Indiana's RFRA: the fallout, Part II | National Catholic Reporter

Indiana's RFRA: the fallout, Part II | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: MSW seems to find only two approaches among the bishops.  I would rather think of it as at least two.  The bishops that favor tolerance, including in Indiana and Georgia, have been a breath of fresh air - although I would prefer that they not suggest a time for more discernment and dialogue.  My impresson is that civil rights law, or at least the princples behind it, were fairly clear - equal access to all if you have a store front business - and no one is saying that these bakers need to order from the Adam and Steve Cake Topper Company in San Francisco (don't look for it, I made it up).



Then there are the Lori and Chaput crowd.  They do seem strident in the name of coalition politics and maybe that is it (which if so kind of colors how we need to seem them when they talk about abortion).  The other possibility is that they are fully convinced that gays and lesbians who have sex are going to Hell and that they must stop them, have them repent and go through therapy to make them heterosexual (think the center operated by Michele Bachmann's husband - who seems to have been a client).  Stopping gay marriage is their first step in reaching them and reminding them of their flawed behavior as part of an attraction disorder.  Worse, if they lose on this issue - they feal the whole of Catholic moral teaching is lost, including female priests and abortion, et al.



The third undiscussed option is hopefully some very quiet bishops who are Lori and Chaput's worse nightmare - who reject that there is anything sinful about being gay or in being sexually active while gay - with marriage being the best hope for that occurring safely and morally. They were the ones who, as priests, were pushing the Wonderfully Made meme as well as the sex is a gift from God meme.  By the way, both of those are correct.  Forty years ago, we were sure we would find a genetic cause.  Didn't happen.  Epigenetics did, however - which found the biology connected to what we know - the homosexuality seems to arise during pregnancy, but before birth and is linked to genetic factors.  Those of us who are spiritual - and hopefully that includes some bishops - see that not as disorder, but God's creative work - no more to be cured than white skin (which is risk factor for cancer).  As far as the female priests thing - yeah, we hope they are willing partners on that to.



The problem is that dissent is never met with debate or respect, it is anathemized.  Priests and even bishops are fired for telling the truth.  It is why so many have hope in Francis - that he will let the truth be spoken without retribution from those like Burke, Chaput and Lori.