Bobby: I am not a Catholic theologian (but the current Pope is a very serious theological scholar). But a very quick answer, based upon my knowledge of Scripture, is to say that homosexuality, unlike race, strikes at the very essence of the Created Order, from Genesis 1 to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.
I would leave my church and join another, if my church suddenly discovered that the Bible's teachings about human sexuality and marriage and family were no longer true. In my opinion, my church would no longer be a "Christian" church if it adopted such a theology. This, of course, is exactly what is happening in some mainline Protestant churches today. The issue is whether we should believe God's moral teachings or the moral teachings of secular elites. That is an easy choice for me, as it appears to be for Benedict XVI.
Cheers, Rick
!
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In a message dated 3/11/2006 10:17:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:My point--which focused only on the religious liberty issue-- was that when faced with a choice between obeying God or Caesar, the Church must obey God. That is what the Church did in this case. It chose to get out of the adoption ministry rather than stay in and disobey God. That is clearly the right decision--indeed the only decision--for a religious body to make. (boldface added)We know that religions evolve even in fundamental ways. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints once had a prohibition (I think) against blacks becoming bishops. I suspect such changes have occurred in other religions also. If so, why is this the "only decision" for a Church to make? Why isn't another conceivable position to rethink the Church's opinion of this matter? I'm not suggesting that the Catholic church is likely to do so, but then what is it about the Catholic Church (and perhaps certain kinds of religions generally) that make it impossible for them to respond to changes in law, customs, or non-Catholic morality with the attitude expressed by "Well, let's examine the issue." My question is not only whether should the Church adopt this attitude, but what about the Church prevents it from taking this proposal seriously?!BobbyRobert Justin Lipkin_______________________________________________
Professor of Law
Widener University School of Law
Delaware
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Rick Duncan
Welpton Professor of Law
University of Nebraska College of Law
Lincoln, NE 68583-0902
Welpton Professor of Law
University of Nebraska College of Law
Lincoln, NE 68583-0902
"When the Round Table is broken every man must follow either Galahad or! Mordred: middle things are gone." C.S.Lewis, Grand Miracle
"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered." --The Prisoner
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