Some 43 percent of American Catholics favor letting same-sex couples marry, finds a news Public Religion Research Institute report, which also relays the surprising statistic that 31 percent favor civil unions for gays. More in favor of regular marriage than second-class marriage? Great job, Jesus freaks! Only 22 percent of you stick to traditional church teachings that stipulate two gay men should be treated like a black man and a white woman pre-1967. Moreover, some 56 percent of these folks (compared to 46 percent of Americans at large) think same-sex sexytime is not a sin, which is funny, because most gay people cannot get married, so any relations between them should be considered premarital sex. Guess that’s no longer a sin either.
Drake
States with the highest percentage of Catholics also have the most gay friendly laws, including marriage or civil unions. It is the hierarchy and their ass kissers that are such tools of evil.
Dean
The one argument gays and others use that makes most minorities angry is comparing civil rights for race to civil rights for gays. Being black or any color is not a behavior or a preference so saying gays should be allowed to be married because blacks could makes no sense. Also calling them “Jesus Freaks” is just as intolerant and just reinforces why people who are on the fence about gays won’t budge or get pushed to the anti-gay side. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
Pitou
@Dean: Agreed. I though the “Jesus Freaks” was quite uncalled for, especially given the context of the article. It did’nt say “56% of Catholics don’t favor SSM”.. so why the catty response? Im not religious at all, and even I kinda took offence to the “Jesus Freaks” comment. Unnecessary.
Steve
@Dean: Being gay is more than just a behavior or preference as well. Just saying.
robert in NYC
Dean, being gay is not a preference or a behavior nor more than being straight is. Nobody in their right mind would choose to be gay given the injustice, discrimination and denigration of our lives on a daily basis. The scientific community is pointing more and more towards genetics during gestation in the womb. Its the same as eye color, unchangeable. No amount of praying away the gay will help either.
Drake…interestingly, there are now four catholic countries where same-sex marriage is legal, plus Mexico City. Its definitely the immovable hierarchy that is out of touch with its adherents.
The sane Francis
First of all, gay is not a “behavior” or “preference”. What it IS is a sexual orientation. So that’s problem #1. People thinking that it’s somehow OK to discriminate against gay people or somehow our rights are LESS of value, our fight for equality is lesser value, because we choose to be gay. Um, no, and even if it were a choice, we have the right to make that choice.
Next, discrimination is discrimination. So this attitude that somehow our rights being denied isn’t a civil rights fight like it is for other groups is a total insult, and is solely based on homophobia. It is solely based on the idea that gay people are lesser beings and essentially subhumans. We are not. We require equality.
Lastly, as for tolerance. No, we should not be tolerant towards bigotry. And guess what, Jesus freaks are Jesus freaks. Of course, not all who are religious are Jesus freaks. So those which the term apply is who the term is being intended to. They are evil people do commit reprehensible actions in the name of God. Time to stop sugar coating the truth and get real with reality. These people go out of their way to attack our basic humanity. Buddy buddy time went out the window long ago.
justiceontherocks
@Dean: Thank you for being the latest in series a closeted homos to start posting on Queerty in a last desperate attempt to prove you’re a real man and don’t like sucking cock, even though it’s what you fantasize about every night. Nice try but no cigar, as they say in the movies.
You have “Issues” to work through. We all wish you luck in doing it.
kernelt
@justiceontherocks: I was about to say the same and give a piece of my mind. But everyone seem to be ahead of me in responding to hypocrisy .
About the civil right battle. Both fights are with the same purpose and goal of eliminating discrimination and injustices. The only reason why SOME might not like to refer race Civil Right with gay battle was because they don’t want to be associate with gay and try to make their cause more saint than ours. Which is a pieces of shit, only those who believe that gay is a choice would say otherwise about race and sexuality civil right being as one.
Dan Cobbb
I think one reason why the church is against gays marrying is because to their knowledge, gays are child molesters or men who have random sex with other men without ever being able to commit: in other words–like priests. Maybe if church officials got to know some normal gay people (i.e., gays OUTSIDE THE F’D UP CATHOLIC CHURCH) they would see that gay marriage is about love and commitment.
Dan Cobbb
As for the use of Jesus Freaks, I have no problem with a term that is meant to describe irrational, radical beliefs. Add to that the fact that Jesus Freaks are often the most un-Jesus-like people on the face of the earth.
