.

I am trying to give people an opportunity to see that gay people, like everyone else, are all individuals, and deserving of the same individual justice that everyone else receives. I am no more responsible for someone else's loud inappropriate behavior than any of you here who are arguing against my points. At some point I should become "John Hosty" and not simply one of "them". By being able to see people as individuals it will help you to remember that justice dictates we do not prejudge one another. True justice is only found through fairness.

I also am trying to give those who will never come to be friendly neighbors an opportunity to put on the table what exactly they expect from the gay community, and have meaningful dialog over that issue. You can't bitch about not getting what you want, then when someone asks, have nothing to say. That is not getting either of us anywhere.

I have responded to the unending requests for debate on a religious level, now it is your turn to in kind talk about what I ask. I will not insult your intelligence by saying you lack the intelectual capacity to do so like you did to me, I will simply ask that you come to the table. Tell me what you want.

I don't think that people are so unreasonable as to think they can expect the gay community to stop in their tracks. That will never happen, and has never happened, even when being gay meant the death penalty. It is high time that we sit down and hash out how we are going to live together as neighbors, both sides in good standing with our mutually supported government.

Control is an illusion, and something that niether side has. The best we can hope for from one another is cooperation, and to get cooperation we need dialog over our needs.

As most of you know I come from a long line of Catholic heritage. I understand and respect why so many of you find peace within by its teachings. You should not misunderstand people who differ in opinion as an attack on that faith. What matters most is that we learn to follow the most important thing to us all, and that is while living in a society of conflicting ideas, we respect those who show us respect.

Most people won't bother trying to have a conversation with those who are diametrically opposed to their beliefs, but I believe it is important. It helps me to question myself, and in doing so grow in understanding. It also helps me dispell fear; the hobgoblin of us all. I see RESPECT as the key to our mutual problems. When we find it in our hearts, we have found the solution that evades us.

They say only Nixon can go to China, so why not an overactive gay rights activist come to a uber-conservative group and find an eager ear? Sometimes strangers are friends you have not yet met. My door is open as well as my heart and mind.

One thing I would ask is that people start posting their own thoughts instead of the cutting and pasting of someone else's work. That type of exchange does not eleviate the stress that has brought us together. We need to be more Christ like, and rise above the clamour as we are called to do.