Humanists See "Religious Evolution" in Bishops' Position on Gays
November 14, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Fred Edwords, (202) 238-9088
fedwords@americanhumanist.org
- www.americanhumanist.org
(Washington, D.C., November 14, 2006) Today the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, meeting in Baltimore,
Maryland, approved new guidelines regarding homosexuality. Though these
guidelines were rightly criticized by gay and lesbian Catholic activists,
humanists see the guidelines as also revealing the beginnings of change
within the U.S. Catholic church.
The guidelines include reaffirming the church's opposition to same-sex
marriage and adoption by gay and lesbian couples. However, they also condemn
hostile or violent acts towards gays and lesbians, purport that homosexual
thoughts in and of themselves are not sinful as they cannot be actively
changed, and allow the offering of communion to children of gay and lesbian
couples.
"Religions evolve," said Fred Edwords, director of communications for the
American Humanist Association. "Every religion that has survived has had to
make changes. Responding to new social conditions and values is a necessity
for the continuance of any institution, and the Roman Catholic Church is no
exception."
But are the changes enough? The statement, "Ministry to Persons with a
Homosexual Inclination," shows no progress on the issue of same-sex marriage
or gay/lesbian adoption. Moreover, contrary to modern scientific
understandings in a variety of fields, the Bishops persist in calling
same-sex relationships "disordered." This latter is of particular concern
since the church advocates therapy for those who experience homosexual
desires. Such therapy has aims of repression. By denying what science has
discovered on the subject, homosexual individuals may cause themselves
severe personal anguish at the church's urging. This advice is also
confusing because it is at odds with the statement's position that
homosexual thoughts in and of themselves are not sinful.
In response to such concerns, Mel Lipman, president of the American Humanist
Association, said: "This is the sort of thing that leads increasing numbers
of thinking people to liberalize their beliefs or abandon traditional
religion altogether. The bishops remain behind the times while their
parishioners are moving forward. It's time the bishops stepped a little
further down from their ivory-towered hierarchy and took a few more cues
from the pew."
Still, any change is positive. Edwords added, "By saying clearly that it
isn't a 'sin' to feel an attraction to someone of the same sex, the bishops
are modernizing their church. In times past, priests would have quoted
Matthew 5:28 and 29, interpreting these as condemning all who, in their
words, 'lust in the mind's eye.' But at long last we are seeing some
relaxing of that scornful attitude. It is also an improvement that the
bishops are accepting the children of gay Catholics as entitled to the
sacraments of the church."
"Still, the church has a long way to go," Lipman concluded. "And the
hierarchy may not be evolving fast enough to keep pace with the times. It's
good news for millions of Catholics that the bishops have been willing to
talk about these concerns. But it's bad news that they still want to keep
lesbians and gays celibate and in the closet."
