Pope Francis is Sliding Toward Approval of Gays in Lifetime Union


Watching Christianity slip and slide around the issue of gay marriage is entertaining to say the least. The Bible does not condemn gay marriage or even homosexual relationships. Even the word "homosexual" was not invented until recent times but now appears in many versions of the Bible. There is not agreement the ancient languages can be translated to that modern term. Jesus had no teaching on same sex relationships. Yet, because contemporary culture has placed gay people in the condemned category and Christianity needs to stay inside the bounds of the culture, gay people and gay marriage have been condemned. 

But, culture changes and various branches of Christianity are running to catch up. This has posed the same problem for the Catholic business model as it did in what Catholic clergy circles refer to as "the Galileo problem." We all know this came about when Galileo made a telescope and found the earth circling the sun instead of what the Catholic Church taught, the opposite. Galileo was put under house arrest for several years by the church/government.

The Catholic business model has clergy interpreting the Bible and discouraging lay people from doing so. When the clergy is caught making same cultural mistakes as the rest of society it cannot admit it was wrong. In "The Galileo Problem" Catholic clergy spent ten years and countless dollars trying find an escape hatch. Finally, instead of admitting a Pope 400 years ago was wrong it said, "Mistakes were made..."

Now it is caught in a mistake again and the Pope, as in the Galileo case, is looking for an escape hatch. He is looking for some additional definition of gay unions that can be approved of by the Catholic Church. The old business model has failed again. 

Protestants, under a different business model, are free from this mistake. When old denominations are found to be wrong new ones form and life goes on. 

The Pope needs both a new definition "marriage" that allows gays to be blessed and also a definition of artificial birth control that makes it "natural." Without these the Catholic church is on a path to failure.

Under this new openness a priest could approve of a civil union, perhaps even bless it. It would not be called a "marriage." Approval by a priest would be much better for both Catholic couples and the church itself. 

Reference to homosexuality as a "sin" will be phased out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more