Iron Works: gay marriage

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Gay Marriage - A Pro-Life Issue

The video below is from the March 26 episode of Piers Morgan's show on CNN. By now you may have already heard about this video where Morgan and his guest Suze Orman try to debate Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation on the issue of gay marriage. Anderson did a brilliant job of defending traditional marriage despite the fact that the whole event was a farce and staged against him. I don't want to rehash the whole debate, but if you want more details please watch the video below and then read this article: How not to have a debate about gay marriage.

What I want to discuss here is what happened beginning around the 11:25 mark in the video. It was both eye-opening and disturbing. Anderson attempts to explain how the true definition of marriage is not just about uniting a man and a woman, but also about the procreation and raising of children.It was at this point that Orman and Morgan mocked him and encourage the studio audience to do so as well. Their point was that Anderson was wrong and that marriage has nothing to do with children and is only about whatever two consenting adults want.

I shouldn't be too surprised about this reaction. Our society has embraced death through the use of artificial contraception and abortion. The logical progression from there would be to separate marriage from openness to life. Blessed John Paul II in the Theology of the Body, described marriage has having two important aspects that can never be seperated, the unitive and procreative. Unfortunately, as Ryan Anderson tried to explain in the video, we began to change marriage and split those two aspects 40 years ago with the sexual revolution and widespread use of contraception and abortion.

The sad result of that is exactly what we saw in the video, our society does not see the importance of both the unitive and procreative sides of marriage. Instead it sees marriage as just a type of recognition of a sexual relationship between two people. If children and openness to life is not important in marriage, then it's no surprise that a growing number of people support same-sex marriage.

This is why this battle to protect traditional marriage is a pro-life issue. It all goes back to the central issue of life. Gay marriage will only further the split between marriage and children that began 40 years ago. Future generations will not see children as a blessing and part of the very nature of marriage, but instead as an incidental outcome or even a burden. The daunting challenge that we face is changing people's hearts to accept that sex is sacred, every life is a blessing, and participating with God in the creation of a new human life is at the very heart of marriage.

We Are an Easter People

In this Easter season, we rejoice in the hope and promise of victory that we see in the Risen Christ. Just as the Lord conquered sin and death, we know that through Him we will be ultimately victorious. We, as the Body of Christ, are an "Easter People" because at the core of our faith is the hope of the resurrection.

This world constantly tells us that our Church is outdated and dwindling. Judging by the media, it seems as if we are losing the battles against intrinsic evils such as abortion and homosexual marriage. Think about how many times you have heard lately that the Catholic Church is on the wrong side of history and the most Catholics don't agree with Church doctrine on issues like contraception and gay marriage. Judging by all of these messages, it sounds as if the Church is on it's death bed.

The truth is that like Christ on Good Friday, we will be mocked and condemned in the court of public opinion. This world want's nothing more than to see the Church on its own road to Calvary, where it will be put to death once and for all. As the Body of Christ, our Church will be persecuted and suffer. It seems we may be entering into those dark times right now with the threat to our religious freedoms casting a large shadow over us. But as an Easter people we know that the story doesn't end there. Because of Christ's Resurrection, we know that ultimately we as the Church will be victorious over sin and death.

During this Easter Season, let us celebrate and show the world that Easter is more than just a day about spring, eggs, and bunnies. It is a time to rejoice in the promise of victory that we have witnessed in the Risen Christ! Alleluia!

Related story:
How we can be Easter people

The Catholic Vote and The Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

With Election Day approaching, I think its important to clarify what Pope Benedict XVI has called the non-negotiable moral principles. I want to first start with a letter that was published recently in my local newspaper, The Providence Journal by a self identified "Catholic" voter.

My conscience as a Catholic voter

Conscience and voting have been the the topic of concern throughout the Catholic community as well as many other religious communities. Seeking to establish a clear and informed conscience, I have concluded:
* To gut many safety-net programs for the poor, the handicapped and the elderly would be contrary to the Vatican II declaration of "preferential option for the poor."

* To force us as citizens to make the lives of illegal immigrants who have not committed any other crime in our country so miserable that "they will want to leave on their own," flies in the face of our commitment to charity and the corporal works of mercy.

* To remove the long-overdue opportunities for so many more of our citizens to receive health care is blatantly unjust in our democratic society. Trying to justify this just to satisfy a "teaching" that all contraceptives are either a means of abortion or at least contrary to the unfounded notion that intercourse between husband and wife must be with the accepted knowledge that a pregnancy might result is wrong.