Finally, anyone who ardently believes in a religion shows their lack of intelligence by being an ardent believer. If that same ardent believer were whisked away from their Christian family at the age of 2 years, and then raised by a devout Moslem family in, say, Algeria, that ardent Christian would be an ardent, zealous Moslem instead. It’s a personality issue: a credulous personality (believing things readily) superimposed over a zealous personality. Such a personality combines zealotry in a belief that is nothing more than a consequence of the religion into which the person was socialized. Ardent believers do not have enough intellect to realize that their belief in their particular religion is a simple function of being a zealous personality who is socialized into a Christian family and/or society.
Jim Hlavac
@Dean: Actually, civil rights for gays is indeed not like for blacks. It’s like what the Jews faced. We were both hated for 2000 years by the Catholic Church. We were both chased out of our homes, and into ghettos. We were both told to “convert or die.” We were both blamed for attacking God, Jesus and society. We were both made to wear symbols by the Nazi, a star and a triangle respectively, before being hustled off to the camps. We were both denied the right to marry — Jews by the Holy Roman Empire for 1,000 years or more, us here too.
We are both genetic and cultural — there’s enough evidence that being Jewish has a genetic component. But still, too, it’s a life-choice too, to live as Jew or Gay.
And we’ve both have had blood libels hurled at us — Jews for eating Christian boys, and us for just supposedly recruiting them to munch on.
Ay, there’s the correct comparison — Jews and Gays.
The only difference is that Jews are the “chosen people of God” and we’re told we’re the “Not Chosen by God” people, though we do demur on that point.
NorthernNJ
Every Catholic I know (admittedly, they are all under 50) thinks being gay is okay and treats my boyfriend and I as equals. But they all think birth control is fine too. I think most Catholics today are what used to be called “cafeteria Catholics”- they pick and choose.
NorthernNJ
Jim Hlavac : And both gays and Jews restore neighborhoods (like with South Beach).
GetBalance
The term Jesus Freaks is a totally unjustified use of language against a guy w a great message. It really is taking pot shots at a man-ufactured God which is accurately directed via a back door method, seeing as tho God is a total fraud in the Bible and responsible for the dnfall of mankind. How anyone can think Jesus is the only begotten son of God (lie, we all are from perfect love, the real God) and he turned out perfect from the “loins” of a serial killing man molesting manipulative jackal called “God”, well Christians never were much for thinking on their own. Which bodes the question; can puppets cut their own strings?
God Freaks is a statement that would be much more accurate.
WillBFair
I see the usual self hating rubes are here trying to sabotage our movement by insulting our freinds in the church. It’s too boring. I’m done with this trailer park.
TheRealAdam
@WillBFair: Then GTFO, you self-hating, complacent Jesus Freak.
Send me an assless chaps postcard from your Xtian heaven if and when you get there.
TheRealAdam
@The sane Francis: Excellent response as always, dear Francis.
ewe
@Dean: You are the one who makes no sense.
adman
@WillBFair: Is that the new IponeIV, with the exodus app? Lemme see! Please? I want to stomp it into dust for you while I watch the look on your face. That’s pure envy I feel for you, my spook diddling better, right? >D
adman
@WillBFair: Is that the new IphoneIV, with the exodus app? Lemme see! Please? I want to stomp it into dust for you while I watch the look on your face. That’s pure envy I feel for you, my spook diddling better, right? >D
ewe
@Dean: so Dean, my comment basically is asking you to shut your mouth and open your ears because there is some great wisdom being given to you from the ohter commenters. I hope you have enough sense to learn.
ewe
@Pitou: oh how charming. why not blame every gay person then for your gripe?
ewe
@Pitou: I don’t care or condone pornography that objectifies little girls. I guess it’s all the fault Mr. and Mrs. Jones down the block. Oh wait, let me be like you and blame all straight people. I feel so much better now.
David
I believe that people are free to believe in whatever ‘god’ or religion they feel like.
That said: belief in ‘god’ or ‘Jesus’ or a religion; is a freely-chosen, VOLUNTARY decision. Calling someone a ‘Jesus-freak’ does not discriminate against someone because of their sex, age, race, skin-colour, sexual orientation or physical ability.
To be religious or to believe in ‘god’ is a CHOICE.
Being gay or black or female or old is NOT a choice.
So suck it up Jesus-freaks. You freely choose your beliefs. I don’t choose to be gay.
Mark
@Dean: Seeking refuge behind an analogy that you don’t approve while speaking for most minorities is telling. Your lack of human sexuality knowledge is a problem that you need to change if you wish to speak with any credibility. You might want to explore why some voices have resorted to the term “Jesus Freaks” to gain a better understanding. Historical oppression is ugly business with some negative consequences.
