April 30, 2015

"Same-Sex "Marriage"; The Great Illusion of the Modern, Secularist Era:

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

by Larry Peterson

The United States Supreme Court has now heard the arguments for and against "gay- marriage". Now we wait to see what the almighty Justices have decided. We will not hear the decision until sometime during the early days of summer. As for me, I do not get it. No sirree, this does NOT make sense to me. From the modern dictionary  we have this:
MARRIAGE: Noun;
any of the diverse forms of interpersonal union established in various part of the world to form a familial bond that is recognized legally, religiously, or socially, granting the participating partners mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities and including, for example, opposite-sex marriage, same-sex marriage, plural marriage, and arranged marriage.

That dictionary could not be more politically correct so I traveled back in time to the 1988 Webster's Dictionary; This was a bit more concise (It was before PC had rum amok) From Webster's:
MARRIAGE: Noun;
the state of being married, relation between husband and wife, married life, matrimony.

This is from Webster's 1913 dictionary:
MARRIAGE: Noun;
The act of marrying, or the state of being married: legal union of a man and a woman for LIFE, as husband and wife; wedlock; matrimony.

 I had to go back to the dictionary of one hundred years ago to find the words, man and woman, included in the definition of marriage. By 1988 only the words husband and wife were being used to define the word. But I was not deterred. Onward and forward and I looked up the word, "wife". VOILA! The modern dictionary describes the meaning of the word like this:
WIFE: Noun;
a married woman, especially when considered in a relation to her partner in marriage.

I had one more stop and that was back at Webster's. Here it is:
WIFE: Noun;
a married woman; specif., a woman in her relationship to her husband.

 But, alas, it does not matter. Within the same-sex marriage phenomena, in a man/man marriage they refer to each other as "my husband". In a woman/woman marriage they refer to each other as "my wife". The words, man and woman, are gone. They could use other words such as; companion, partner, spouse, or mate but, what is the difference. Same-sex marriages can NEVER be the same as the marriage of a man and a woman. Why are they trying so hard to get a recognition that is illusory at best?  For crying out loud, even Social Security is available to same sex relationships. Why the obsession over the word "Marriage"?

I am a Catholic man and I love my faith and am probably among those considered as "devout". I freely admit, I do not understand how two men or two women might be romantically attracted to each other. However, since I do not understand it and I believe we are truly all God's individual creations it follows that I will not pass judgment on gay couples. I am an individual creation of God just like they are. Pope Francis has said, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"  Well, it follows, I will NOT judge nor do I have the right to do so.

The Catholic Church has its teachings and beliefs about homosexual relationships.  It does not condemn homosexuality. If you are homosexual you can be in full communion with the church. But the Church requires living a life of chastity outside of marriage. That also applies to a man and woman who are not married. The Church will never perform or sanction a "gay-marriage". That is how it is and will always be.

The Church is often denigrated because it holds fast to certain teachings and says "NO" to progressive and secularists who want change only to accommodate their own agenda.  "Same-sex marriage" is foremost among those changes sought. It will not and cannot happen. Let us not forget that the Catholic Church also encourages self-denial because it does bring one closer to God. Chastity is still on the "books" as a moral virtue  and is considered a gift from God (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2344,#2345)

It seems to me that we are in the midst of the Great Illusion of the modern era.  If a man and a man or a woman and a woman want to enter into a pseudo-marriage alliance and call it "marriage", it seems they are entering into an illusory world. "Marriage" is only a word. It can never change the fact that two men or two women will never be heterosexual. It will never change the fact that they will never be able to procreate and continue their family bloodline because it will not exist.

In fact, the only way to do that would be to create the three parent family and one of the married persons would not be an actual parent.  But to accomplish this the OPPOSITE sex must participate. They would have to be an egg or sperm donor. How can that be a family? Will that also require new court battles to redefine the meaning and constitutionality of what "family" is? Imagine how convoluted and mixed up for the child. When it comes full circle and a child is involved, there had to be a man and a woman  to bring forth that child. Plus, there will be no genealogy and no family tree to build on unless it is outside of the same-sex couple's marriage. What a damn mess.

Okay, final thoughts: If the United states Supreme Court decides that "same-sex marriage" is the "law of the land", what happens to tax exempt religious schools who cannot abide by such an unnatural and anti-religious law? Will they all lose their 501(c)3 exemptions? Will it be illegal to teach Traditional marriage? The proverbial can of worms that has been opened is about to explode.

Lastly:  If the SCOTUS declares that same-sex marriage is legal under the United States Constitution that could very well mark the end of The First Amendment and Freedom of Religion.  I think it will be unavoidable, with that entire, magnificent document  falling like dominoes.

                                         ©Larry Peterson 2015 All Rights Reserved

2 comments:

  1. Great commentary! I agree with all of it except I would give extra clarification by using the term, "same sex attraction" rather than "homosexual" when referring to those being in full communion with the Church. It's too easy for those who are waiting to pounce on any statement that would confuse or twist the meaning of the Church's teachings, and quit reading that CHASTITY must be practiced. Unfortunately, this act of taking things out of context has become very familiar to Pope Francis, which is what happened to him with the aforementioned quote and many times since then.

    Those with same-sex attraction do not sin unless they carry out sexual acts. It is the carrying out of sexual acts that the Church cannot condone, and therefore, you are 100% correct that the Church can never, ever marry same-sex couples or any other contrived union other than a woman and a man. To do so would be to condone the very act for which God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is why the homosexual act is called sodomy--a criminal term, still today. It seems that so many forget Jesus' powerful admonition regarding the avoidance of sins--"gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin," and "cut off your hand if it causes you to sin." He goes on to say it would be better for you to be maimed than to go to hell. Matthew 5:29 We are in a battle, not against flesh, but against a demonic force that would have God's holy Church call good, what He condemned as an abomination. The Church could no more do this than to tell married couples it is okay to commit adultery, or the unmarried, that fornication before marriage is no longer a sin. The same-sex deception has been a sneaky one--using the compassion we feel toward others--people we love, to break down our holy fear of the Lord, tempting kind hearts to set aside the precepts of God in favor of turning a blind eye and approving sinful acts that those we love choose to do. If the term and concept of "Holy fear of the Lord" was used more by our priests and us Catholics, the gray area of same-sex marriage could never have expanded to such great proportions and the concept of this being called "marriage" would be whispered in secret among small sects, rather than shouted from the rooftops in numbers that are growing at an alarming rate. The compassion of the Church for those experiencing same-sex attraction mirrors my own. There are many who have been sexually abused, raped, or hurt by others who find themselves looking to those who feel "safe" or "familiar" because of their experiences. While our compassion for them is great, it is with certainty and sincerity that I speak to them and say, "I love you enough to tell you the truth. God has a better way. He has a plan for you. Loving Him can be enough. His grace is sufficient. Sexual relations, for anyone, are NOT the end-all, perfect path to happiness. Only in God will our souls be at rest. Trust the One Who made you to either heal you of this attraction, or teach you how to live chastely, and in doing so, give Him glory and honor...and then, taste and see how good the Lord truly, truly is! One day, you will be rewarded for all you suffered in this life. For eyes have not seen, ears have heard, what God has chosen for those who love Him. Put your faith in God, not in man. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

    May our prayers continue to be lifted up for those on the Supreme Court, that the Holy Spirit works a miracle of true justice for us all. As always, Larry, thanks for saying what no one else wants to say.

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  2. Thank you Elizabeth--That was quite the "comment". You words, "same-sex deception has been a sneaky one---using the compassion etc--"" is spot on.

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