Our Catholic leaders' role is to persuade; not to control. And the range of persuasion is to its own and those who might be interested. Many Catholic institutions employ large numbers of non-catholic people.

* To believe that running our country like a huge corporation will result in millions of new jobs, increase in wages and major reduction of debt in four years is, to say the least, unrealistic.

* To think that our modern world of global communication and myriads of governments and religions will be convinced by military domination is naive and dangerous.

Thus with a clear and informed conscience (which my Catholic Church teaches is the bottom line for any decision-making) I will vote for another term for President Obama.

Ray H__.

This is my reply letter which was published the following day:

Catholic Teachings

This is in response to the letter by Ray H__ , “A Catholic's Vote”, published on the Providence Journal on October 31, 2012. While the issues of safety net programs for the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important, Mr. Hodges own remarks demonstrate that his conscience is not as well informed on Catholic doctrine as he thinks it is.

Pope Benedict XVI has stated repeatedly that there are three non-negotiable moral principles that should come before all other issues in politics. Those principles are the protection of human life, the protection of traditional marriage and family, and religious freedoms. President Obama has failed miserably on these three issues. Ray H. is correct that the Catholic Church teaches about the primacy of the conscience. But that applies to a conscience well formed by Catholic teachings grounded in moral and natural law. By this standard, no Catholic in good conscience can justify voting for Obama because of his disregard for these moral principles.

Secondly, Ray H__'s comments such as “gutting safety net programs” and removing healthcare demonstrates that his political beliefs are not formed by the Catholic Church or Vatican II documents but by the falsehoods of a Presidential administration that has been an abysmal failure over the last four years.

Rob A.

I shared this to highlight how so many Catholics are in denial , misinformed, or poorly catechized about these moral issues. I agree that issues like aiding the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important matters which deserve consideration when voting. However, the three non-negotiable moral principles, mentioned in my letter above, are the foundation stones which all others are built upon. When these are not properly respect and come under attack, society and all other issues will greatly falter as is clearly evidenced by what is happening in our nation today.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI as well as Blessed John Paul II have spoken and written extensively on the utmost importance of these moral principles. Unfortunately many Catholics and non-Catholics alike have yet to open their minds and hearts to this truth. Please pray for our nation during these final days before the election that all people and especially our newly elected leaders will embrace these principles and rebuild a culture of life. I have included links below to a voting guide on EWTN.com based on these moral principles and to a speech given by Pope Benedict in 2006 in Europe regarding these same issues. Please share this information with others.

Voting and the Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

Pope Benedict XVI's Address to European People's Party

Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

From CNN: Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

Does the above story really surprise anyone? I don't believe that his position on gay marriage has "evolved" at all. The truth is he didn't have the backbone to take a stand on this issue until he was finally backed into a corner by remarks by Joe Biden and others in his cabinet. As far back as 1996, Obama was on record supporting gay marriage. More recently, Obama's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and his push to end the Defense of Marriage Act made it very clear what he thought of traditional marriage. Also in 2009, Obama criticized supporters of traditional families as trying to "enshrine discrimination in the Constitution" and "holding on to outworn arguments and old attitudes". Make no mistake about it, Obama holds very radical views on religious freedom, marriage, family, and even human life.

To put it bluntly, it is unconscionable for any Catholic to vote for Barack Obama. While there may be issues where he is in agreement with Catholic doctrine, absolutely nothing outweighs his stances on the intrinsic evils of abortion and gay marriage and his blatant attacks on religious freedoms. I cannot fathom any circumstances that would justify a Catholic voting for Obama. The problem here is that too many Catholics are not educated enough in their faith and don't fully understand the Church's teachings on these critical issues.

This is a crucial point in our nation's history. Never before has a sitting president been so opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage, family, and human life. With the upcoming election, we have the opportunity to right this ship and get our nation off of the deadly course it's on right now. This isn't about being a "progressive catholic" or "liberal catholic" or "conservative catholic" or a "traditional catholic". This is about being a Catholic first and foremost and standing shoulder to shoulder with our Bishops and priests as well as our brothers and sisters from other denominations to defend our faith and families.

