Posted on 12/20/2006 7:52:08 AM PST by marshmallow
Ave Maria University leaders spoke out about same-sex attraction recently, calling it a disorder that can be corrected or suppressed.
Provost Joseph Fessio and President Nick Healy participated in the crafting of a statement outlining the Catholic church's teachings against same-sex attraction and sexual promiscuity during a leadership conference in Denver in October.
The participating group, called the Cardinal Newman Society, encouraged leaders on Catholic college campuses, like Ave Maria, to promote abstinence from sex before marriage. College officials also should urge students experiencing same-sex attractions to seek guidance from school leaders, or, for students who cannot fight their gay urges, to live a chaste life.
"There is a problem that has arisen on many Catholic university campuses on which the roles of marriage and men and women are being confused, and that can be damaging to young people," Fessio said. "God created us male and female, so we might be help mates, support for each other and multiply the Earth.
"That is the meaning of sexuality. Anything other than that is a disorder, and will lead to bad consequences."
The Cardinal Newman Society is comprised of Catholic school leaders, pro-life group representatives and other prominent Catholic leaders throughout the country, Fessio said. The group meets annually to discuss issues involving Catholic life and teachings.
Although the Catholic church has maintained a strict opposition to the homosexual lifestyle throughout history, Healy said refreshing the issue is important.
"The overall message is that Catholic universities have the responsibility not to give in to the intellectual fashion today, but that they stay with the teachings of the Catholic church," Healy said. "The church teaches that (same-sex attraction) is an objective disorder, and should be discouraged."
The statement contradicts many scientists' beliefs that same-sex attraction is a genetic trait, and cannot be reversed.
"There is no valid scientific evidence for a biological origin of same-sex attraction," according to the statement. "However, there is evidence that persons with same-sex attractions can and do change."
Kathleen Korb, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, disagreed, citing scientific and social research stating same-sex attractions cannot be eliminated.
"It has been shown again and again and again that people think someone is 'cured,' which is a ridiculous word, but the next thing you know, they are back to the same attractions," she said. "You cannot change people's sexual orientation."
Fessio recognized same-sex attraction exists. But, he said, it is against God's plan for the human race.
"This is a fact of history that there are people who have same-sex attractions," he said. "The church does not speak authoritatively on science and psychology, but it does speak on God's plan and what the Bible teaches us."
Korb, who also teaches from the Bible, among other religious documents, said calling homosexuality a disorder is ludicrous.
"I think if people love one another and respect one another, what does it matter what sex they are? What business is it of mine?" she asked. "I just don't understand how people can get so upset about something that doesn't affect them one way or the other."
The statement also encourages Catholic university leaders to offer spiritual and psychological assistance, as well as medical guidance, to students, faculty and staff members struggling with chastity and same-sex attraction.
"We ask everyone to be chaste, whether they are heterosexual or not," Healy said. "If people are struggling with issues of chastity, we certainly have resources to deal with that."
Fessio said there are six or eight priests on the Ave Maria campus who have experience dealing with struggling parishioners.
But, he added, their assistance at the school hasn't yet been necessary.
"The people that come here are generally committed to leading a life in accordance with the church," Fessio said. "We've all got disorders and temptations toward evil. That comes from original sin. If we were to find people having difficulty living a moral life, we would try to help."
The statement also addresses school-hiring policies, stating those who promote a lifestyle contradicting Catholic teachings shouldn't be hired.
"We don't require (staff members) to accept our teachings, but they have to be willing not to publicly discredit them," Fessio said. "Being gay isn't only living a homosexual lifestyle, but promoting it as well.
"That kind of public position in what the church has said is a disorder obviously contradicts what we teach."
American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Brandon Hensler said refusing to hire openly gay people could be a civil rights violation. Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states religious organizations can discriminate in their hiring, but only if the job applicant's religious beliefs are directly related to the job.
"There's a point where a line is drawn in the sand, where someone does not need to be Catholic to work there, like gardeners or cafeteria workers or secretaries," Hensler said. "The line here is blurry, but it seems to be pointed at not hiring homosexuals."
