Accusations are Not Always True
Traditional apologetics topics (explaining why we believe what we believe) have been things like purgatory, the Virgin Mary, why we have a pope, etc. These days however, apologetics have evolved to also include social issues like abortion, transgenderism, homosexuality and the like. And no doubt such topics need to be addressed with great sensitivity, because they speak more to the heart of who the person is, but that does not mean we shouldn’t address them; difficult topics still need to be discussed.
Traditional apologetics topics (explaining why we believe what we believe) have been things like purgatory, the Virgin Mary, why we have a pope, etc. These days however, apologetics have evolved to also include social issues like abortion, transgenderism, homosexuality and the like. And no doubt such topics need to be addressed with great sensitivity, because they speak more to the heart of who the person is, but that does not mean we shouldn’t address them; difficult topics still need to be discussed.
There have been many attempts by some authors and theologians to deny any biblical prohibition of the homosexual act, but the very word “sodomy” originates from the story of the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, to name one of many examples. It is not my intention here to delve into the biblical argument in detail, but suffice it to say that for 4,000 years of Jewish history and 2,000 years of Christian history, faithful believers have accepted biblical teaching on the subject. Only recently has there been a massive cultural shift, to the point where much of the world today finds the traditional view not only incorrect but as bigoted and hateful — despite the fact that this same traditional view was held by all the saints.
So here is what the Church teaches: Hate the sin, love the sinner. That goes for every kind of sin. To the woman caught in adultery in John’s Gospel, Jesus says two things; first He says, “Neither do I condemn you” and “Do not sin anymore.” We are not tasked with being God’s editors or correctors, changing the meaning of the sacred text: hate the sin, love the sinner.
There is a common misunderstanding by many people about what the Church actually teaches on homosexuality. This hits close to home for me because I have had relatives who have left the Catholic Church strictly because of these misunderstandings. This is expressed in the wider culture every time we drive by a church that has a rainbow sign with the words “All are welcome.” That often is a poke at the Catholic Church, because it is so widely believed (mistakenly) that the Catholic Church does not welcome homosexuals. Here is an emphatic response to that: Of course, they are welcome! Homosexuals are as welcome in the Catholic Church as heterosexuals. But that does not mean that the Church should change her moral standards and moral teaching to make them feel welcome any more than the Church would change its teaching on gossip to make gossipers feel welcome.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church repeatedly states that homosexual desires and acts are disordered. Every one of us, however, experience disordered desires, what we call sins.
As Christians, we are all responsible for taming and rightly ordering these sinful desires; it is the life and responsibility of every Christian. Archbishop Fulton Sheen often remarked that among those who claim to be anti-Catholic (or opposed to Catholic teaching), very few are truly against the Church itself. In most cases, they are opposed to what they believe the Church teaches. When accusations are hurled at the Church regarding various social issues of our time, it is essential not to buy into the accusation but rather learn what the Church really teaches.