I strongly encourage you to read "Our First Most Cherished Liberty" by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a powerful document that details the current threat to our religious freedoms by the the recent HHS mandate, gay marriage laws, and even illegal immigration laws. It is very important that we as Catholics educate ourselves and share these truths with as many people as possible. Our Church and our faith are under attack and we can't afford to be complacent. To quote Roger Cardinal Mahoney in the above Bishop's statement, "this must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic community can muster."

Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?

Spiritual Warfare and Catholicism Under Attack.

I want to share with you a presentation I gave recently to the Christian Men's Breakfast Meeting Group at the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul in Providence RI:

Good morning. I want to begin our discussion about the attacks on our faith with some examples from my own experiences. As some of you know, I have written quite a few letters over the last few years to state, and federal leaders and to the news media on topics such as gay marriage, abortion, and in defense of our Bishop. What you may not be aware of is the disturbing reactions and backlash I have gotten from these letters. Many times people have written back to the Providence Journal and left comments on their website viciously attacking our faith and me personally. I have been called a hater, bigoted, sexist, racist, a closet homosexual, and a dangerous fanatic. I have also been accused several times of brainwashing and psychologically abusing my children because I dare to teach them the truths of our faith such as homosexual behavior is disordered and abortion is murder. Even my wife has been harassed. Several months ago, during the time that the civil unions bill was being rammed through the state house, my wife was driving home from work when another driver started yelling and cursing at her. Why? Because she dared to have a bumper sticker on her car that displayed our support for traditional marriage.

I could go on, but all this pales in comparison to the way other Catholics, our Church and even Bishop Tobin have been attacked for preaching the truth. It goes far beyond just a disagreement or a difference of opinions. There is a feeling of darkness and evil behind the open hostility shown toward Catholics and even Christians in secular world and especially in the media. Just a couple of weeks ago, a Catholic writer in Massachusetts who writes for the Diocese of Worcester’s newspaper, wrote an article on her own website about how she was not comfortable taking her young children to a local park because of the open display of affection she had seen there between two gay men. Being a devout Catholic mother, she only wanted to protect her children from inappropriate behavior. She ignited a firestorm of hatred from athiests and gay advocates because of this article. She and her family were viciously attacked on-line when gay advocates found her article and spread it to other gay friendly websites. They somehow found her street address and phone number and actually posted it online and encouraged people to contact her at home and harass her. It got to the point where she actually received a death treat and finally contacted the police. The police investigated the matter but as you would guess, they never classified it as a hate crime. As in the norm in our society, hate crimes don’t matter when they are against Catholics because it seems this is an acceptable form of bigotry.

The Battlelines Have Been Drawn

US bishops’ lawyers accuse Obama Administration of ‘an unprecedented attack on religious liberty’

This is really only the beginning. Over the last several years under the current administration, we have seen a gradual erosion of religious liberties. We have witnessed this with forcing the acceptance of gay marriage on the state and federal level, and now with this mandatory coverage of contraception with its dangerously narrow religious exemption clause.

I seriously feel that this is only the beginning and it will get much worse. Christians, and especially Catholics, will continue to be marginalized and forced to choose between their faith and obeying the law. Unless we wake up soon and finally take a stand for our faith, we will be sliding down that slippery slope with increasing speed.

Forced To Accept Immorality

Stacy Trasancos at Accepting Abundance wrote a great commentary on her experience as a practicing Catholic and mother of young children, having to face the immorality our society finds acceptable. Specifically, she mentions her children encountering public displays of affection among gays in a local park in her town.

As expected the gay-rights crowd, whose mantra is tolerance, have flooded her blog with comments attacking her and even making threats against her and her family. In other words, they refuse to tolerate her beliefs and her rights to free speech. As Mark Shea, in his own unique way, states on his blog: "Tolerance is not enough. You. MUST. Approve. And you MUST force your daughter to approve as well."

Stacy responded bravely to these attacks with two more posts on her blog, You duped me, O LORD and Accepting Evangelization. In the latter posting, she discusses one important lesson she learned from these ugly attacks. It is an important lesson all Catholics should remember:

Be willing to suffer, but know that you in fact may not. Grace will conquer suffering and turn it into rejoicing. And that, dear fellow Catholics, will make you never want to give up or shut up! It will instill in you an abundance of joy that will bless you in ways you will not even expect.

Thank you Stacy for having the courage to speak the truth and to stand by our faith. May God bless you and please continue your good work.

