BY JOHN MARTIGNONI
Q: If two people are in love, and want to devote their entire lives to each other in the bonds of marriage, what does it matter if they are of the same sex, as long as they are faithful to one another?
A: Let me answer this question in two ways. First, by looking at the question from a purely natural viewpoint...the viewpoint of nature. One can, through simple observation and basic common sense, come to the undeniable conclusion that nature has designed a certain complementarity between male and female. Simply put, nature has designed men and women to have physical relations with one another. Nature did not design men to have physical relations with men nor women to have physical relations with women. So, from a completely natural viewpoint, homosexual relations are inherently unnatural. Which means same sex “marriage,” is inherently unnatural.
Second, we can look at this question from the viewpoint of nature’s God. If homosexual relations are inherently unnatural from the viewpoint of nature, then they must be inherently unnatural from the viewpoint of nature’s God. St. Paul tells us this is indeed so in Romans 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”
Here in Romans, the Word of God tells us that homosexual relations are “unnatural.” And, we see in a few other places in Scripture, strong condemnation of homosexual relations (e.g., Lev 18:22; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10), not to mention the whole story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha in Genesis 19. So, Scripture tells us that same sex marriage is not only unnatural, but it is ungodly.
The Church, continuing thousands of years of Judeo-Christian teaching, tells us that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” (CCC #2357). If homosexual relations are inherently unnatural, ungodly, and intrinsically disordered, then to put a stamp of approval on such relations by allowing homosexual “marriage,” is not an act of love, or compassion, rather it is an act that is bereft of love and is actually hurtful to the individuals involved as well as society as a whole. It is hurtful to all involved because you would be putting the stamp of approval on a lie...there is not now, nor will there ever be, any such thing as same sex “marriage,” regardless of what laws men may pass to say otherwise.
God established marriage as the union of one man and one woman. To put the stamp of approval on something that God has, through nature and through His Word, told us in unnatural, is gravely disordered and can do nothing but lead to misery.
Now, please note, that everything the Church teaches, everything that Scripture speaks of in this regard, is focused on homosexual activity, it is not focused on homosexual inclinations. To have a homosexual inclination is not, in and of itself, a sin. To act on that inclination is a sin. Someone who has homosexual inclinations has a disordered sexuality, but that does not mean they are inherently more wicked or more sinful than anyone else. They are like the rest of us - all of us who have obstacles that we need to overcome in our daily struggle to discern God’s will for our lives and to follow that will.
The Church says that, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom...by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,” (CCC #2359).
(John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of the New Evangelization and Stewardship. To ask a question, send an email to John at: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. To receive John’s free apologetics materials on CD or mp3 download, go to: www.biblechristiansociety.com.)
Q: If two people are in love, and want to devote their entire lives to each other in the bonds of marriage, what does it matter if they are of the same sex, as long as they are faithful to one another?
A: Let me answer this question in two ways. First, by looking at the question from a purely natural viewpoint...the viewpoint of nature. One can, through simple observation and basic common sense, come to the undeniable conclusion that nature has designed a certain complementarity between male and female. Simply put, nature has designed men and women to have physical relations with one another. Nature did not design men to have physical relations with men nor women to have physical relations with women. So, from a completely natural viewpoint, homosexual relations are inherently unnatural. Which means same sex “marriage,” is inherently unnatural.
Second, we can look at this question from the viewpoint of nature’s God. If homosexual relations are inherently unnatural from the viewpoint of nature, then they must be inherently unnatural from the viewpoint of nature’s God. St. Paul tells us this is indeed so in Romans 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”
Here in Romans, the Word of God tells us that homosexual relations are “unnatural.” And, we see in a few other places in Scripture, strong condemnation of homosexual relations (e.g., Lev 18:22; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10), not to mention the whole story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha in Genesis 19. So, Scripture tells us that same sex marriage is not only unnatural, but it is ungodly.
The Church, continuing thousands of years of Judeo-Christian teaching, tells us that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” (CCC #2357). If homosexual relations are inherently unnatural, ungodly, and intrinsically disordered, then to put a stamp of approval on such relations by allowing homosexual “marriage,” is not an act of love, or compassion, rather it is an act that is bereft of love and is actually hurtful to the individuals involved as well as society as a whole. It is hurtful to all involved because you would be putting the stamp of approval on a lie...there is not now, nor will there ever be, any such thing as same sex “marriage,” regardless of what laws men may pass to say otherwise.
God established marriage as the union of one man and one woman. To put the stamp of approval on something that God has, through nature and through His Word, told us in unnatural, is gravely disordered and can do nothing but lead to misery.
Now, please note, that everything the Church teaches, everything that Scripture speaks of in this regard, is focused on homosexual activity, it is not focused on homosexual inclinations. To have a homosexual inclination is not, in and of itself, a sin. To act on that inclination is a sin. Someone who has homosexual inclinations has a disordered sexuality, but that does not mean they are inherently more wicked or more sinful than anyone else. They are like the rest of us - all of us who have obstacles that we need to overcome in our daily struggle to discern God’s will for our lives and to follow that will.
The Church says that, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom...by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,” (CCC #2359).
(John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of the New Evangelization and Stewardship. To ask a question, send an email to John at: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. To receive John’s free apologetics materials on CD or mp3 download, go to: www.biblechristiansociety.com.)
 | About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com. |
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