There are no laws in Florida protecting homosexuals against hiring discrimination, Hensler said.
"Homosexuals in this country and state can be discriminated against in housing, work and just about every way you can imagine," said Korb, whose congregation issued a statement five years ago accepting and supporting homosexuals in their church family.
"It makes me feel sad that there is that much refusal to understand something that has been researched so much as a human justice issue."
Hensler said the ACLU's Miami chapter is monitoring Ave Maria's practices to ensure civil liberties are being respected.
"We've been keeping an eye on them since the start," he said. "Things like this set off alarms that there may be issues down the road."
Healy said those who don't agree with the Catholic church's teachings about same-sex attraction shouldn't turn away from the church or school. They should instead question their own logic, and examine why they disagree with the teachings, he said.
"I would certainly encourage people to stay with the Catholic faith, but I would try to educate them," Healy said. "I wouldn't say that if you disagree, you shouldn't be a Catholic, but if you like the Catholic church, you should examine what the problem is.
"I think some people just don't think through a lot of issues."
Healy said the strictly worded statement will discourage "cafeteria Catholicism," a term he used to describe Catholics who only believe some or most of the church's teachings.
"The church has a unity of moral vision," he said. "There is no picking and choosing."
And changing worlds.
Speak the truth and shame the devil.
Timeless wisdom.
Curing homosexuality is a bit like curing smoking. It works with some people, but not for others. Habits die hard, and years of engaging in certain behaviors causes changes to the brain that, in some cases, are irreversible. Even if homosexuals are created, their homosexuality in many cases literally becomes ingrained into who they are.
If you smoke or overeat, have you ever noticed how hard it was to kick the habit or kick the habit, then find yourself sucked back in. Even when the APA recognized reparative therapy, the best estimates showed a 30 percent overall success rate.
(Note:I'm not being an apologist for anyone here because I reject homosexuality as disordered and immoral.)
Notice that her radical individualism is connected to her unawareness of the social effects of others' behavior. She views others' sexual behavior as none of her business. But her individualism here blinds her to the long-term *social* effects of others' sexual behavior.
-A8
If memory serves correctly, that's better than the success rate for someone trying to kick a drug habit.
More lies from left-wing secularists. Nevermind that thousands of people have changed their sexuality and are now happily married heterosexuals.
Even historic gay rights advocate and prominent psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer's work has confirmed that:
Historic Gay Advocate Now Believes Change is Possible
May 9, 2001 - The psychiatrist who led the team that deleted homosexuality from the diagnostic manual in 1973, now says homosexuality may sometimes be changeable.
His provocative new study drew worldwide media attention at the American Psychiatric Association's annual conference on May 9th.
Dr. Robert L. Spitzer's study was funded by his department's research unit. He is Professor of Psychiatry and Chief of Biometrics at Columbia University.
"Like most psychiatrists," says Dr. Spitzer, "I thought that homosexual behavior could be resisted--but that no one could really change their sexual orientation. I now believe that's untrue--some people can and do change."
Most mental-health associations have recently issued warnings about therapy to change sexual orientation. Homosexual fantasies and feelings can be renounced or resisted, most clinicians agree--but not transformed.
But in a panel discussion at the annual A.P.A. meeting, Spitzer released the evidence for his conclusions.
He reported interviewing 200 subjects (143 men and 57 women) who were willing to describe their sexual and emotional histories, including their self-reported shift from gay to straight.
More studies showing homsexuality to be changeable:
In reviewing the research, Satinover reported a 52% success rate in the treatment of unwanted homosexual attraction. (Satinover, 1996, p. 186). Masters and Johnson, the famed sex researchers, reported 65% success rate after a five-year follow-up (Schwartz and Masters, 1984, pp. 173-184). Other professionals report success rates ranging from 30% to 70%.
Take a look at this site "Queer by Choice" where these homos admit their sexual predilection is a choice.
http://www.queerbychoice.com/
Why they would quote a U-U pastor is beyond me. Mnay of them don't even believe in God.
************
I would guess that she probably believes that children need good role models, as most do. I wonder how she then reconciles her statements regarding homosexuality?
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