Please click on the links above to visit Stacy's blog and to leave words of encouragement and support for her.

More On The Loss of Our Religious Freedoms

Recently, I did a couple of posts about the loss of religious freedom because of the homosexual agenda. ( Those posts can be seen here and here.) I came across two headlines yesterday that further underscore this growing threat to our religious rights

Illinois gay civil unions threatens to force Catholic Charities out of adoptions

Army: court-martial Chaplains for "religious, conscience" objection to homosexuality.

This is the stark reality we are facing. Because of a well organized and well funded gay agenda and political correctness becoming its own religion in this country, we are witnessing the dawning of a new age of Christian persecution in our society. The concepts of tolerance and equality are nothing more than a thin veneer masking an ugly hostility towards our faith. Unless more of us stand up and act like true followers of Christ, the voice of Catholics and Christians in general will be silenced in our society.

I also wanted to share the following links and video which demonstrates the level of "tolerance" shown to members of TFP Student Action during their rally to defend traditional marriage here in Rhode Island. The very same people who claim to believe in tolerance and civil rights are spewing hatred and obscenities at these young men standing up for their faith and true marriage. What is even more disturbing is that a week earlier, the local media, displaying their usual bias, reported on the peaceful rally at Brown University in favor of same sex marriage. But when Traditional Marriage supporters rallied in the very same location and were attacked, it was completely ignored by all local news channels and newspapers.

Pro-Homosexuals at Brown University Respond to Peaceful TFP Rally with Violence

Pro-Homosexuals Attempt to Rip TFP Sign in Newport

The Inevitable Collision of Gay Marriage and Religious Rights

This is a video that anyone on the fence about gay marriage should watch. This is a talk given by Rhode Island attorney Scott Spear gave to the Knights of Columbus in Providence. I have had the privilege of hearing Mr. Spears in person on two occasions. This is a powerful presentation that I hope will open eyes to the looming legal threat that the gay marriage agenda is to our faith.

Thanks be to God that same sex marriage was defeated in Maryland. We are in the middle of this battle again in Rhode Island and the fight is far from over in other states as well. The erosion of religious freedoms has already begun in several states and in Europe. Do a quick search on the web and you will see headlines about children, as young as kindergarten, indoctrinated in the gay agenda in public schools against their parents wishes. Catholic Charities as been attacked in some states for upholding Catholic teaching against same sex marriage. A Christian couple that own a bed and breakfast in England is being sued for not allowing a gay couple to share a bed because it is against their faith. It each of these cases, those opposing same sex marriage are accused of bigotry and discrimination. As Attorney Spears discusses in the video, institutions such as Christian Churches, that were at the forefront in the battle for civil rights in the 60's are now being charged with discrimination as same sex marriage laws take hold in our society. This collision course of gay marriage and religious freedoms is not some exaggeration or conspiracy theory. It is happening right before our eyes and will get worse as long as we remain silent. Please watch the video and pass it along to others.

Thanks to Air Maria for this video.

Why Barack Obama has to be seen as an enemy of the Catholic Church

Why is it that so many here in the U.S. are totally blind to what is obvious to our friends in the U.K.? Click on the headline below to read a great piece from U.K.'s Catholic Herald:

Why Barack Obama has to be seen as an enemy of the Catholic Church

Let's see look at President Obama's track record. All these points are verifiable in the above article as well as through an easy Google search:

Strong supporter of abortion on demand
Supports federal funding of abortions in this country and abroad
Supports partial birth abortion.
Supports minors getting abortions without parental notification
Supports embryonic stem cell research
He voted for a proposal to vote $100,000,000 for the funding of sex-education and contraceptives for teenagers.
He opposed the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act” on the Senate floor and in 2003 killed the bill in committee. This would have outlawed “live birth abortion,” where labor is induced and an infant is delivered prematurely and then allowed to die.
Supports the repeal of Don't ask, Don't tell in the military
Recently weakened conscience protection laws
Refuses to defend Defense of Marriage Act
Has referred to the concept of traditional families as "discriminatory" and "products of outworn arguments and old attitudes".

Yet so many Catholics continue to support him and make excuses. I don't want to get too political here, but if you are going to call yourself a Catholic, or a Christian for that matter, then act like one. When any politician has such a vile track record against life and families, then it is our obligation as Catholics to pray for their conversion and to oppose their political agenda. It's time to stop making excuses. If people in the U.K. can see how opposed Obama is to the Catholic Church, why are we still so blind right here in the U.S.?

