The Culture war rages on.
So called same sex marriages are becoming acceptable to most Americans. 
Homosexuality is seen as morally neutral. We have, I believe, lost the battle. Marriage is no longer seen as between one woman and one man for the purpose of raising a family. Once it was the bedrock of our society. It no longer is.
But the devaluing of marriage began decades ago with the acceptance of easy divorce, contraception, and cohabitation. The nail in the coffin of morality is the idea that sex is for pure pleasure instead of a total gift of self to another person. That is one of the reasons that homosexuality is considered normal.
The idea that there is a natural moral law that human beings should strive to uphold is ridiculed. Moral relativism, the foolish idea that there is no absolute truth, has a death grip on our culture. Moral relativism is a deadly virus that leads to destruction and spiritual death. It has destroyed families and harmed children.
The desire for God, St. Augustine wrote, is written on the human heart. It is in our spiritual DNA.
Too many people do not recognize that the restless yearning in their hearts is a desire for God. Humans have always sought joy and meaning in their lives. But without acknowledging that there are eternal moral laws, people look for love and joy and meaning in all the wrong places. These things can only be found in a life lived in union with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
But humanity has lost its moral compass. Many Christians do not recognize that we are called to live our lives in love and The Truth which is Jesus Christ.
The remnant of faithful Christians may be declining. We appear to be losing the battle in this world. It is going to get harder to be a faithful Catholic. The Catholic Church is being labeled as homophobic, anti woman, and anti progress. Seemingly overnight all faithful Catholics have become bigots. The enlightened ones are in full attack mode.
So be it. Bring it on. Faithful Christians know where our true home is, and so our eyes are fixed firmly on heaven. We may become battle weary and a bit fearful, but Jesus never promised us a rose garden in this earthly realm. On the contrary he promised,”Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Let us heed the words of St. Paul:
“Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.
Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,
and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 5:10-17)
St. Michael protect us in battle.
A Deacon's Wife 
this last month i have been attending classes with other gays reaffirming what we have in christ, his living spirit living in us, and how to deal with those like yourself who would challenge the devotion that we have to those with whom we have intimate committed relationships in marriage. to confront those who would challenge that our love, devotion, affection, and commitment is any less than that of our heterosexual brothers and sisters in christ. the real challenge is because those who challenge, refuse to acknowledge thru the living spirit that lives in them but rely only an unreasoned understandings that are based on belief system.
again why would believers rely on(interpretations of the law) what is apart from righteousness to determine what is righteousness christ’s love…christ’s spirit.
romans 1:20 says that believers had been given the capacity in their hearts to know what is of god even before the law by witnessing his divine presence and eternal power in what has been made.
but the magisterium says that their authority trumps even this. what does that say for the intimate relationship that each believer has with the christ that lives in them. that it is insufficient with out the magisteriums determination of things apart from righteousness.
that righteousness depends on things apart from itself to determine what is of itself?
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John ,
We have gone around and around on this on a previous thread. I welcome reasoned debate here. Bit I will not allow debates that just go around in circles.
You refuse to even try to understand what the Catholic position on homosexuality is. You have, I believe, a very gnostic theology. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that believes that only the human spirit is holy, and that all material things, including the human body, is either evil or just not important.
Catholics believe that we are embodied souls. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We believe that at the final judgment our bodies will be resurrected.
I, for one, do not deny the love and commitment that gays have for one another. But I firmly believe that sex outside of marriage between one woman and one man is wrong. God created man and woman for each other and to compliment each other. Gender does matter. Married couples are called to procreated. Homosexual unions are by very definition sterile. Not because of defect or disease, but by nature.
My understanding of the issue is based on reason coupled with faith. You keep on quoting St. Paul without even a basic understanding of what he means. Twisting the biblical text to confirm what you feel is not reason.
FYI: I will not allow trolls to hijack the com boxes.
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there is nothing in scripture that supports your position. i have given you multiple scriptures that under the new covenant we are led by the love of christ of the 2nd commandment(lone neighbor). jesus says over and over said that this is his commandment, john likeways, and we know that the essence of his love fulfils the law
there is no word “only” in gen or matt 19. again you confusing gender with orientation.
there is nothing in scripture in the direction to procreate that says that anyone who is not able should not be allowed to have intmate relations in marriage.
where in scripture does it say that an understanding of physicallity(law) should trump the fruit of the spirit in believers or evidence of his love in the their relationships.
everything that you have stood on in regards to the law is out of an old covenant understanding of the law, you have yet to support this same understanding with anything of the new covenant…………………………….the old covenant having been declared wrong(heb8) and having long since passed away.(heb8)
an old man was stoned to death for violating the sabbath num15, jesus said the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath.
you say the romans says homosexuality is a sin but you refused to explain how the words of romans say that it is a sin.
you say that 1tim and 1cor say it is a sin but you can do only that thru legalities that attempt to resurrect an old covenant relationship to god thru regulation as in deut28, which totally negates the primacy of christ in col 1
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finally you say that the interpretations of the law by the magisterium is christ’s love. but you will not explain, nor give any scripture to show how what is apart from righteousness(law) can in any way determine what is righteousness(christ’s law)?
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reedit
finally you say that the interpretations of the law by the magisterium is christ’s love. but you will not explain, nor give any scripture to show how what is apart from righteousness(law) can in any way determine what is righteousness(christ’s LOVE)?
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John,
I have given you many scriptures in the post you responded to weeks ago. But since I read and study scripture within the ancient tradition of the Church, I will never subscribe to the whatever I feel school of theology.
Further as I told you before I do not confuse gender with orientation. But I maintain that gender is not interchangeable. It matters that I am a female and not a male. Men and women have equal dignity before God.
Homosexual orientation is a terrible cross for a faithful Catholic Christian to bear. It is a call to live a celibate life. It is possible to develop deep, intimate friendships without sex.
This discussion is not serving any purpose. I am ending it here.
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if you agree that the devotion, affection, respect, trust and love is the same with homosexuals as with heterosexuals what is accomplished by then being celibate. is it sexual intimacy that makes the marriage or the love, affection, trust,and devotion that makes the marriage. is it physical acts that make the marriage or the spirit given over to in marriage? are couples who no longer able to have sex due to age, illness, or injury no longer married?
we are holy only because of the spirit of christ living in us. there is nothing we can do on our own that makes us holy.
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John,
You clearly deny the existence of sin. I know that I am an unfinished Christian striving to turn away from sin. Read the Gospels. Jesus makes it clear that being his disciple is not easy. The gate to heaven is narrow and the gate to perdition is wide.
There is just no way that you and I can have a fruitful discussion. Thank you for your comments.
God bless
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Susan, you are very right in what you have said. Some people who twist the Gospels around are speaking a terrible lie. Pray for them.
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Thanks Jules. I do pray for them.
God Bless
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