It Get's Better, Unless You're A Gay Catholic
I have to admit, being both gay and Catholic, stories like this one put a smile on my face. It's also a reminder of one the incredible injustices my religion refuses to shake off.
The archaic philosophy of the Catholic Church, and its inability to recognize gays and lesbians as equal citizens before the Church, has not only driven me (and others) away from its institution, but it has had a detrimental consequence in my daily life.
This past summer, I was told by someone incredibly close to me that I was the “biggest embarrassment” in their life because of the “choices” I have made (read: being gay).
That comment has not only stuck with me, but it has forever changed the dynamics of a fundamental relationship in my life.
The sad reality is that comments such as the one made towards me are often anchored on religious notions that lack any genuine rationale besides the fact that “the Church says its wrong.”
My issue with the entire Catholic institution is not so much the fact that I cannot get married inside a Church. Instead, it is the realization that the comments and ideas supported by the Catholic leadership have real consequences in the lives of millions around the world.
For those, like my father, who did not have the opportunity to experience a formal education, the word of God is the only language he knows.
Perhaps protests such as the one in Spain is not the preferred way forward. In fact, it may even be damaging to the greater cause. But, when a religious organization has so effectively shamed the essence of hundreds of thousands around the world, provocative actions by citizens is a worthy response.
The pope, as of late, has been warning against the concept of “aggressive secularism” and the danger it poses to the relationship between citizens and the state.
Unfortunately, at my dinner table, irrational religious conviction is the only matter chipping away at human relationships.