Atheism = prejudice
“You might want to explore why some voices have resorted to the term “Jesus Freaks””
They use it for the same reason other people resort to words like “fag” and “abomination” or “nigger” or “kike” or any pejorative – to demonize an any entire class of people. Homophobes are always able to point to some GLBTQ person who wronged them somehow or to some “wrong” act by some GLBTQ person that indicates that all GLBTQ people are a threat.
Prejudice is either always wrong, or never.
Every time some atheist uses terms like “Jesus freak” or “Sky pixie”, or calls people of faith “delusional” or “puppets”, it feeds the “we are the real victims” fantasies of homophobes.
And the atheists who post anti-religion dogma here are working against the best interests of GLBTQ people, exploiting our experience of oppression to advance their prejudice at our expense.
justiceontherocks
@Atheism = prejudice: cassandra – that was a short post for you. I believe the term Jesus Freak is from the 60s when most people were a freak of some kind or another (acid freak, ;esus freak, football freak, etc.) It meant you were passionate about something, not that you were crazy. I hope the people using the term are doing it in that spirit.
PopSnap
I was raised in the Catholic faith, went to Sunday school, sat in church every so often, went to Mass on Holidays, ect. and honestly I have never once heard a homophobic remark from a single Catholic in my entire life while in Church or a church-related function. Ever.
Sure, there are bigots here & there. But there are bigots everywhere. I always get stares when I tell guys I was at Mass yesterday with my family, and it makes me laugh. I’m Catholic, not Baptist.
PopSnap
*Now, would I go out and encourage everybody to convert to Catholicism? naw. I can’t see myself ever attending Mass after I move out in a year or two. But considering the fact that they are supposedly such a homophobic organization (and really, their leadership & official teachings are), I haven’t had any negative experiences with them other than boredom.
merkin
gee, after so much hatred spewed by Catholic leadership can you be surprised that many of us have negative attitudes about the religion, and maybe say not-nice phrases like “Jesus Freaks.” That’s fairly benign compared to what the Pope and assorted bishops and cardinals have said about us. And last I checked, the HRC didnt sponsor wholesale violence, mutilation, plundering and terrorism for over 1,000 years the way the Roman Catholic Church did. (And GLAAD doesnt continue to employ known pedophiles) Maybe that’s why some of us aren’t tripping over ourselves to congratulate all the Catholics who pick and choose which of their leader’s teachings they choose to heed. Maybe the Catholic laity should start holding their leaders accountable? Just a thought
TheRealAdam
@merkin: Yes, just a thought, and a very good one at that.
Rob
When the psychologically repressed contemplate the repression of others, they empathize. Hello. It’s 2011. When will all this political posturing and systematic sexual repression end? Don’t you think those who actively prohibit marriage equity have some sort of financial or other agenda? How long will we sit passively by while others seal our fate? How long will you financially support ineffective “gay” organizations who are actually in bed with the very politicians who repress our freedoms? WAKE UP!!
Iamsinned
This news sort of doesn’t surprise me that much (even if it’s still a good thing to be validated). Growing up in a very Catholic environment (my family, my school, my geographical location the), the one thing that they all taught very strongly was (and still do, I think) is Social Justice… justice and equality for all, especially for those less fortunate members of the society. I think, unintentionally, the Catholic “side” teachings (i.e. those that not Biblical per se) have strengthened the world’s youth’s belief that everybody is equal (even if the Big Bosses of the Catholic Church will still disagree with homosexuality and same-sex marriage). I hope I made sense…
Iamsinned
Just to clarify about my previous posting. When I said that the Catholic Church strongly teaches about justice and equality for all, I was obviously referring to the basic necessities of food, water, shelter, government assistance to those in need, everyone should help the less unfortunate in terms of sharing their wealth. So, all those things they teach should be equal for everyone… EXCEPT for same-sex marriage and sexual acts wit hthe same-sex. BUT, since they’ve been teaching strongly about equality of all individuals in terms of most of the other things, they UNINTENTIONALLY have also taught the Catholic people that they should accept EVERYONE. Sort of an unintentional, sub-conscious group-think.
christopher di spirito
For many years there have been two churches:
1.) the Roman Catholic Church and,
2.) the American Catholic Church
I remember growing up, all the Catholics I knew favored letting priests marry. Some said it was completely “unnatural” to put this restriction on men.
I am not surprised to see how far away many American Catholics are from the Vatican.
