Pope Benedict, in a riveting 131-page document, reaffirmed many of the stodgy outdated principles by which Catholics are supposed to live. Among other things, he reminded Catholic politicians that they are expected to aid the Church in its opposition of abortion and gay marriage. He also chimed in on the "painful situations" of remarried Catholics. Instead of getting remarried, which implies a sinful consummation of said marriage, he urged the divorced faithful to "commit themselves to living their relationship ... as friends, as brother and sister."
Obviously Benedict didn't get to be pope without being an intelligent man. He no doubt wielded significant political prowess in the secret meetings that eventually produced the white smoke a couple of years ago. So the man who formerly served as Pope John Paul's head theologian is no dolt.
He does, however, seem to be in denial.
His call for Catholic politicians to "support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature" seems terribly ironic coming from someone who, theoretically, is still a virgin. Talk about going against human nature. Catholics can talk all they want about how unnatural homosexuality is. At least they're having sex. I would contend that it is more "unnatural" to abstain from sex your entire life and then use the highest and loudest pulpit possible to make judgments about "values grounded in human nature." His views are not grounded in reason, much less human nature.
Benedict either 1) has had sex and is having a Ted Haggard episode, attempting to assuage his overwhelming guilt by implicating everyone else; or 2) has been so cloistered his entire life that he long ago abandoned any notion of his own human nature and easily mistakes his high intellect for Holy approval.
The same same kind of hate-filled counterintuitive and counterproductive speech can be heard coming from Protestant pulpits too, of course. For me, it just provides additional confirmation that those people who, in 2007, still talk of the immorality of homosexuality and the "painful situation" of remarried people are not the loving, thoughtful, and compassionate people that they claim to be.
Just as people find religion (or no religion) outside of your rules, people are going to find love outside of your rules. People don't fear you anymore, Benedict, and when given a choice (as all free-thinking people have), choosing love will always trump the guilt that you are selling. Religion can do alot of good, as can the Church. Don't you have bigger fish to fry? Call me crazy, but sitting in your golden city casting judgement seems like a terrible waste of time and resources. Many of the people whose steadfast alliegence to thier faith lends you what legitimacy you have left are among the poorest, most disinfranchised and oppressed people in the world. While I'm sure that your reminder to the faithful that they speak Latin during mass gives these people considerable comfort, a little more attention to their physical and political plight might do a little more good.
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2 comments:
i like this. you are so socially aware. too bad you can never be pope.
I'm sure religion is needed to bring out the "better nature" of the human species but when man is mandated by another man to do something unnatural that's were we get into trouble. We either blindly obey, which makes zealots and pedophile priests or rebel, which makes us normal in my thoughts.
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