A Warning to Christians in the U.S. and Canada

This story should serve as a warning to all Christians in North America. Gay Marriage is the just the tip of the iceberg. The real agenda goes far deeper and is on an inevitable collision course with religious freedoms.

Government can require foster parents to affirm homosexuality rules UK High Court

The following quote from the article is a shining example of how hostile this world has become towards Christianity:

“Eunice and Owen Johns have been humiliated and sidelined and told by a Government body (the Equalities and Human Rights Commission) that their mainstream Christian views might “infect” children. They have also effectively been told by British Judges that their views may harm children,” Williams said.

It's amazing how times have changed. I remember in the not too distant past when homosexuality was thought to be a disorder and harmful to children. It brings to mind the following verse from Isaiah:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

Related articles

Abortion, Gay Marriage, Teachers, and Healthcare

I want to ask for your prayers for us in the state of Rhode Island. We are gearing up for the latest round in the battle to preserve traditional marriage. A hearing was scheduled this week at the state house for the judiciary committee to review a bill that would legalize gay marriage. This committee has to approve it before it goes before the full assembly for a vote. Fortunately, the hearing was postponed because of a snowstorm. (I'd like to think it was God casting His vote on the side of traditional marriage.) However, the gay marriage advocates were quick to get it rescheduled for next week.

In years past, we had a Catholic governor as well a speaker of the house and several state representatives who opposed gay marriage. This year, our new governor, who won with only 36% of the vote, advocates gay marriage. We have also lost some key allies in the state house as well as now having an openly gay speaker of the house. It's easy to see how personal agendas have pushed gay marriage to the top of the list of legislative priorities in a state with double digit unemployment, nearly bankrupt cities and towns, and decaying schools.

The Providence Journal had an interesting article this morning on the upcoming hearing and planned gay marriage rally. These particular paragraphs really jumped out at me:

“Please wear red to show your support for equality,” said an e-mail that the advocacy group, Ocean State Action, issued this week to draw attention to the event.

Members of Ocean State Action include Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, the National Organization for Women Rhode Island Chapter (RI NOW), the Sierra Club and a host of unions, including the Association of University Professors Rhode Island Chapter, Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 217, the National Association of Social Workers RI (NASW), National Education Association RI (NEARI), the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199 SEIU, United Auto Workers Region 9A (UAW) and the United Nurses & Allied Professionals (UNAP).

It's pretty interesting that Planned Parenthood and NOW are behind this gay marriage push since they also advocate the murder of millions of unborn each year through abortion. It really should come as no surprise since they, like gay marriage advocates, want to separate the sacred gift of sexuality from its true purpose of uniting a married couple through the procreation of children, which is the embodiment of their love for one another.

The environmentalist group Sierra Club, advocates keeping abortion legal and views it as birth control as part of their view that couples should be limited to only two children as a remedy to their mythical problem of overpopulation. I guess allowing gays to marry is one way to confront overpopulation, since there is no way they can conceive naturally.

I find it most disturbing that groups like unions for teachers, college professors, nurses and other health care professionals are also assisting this push for gay marriage. These are the same people that we entrust our children to in the classrooms and our health care to in the hospitals. Yet they are trying to advance an unhealthy and destructive lifestyle while at the same time also aligning with those that advocate and profit from the killing of innocent lives.

On a related note, a Rhode Island legislator introduced a bill that would allow citizens to vote on whether or not to legalize gay marriage on the 2012 ballot. I agree with the National Organization for Marriage on this being a fair and just course of action because over 80% of Rhode Islanders polled want this on the ballot. However, because gay marriage advocates know that in every state where this has been on the ballot, traditional marriage has been upheld. They know they can only win this by the legislature or the courts forcing this on the citizens of this state. Since we have an openly gay speaker of the House, I don't expect this gay marriage referendum bill to ever get a fair hearing.

I ask for your prayers for Rhode Island as well as other states that are once again entering into this battle to protect traditional marriage and families. Despite what the media or the advocates are telling us, with the help of God, we can win this battle. Also if you are in the area, please attend the hearing on February 9 at the State House in Providence, RI at 4 pm to show your support for God's model of marriage and families.