HomoFile
That makes good sense, Iamsinned. At least, I agree that’s how things are from my own experiences. I can’t stand the Church upper echelons and hypocritical priests, mean nuns of the past, and child molesters and a whole slew of things about it, but as for the Catholic population: I don’t think non-Catholics understand how sophisticated young Catholics are. You know how hard it is to get into Catholic high schools? In NYC there are some where you have to have an I.Q. through the ceiling. Of course, a lot of those students won’t even continue practicing Catholicism after they leave high school, but…that’s fine too. And much of the anti-Catholic hatred, of both gays and non-gays, is still just an American Protestant-based snobbery, where they want to see Catholics as the ignorant dago, mick, polack hateful thugs.
TwlightoftheDogs
@Dean: Your argument is specious and shows an ignorance for how the laws of equality work. By your logic, unless one category is exactly like the other category, one could never draw parallels. Being a woman as a class is not like being a race as a class is not like being an ethnic group as a class is not like being from different cultural background- and yet, the laws regarding equality protect all of the above. One of the most frustrating things about being in America at this point is the sheer ignorance.
TwlightoftheDogs
@Dean: I forgot the really big one- Equality under the law also protects different religious minorities- which is completely about behavior since one is not genetically born Christian. If we were to take your argument seriously, we should strip you and the other Christians of your equality under the law.
ewe
@David: You are correct David because if we are choosing NOT to be straight then straight people are choosing NOT to be gay even though they may want to. It makes no sense at all what these wingnuts say. If one substitutes the word gay with the word straight we would better illustrate our point. For example, silly ignorant Dean wrote: “Being black or any color is not a behavior or a preference so saying gays should be allowed to be married because blacks could makes no sense”. If i was to say
“Being black or any color is not a behavior or a preference so saying straights should be allowed to be married because blacks could makes no sense” everyone would send for the men in white jackets and that is exactly how fucked up people like Dean are.
Thanks for listening. Unfortunately we know people like Dean will not. He has yet to come back to this thread. As usual he prefers to take a dump, not flush the toilet and fart his hot air out of the house disrespecting everyone in his path.
astor
So ordinary Catholics are way ahead of their old bigot church? That is great!
astor
@Dan Cobbb: Posts 9 and 10 – great comments. I agree.
Armand
lol.
Does it really matter what American Catholics think of gay marriage when it’s not going to change the Vatican’s stance?
Lame.
George A. Trosper
You don’t have to disagree with the Catholic Church’s doctrine to disagree with its hierarchy’s political conclusions. You’re required to give ’em respect, not follow them blindly.
Even if you believe that divorce or homosexual acts are objectively wrong, it doesn’t mean that the state should ban them. And you can support homosexuals getting civil marriages (as opposed to Catholic Church marriages) without believing that they’re marriages “in the eyes of the Church” or that they ought to be!
John
@Dean: “…Being black or any color is not a behavior or a preference…” And neither is being LGBT.
Next!
John
@Jim Hlavac: *reaches out to shake your hand* Well done! One of the most articulate posts I’ve ever read on defining the discrimination which confronts LGBT’ers!
LittleGreenMen
As for the use of “Jesus Freak”, it relates back to the 60’s and 70’s. It’s what they called THEMSELVES! Jesus was a huge hit for the Doobie Brothers.
ewe
@LittleGreenMen: Jesus freaks are presently knowns just as FREAKS. Rational people have reclaimed Jesus as a possible historical figure. The wingnuts will no longer be able to hijack that word as their own. In all seriousness though i recall Jesus freaks were sort of an alternative to drug freaks without the drugs. They were basically stoned on Jesus instead. Strange to think that was the mindset. Now they are just fucked up people. sort of like a lobotomy.
Kyle
@Dean: I agree with you. Why compare our fight for marriage to their civil rights movement?.Most black people take offence to the comparison, so why do we keep insisting on it? Lets leave them alone!. Most of them think we are siners anyway. Why give all our power to them? We can stand tall on our own and demand equal rights!
NYBob
@Kyle: They are homophobic and are probably uncomfortable being associated with us. You are right, lets not make them more powerful than us. It’s like chasing after a kid who does not want to play with us.
BenFrankly
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Gays have the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and one way we shall forever pursue that happiness is to secure the right to marry our same sex partners. Despite forces opposed, despite bigotry and injustice, despite the religious fanatics, one day we shall secure this right in every State of the Union.
We shall pursue this with the same dedication and fervor of Dr. King and his civil rights movement and like his the outcome is inevitable victory for us.
Robert in NYC
BenFrankly, I agree. Last summer, I talked to my state senator in person when she come to my neighborhood. She told me the only way we will win marriage equality at the federal level is by using the 14th amendment of the constitution. I think she’s right, although with five very conservative judges on the Supreme Court of the U.S., it will be an uphill battle.
