By Patricia Moran
As I sit here in California, watching the protests against the passage of Proposition 8, I am reflecting upon what it means to be homosexual in our nation and our Church.?Webster's defines social justice as "the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society." Who in society has the power of this distribution? The state and federal governments write laws and make policies. Churches define justice and morality in their own terms.?Individuals search their own hearts and souls and come to their own judgments.?So what legal advantages do married people have??The General Accounting Office in 1997 released a list of 1,049 benefits and protections available to heterosexual married couples. These benefits range from federal benefits, such as survivor benefits through Social Security, sick leave to care for an ailing partner, tax breaks, and spousal veteran's benefits and insurance breaks. They also include obtaining family insurance through your employer, visiting your spouse in the hospital and making medical decisions if your partner is unable to. Civil unions protect some of these rights, but not all of them, and they do not transfer to another state.
And how does the Bible weigh in on homosexuality? There has been much referencing of the Bible.
According to Rev. Mel White in "What the Bible Says - And Doesn't Say - About Homosexuality," Jesus says nothing about same sex behavior. The Jewish prophets are silent about homosexuality. Only six or seven of one million verses refer to same sex behavior in any way - and none of those verses refer to homosexual orientation, as it's understood today. ?Rev. White makes note that the creation story says it is "natural" that a man and a woman come together to create a new life, some people think this means gay or lesbian couples are "unnatural." In discussing Leviticus 20:13, "A man who sleeps with another man is an abomination and should be executed." Rev. White states, "To the Jews an abomination was not a law, not something evil like rape or murder forbidden by the Ten Commandments. It was a common behavior by non-Jews that Jews thought was displeasing to God." Today, we do not interpret many parts of the Bible literally. Leviticus 18:19 forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman's period. If they disobey, both shall be executed. Mark 12:18-27 states that if a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir. ?The Catholic Church expresses its views on homosexuality in "Live in Christ Jesus, #52"?as: "Homosexual (genital) activity, as distinguished from homosexual orientation, is morally wrong. Such an orientation in itself, because not freely chosen, is not sinful." "Homosexual genital activity is considered immoral. Like heterosexual persons, homosexual men and women are called to give witness to chastity, avoiding, with God's grace, behavior that is wrong for them, just as non-marital sexual relations are wrong for heterosexual men and women," according to U.S. bishops, "Human Sexuality, #55".
I've always had some confusion about the above statements. Since the Church accepts that homosexuals do not "freely choose" their orientation - does not this imply that homosexuals are born with their orientation? Is the door open for hand holding, hugging and kissing, just not genital contact? The difference for the Catholic Church is that heterosexuals one day can marry and be able to express their full sexuality. Homosexuals are denied this expression - for their entire lives, simply by the fate of having been born homosexual. Is this social justice??UP educates the heart and mind. UP supports social justice. Does UP promote an accepting and respectful environment to discuss homosexuality? Is handholding and kissing permitted on campus for both heterosexuals and homosexuals? How does UP reconcile promoting social justice in society with the Church's view regarding homosexuals? How does each of us "distribute the advantages and disadvantages" of social justice??As a wife and mother, a nurse practitioner, a sister of a gay brother, who recently died HIV positive and a Catholic concerned about social justice, I believe it is important to compassionately and openly discuss homosexuality in the framework of social justice. I hope courses on campus discuss these issues and speakers will be brought to campus to openly discuss all facets of the issues. Our students will be graduating, entering the larger world, and I hope they have experienced a thoughtful and respectful discourse while they attended UP.