The Catholic Church in the Obama Era

I have posted a link below to the keynote address of Dr. Charles E. Rice to the national meeting of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists held at Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind on Oct. 22. I can urge you strongly enough to read this. It is a brilliant and passionate speech about the challenges facing us as a Church in today's society. I only wish more priests and bishops would be as bold and courageous in their homilies.

Click here to read the speech: The Catholic Church in the Obama Era

It is a long speech but well worth the time to read it. Please consider sharing this speech with others, as it contains an important message that all Christians need to read. I posted a few excerpts below highlighting some of Dr. Rice's powerful statements on our government, culture, and our Church:

On Obama and the Government:

It is, unfortunately, credible to say that Catholics played a major role in putting the Obama Regime in power. Highly visible Catholic academics, Catholic politicians who obey their own magisterium, and Catholic clerics and publicists, paved the way for Catholic voters and others to fall for "hope and change." Sadly, there is precedent. For a comparable example of the rapid concentration of executive power by a legally installed regime, we have to look to Germany in 1933. Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor on January 30. He consolidated his power over the next few weeks. The decisive event was the Reichstag's approval of the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933, by which it ceded full and irrevocable powers to Hitler. That was the point of no return. The Enabling Act received the needed two-thirds vote only because it was supported by the Catholic party, the Centre Party. [1]

Obamacare, enacted with the decisive support of Catholic members of Congress, is the Enabling Act of our time in the wide-ranging control it cedes to government over the lives of the people, including the takeover of student aid. Why are student loans in the health care bill? The common denominator is control. No student can now get a federally guaranteed educational loan without the consent of a federal bureaucrat. This can make political loyalty a test for educational advancement, as it was in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Post Election Thoughts

I have been a little lax in blogging lately because there just seems to not be enough hours in the day. Even though the elections happened a few days ago, I still wanted to share my thoughts on it. First, I am thrilled that the Tea Party was so successful. For too long both Democrat and Republican parties have seemingly lost their way. It good to see true conservatives stand up and start taking this country back. A few weeks ago the media reported that several high ranking Republicans wanted their party to abandon issues such as abortion and gay marriage for the sake of gaining more votes. In a nutshell, that is why I am not registered as a Republican or a Democrat, but as an independent. In terms of my political affiliation, I am a conservative Catholic first and foremost and my faith influences who I vote for. This election cycle, it happened to be the Tea Party candidates and true conservatives. Because of their victories it now appears that this upcoming Congress will be the most pro-life ever, which is a welcome relief considering we have had the most pro-abortion leaders in history over the past two years.

However, I was greatly disappointed in the results of my home state of Rhode Island. Demographics show that little Rhody is the most Catholic state in the nation because of high percentage of Catholics in the total population. The election proved that many of these are Catholic in name only. Not only did this state elect to send two pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage congressmen to Washington DC, it also elected a governor who is also pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage. Besides that, the state legislature continues to be dominated by liberal democrats and even elected an openly gay speaker of the house. My frustration comes from the fact that while so many people claim to be Catholic here, no one seems to know or care about what it means to vote like a Catholic. I am disgusted by the apathy in this state to such intrinsic evils as abortion and gay marriage. Over the past several years, we had governor who was a practicing Catholic that opposed abortion and gay marriage. There were many state representatives, including the former speaker of the house, that also opposed gay marriage. With this new election cycle, we have lost many of these important allies. It's easy to see which direction this state is headed in when it comes to same sex marriage and other social issues. Please pray for this state as we really need it. We as voters have traded our faith for the promises of economic gain, just like Judas and the 30 pieces of silver.

The Catholic Church and Homophobia

Since same sex marriage and bullying against gays have been in headlines lately, many people are quick to blame Christians and the Catholic Church especially for spreading intolerance and hate. In many heated discussions I have had with gay marriage advocates, their accusations of bigotry and homophobia are due to the fact that they have no moral, legal, or scientific basis for their argument to redefine marriage. However it is frustrating to constantly hear these lies from not only same sex marriage advocates like the very anti-Christian Human Rights Campaign, but also from those in the mainstream media.

Take a look at the video below from the National Organization of Marriage 2010 Summer for Marriage Tour and ask yourself who is displaying hate and intolerance. I am a supporter of the NOM and while I was not able to attend the rallies, I had several friends who did. I am very proud of the way they behaved in a dignified and respectful manner even while very hostile gay marriage advocates were screaming in their faces. But yet, Christians and the NOM are constantly painted as extremists, homophobes, and bigots by this anti-Christian culture.

Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island, recently released an article which I think all Christians should read and commit to memory. He clearly explains in a very pastoral manner why the Catholic Church is against homosexual behavior. Here are a few excerpts from the Bishop's article:

In addition, however, we preach the truth of the Gospel with such insistence precisely because we love other people, including those involved in these morally challenging situations. That means, then, that the preaching of the truth must always be infused with love, a gentle and compassionate love.

What parent, because they love their children, does not teach them about right and wrong, challenge their harmful behavior, and encourage them to live a better, more Christ-like life?

As I wrote to my correspondent, the fact that the Church has love and respect for homosexual persons does not mean that we can ignore the immorality of homosexual acts or the homosexual culture. Nor does our respect for homosexual persons mean that we should sit back silently while a highly-organized political movement seeks to hijack the institution of holy matrimony and change its definition as a union of man and woman – a definition that comes from God and has existed from the beginning of mankind.

You see, we speak about the immorality of homosexual acts and culture, not because we disdain persons of that orientation, but rather because we love and respect them; because we want them to embrace a better and more life-giving path; and because we want them to do what is good and holy in the sight of God. And what parent or grandparent would ever do less?

Please take the time to read the Bishop's entire article and spread it to others. It's important that in this fight to save traditional marriage, we also do our best to communicate the Church's message of love to those who oppose us. Thank you Bishop Tobin for this outstanding article.

Bishop Tobin's article: Because We Love, We Preach the Truth

Priest to Catholic voters: Stop being stupid!

My first reaction about this statement from Fr. Father Richard Perozich of San Diego is: WOW! This priest has some serious guts. Why can't more bishops and priests do what God called them to do and lead their flocks like this priest? Thank you Fr. Perozich for being a true priest of Christ and boldly telling Catholics everywhere what they should have been told long ago. Too many Catholics blindly follow Catholic-in-name-only politicians who promise economic prosperity and supposed "social justice". But the ultimate price for this is the lives of the unborn and the destruction of the family.

I have tried to stay away from politics in this blog, but as we approach election day, I felt I had to speak up. I am disgusted with moral decay of this nation. It causes me to fear greatly for the future of my children and grandchildren. I feel as if I don't even recognize this society any longer. In my 40 year life span, our society has declined to where human life holds little value and supporting traditional families is bigotry. Our nation was founded on Christian principles and Catholics are the largest religious denomination in this country. Yet we continue to vote for those who promote death and sexual immorality to our children. This is nothing short of insanity. We have politicians and huge corporations publicly supporting groups like Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign, which are responsible for promoting abortions, sexual immorality and anti-Christian bigotry. Yet we foolish Christians are afraid to speak up against this evil for fear of being "intolerant" or "bigotted" or "politically incorrect". We keep selling ourselves and our children's future to these politicians for promises of "hope", "change" and financial gain. Before you go and vote this season, read Fr. Richard Perozich's statement and then spend time thinking about what it means to vote as a Catholic should.

Thank you to Matt Abbot and RenewAmerica for spreading this important message.

Priest to Catholic voters: Stop being stupid!

Elections are coming up November 2, 2010. Catholics must engage in the political process to form a nation that reflects the values held by Christ's followers. Learn who you are and act like a Christian. 1 Peter 2.9 But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Your job is to announce to the whole world that Jesus is the anointed King of God's everlasting reign — and to offer all men His salvation given by grace and received by faith. One forum in which you do this is politics. Politics comes from the words pole and polarity. Poles are opposite ends of an idea, of a temporal structure, or of a force.

Catholics, even though we live in a country and are citizens of that country, have a higher calling and responsibility to God and to our neighbor to promote God's truth even when others hate it, reject it, and hate us for proclaiming it. We are citizens in an earthly realm, but more importantly we are citizens of the new kingdom of heaven with Jesus as the Lord, His laws as our prime way of life, and called to live them and to promote them even to unbelievers.

We live in a society where many people with power, possessions, and prestige are promoting ideas that are not founded in Christ. In order to promote their ideas over ours, they tell us we must stay in our churches, keep our religion to ourselves, and that their idea of separation of the church from the state (which does not exist in our American Constitution as they say it does) trumps any ideas we might have, so we have to shut up.

And Catholics sheepishly keep quiet and vote for men and women who promote evil.