Robert in NYC
By the way, is anyone having trouble when opening Queerty or posting a comment lately? For weeks, I’ve noticed that its very slow to open or to post a comment and sometimes it just hangs and then cuts out altogether. Its the only website I’m having trouble with.
Tallskin
Robert in NYC- I’ve been having problems with queerty for months now. It’s slow as hell to load, hangs, gives me blank pages and is generally crap!
I guess it’s because they don’t want to spend money on a decent server!
GetBalance
Robert in nyc / tallskin
I ditto that about slow to open queerty.
My interpretation of God taking sides, it depends on whether your god is the man created makeshift jealous god that resembles man and all his fallen behaviors, like lying cheating and murdering. Or you believe in the real god that created us w free will. Even the Christian God has some morals, but since he is a staunch republican strawman, u may be out of luck if you believe in him. I suggest you strike a match.
The authentic god that created our souls always favors on the side of love, which is what we are as gay people struggling to be who we are. In this way God IS on our side. We are not only ok, we are being gods will by sticking up for love and fending off fear. Done deal. Pretty cool. And we are saved. Now let’s just keep on getting the devil dogs put to rest. And this priest is no less a black dog in his black devil garb. Best advice? Drop homo-attackful religions and call your senators.
robert in NYC
Tallskin, I’m glad its not just me having problems. Its been like it for several weeks. You’re probably right though. I think viewership is down. Lot of people are switching to Towleroad and Pam Spaulding’s website, arguably the best out there.
Tallskin
Robert in NYC, thanks, not heard of Towleroad and Pam Spaulding, I will check it out
we’ve recently lost our UK gay news site UKGaynews, which seems to have gone down the toilet, so I need a new gay website.
I hope old cassandra-chops is on there, as I SO love baiting her!
Tallskin
Robert in NYC, this may amuse you! Vile homophobia from a muslim blog.
http://theislamicstandard.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/how-i-came-to-look-like-an-idiot-on-national-tv/
robert in NYC
Hi Tallskin, I don’t think I’ve seen Cassandra on either of the two blogsites I provided. I’ve no doubt she/he may show up evenutally, these worms have a way of seeking out gay sites.
Thanks for the link in No. 57, amazing. I only hope creationism doesn’t become mandatory in schools over there! By the way, you can email me at [email protected] about stuff going on over there. I only have PinkNews to rely on.
Tallskin
Robert in NYC, fear not there is NOT a snowball’s chance in hell of creationism being able to advance in the UK. We tend to laugh at it, not give it respect or credence.
Chris
It’s not about Catholics “allowing” it. Jehovah’s view is Jehovah’s view! By churches allowing homosexual marriage, they are against God. I’m gay and yes there are some verses that state the word homosexual out of context but there is Romans 1:20-30. There’s no mistaking it. So just because a church accepts it doesn’t mean it’s right. Like when Catholics crown the statue of Mary. Can you say idolatry?!?!
Jeffree
@Chris: You mean YHWH don’t you? How dare u try to write a name for G~D in a site which supports an abomination such as ho-mo-sex-u-al-i-ty and which occasionally says kind things about Muslims?
Let me guess, neophyte, you’ve never read or understood Peter Gomes…..
Hello Stanley!
robert in NYC
Chris, No. 60… quite frankly, none of us care what the “churches” say about same-sex marriage. They don’t own civil marriage and never will. It has no similarity to a religious marriage and there is no mandate to procreate either. I suggest you attend a civil marriage and experience it for yourself. No reference to any deity or having children.
All that nonsense in Romans is just that, written by unsophisticated alterkochers (old jewish, religious farts). If you’re going to start cherry picking this or that verse, then why not believe all of them, most of which have no reference to “homosexuality”, but in fact put straight bigots and hypocrites in a very uncomfortable position if they actually believed everything that’s written in that book of fairy tales. If they or you believe that its wrong for two same-sex people to be married, then you must also agree that its perfectly fine for a husband to kill his wife for adultery or his children for insolence, among other things (old testament). You and they (the catholic church et al) can’t have it both ways, you either believe it all and live by it or not at all. By the way, polygamy (an invention of straight men) was also permitted in the old testament, hardly the result of gays marrying or having sexual relationships. Incest too, Adam & Eve must have committed it because how on earth could the planet have become populated? There are only so many children a straight couple can have, so that would mean their children, assuming they ever existed, must have committed incest with one another.
To digress, why doesn’t your bigot Pope condemn Islam for allowing polygamy, still practiced today in some islamic countries, as many as four wives at a time. And gays are to blame for that?