Everyone has a right to marry, but no one has the right to change the nature of marriage. Marriage is what it is and always has been, no matter what a Legislature decides to do; however, the public understanding of marriage will be negatively affected by passage of a bill that ignores the natural fact that sexual complementarity is at the core of marriage.
—Cardinal Francis George, leader of Chicago’s Catholic archdiocense, urging state lawmakers to vote against civil unions because they threaten to “change the nature of marriage.” Oh, and because then faith-based adoption agencies would have to rent kids to them or something. So much for religious non-profits staying out of politics. [via]
codyj
what a kewl hat (its actually an upside down Xmas shopping bag, from THE DOLLAR STORE) His ‘dress’ MATCHES with his views..absolutely RIDICULOUS!!
WillBFair
His ‘reasoning’ is tired. He says ‘the nature of marraige’ and ‘the natural fact’, as if he has the sole right to decide what is natural and what is not.
Please. Does he have a degree in zoology or biology perhaps? Probably not. What an egoist, a slimy, arrogant bully.
Jeffree
If Cardinal Francis George wants to protect the sanctity of marriage, all he needs to do is stop worrying about SSM and civil unions & spend his time preventing str8 Catholics from divorcing –& also excommunicating divorced Church members.
He confuses his views on civil marriage with the church stance on religious sacrament of marriage. Let him do that with his own church members, ok, but he needs to stop meddling in the right of non-Catholics to get the social, legal & financial advantages of marriage.
ewe
direct from the mouth of a self confessed sexually dysfunctional virgin. fuck off.
Ronbo
Give the old queen a break. His opinions were formed in 1950 – when June Cleaver was cooking the Beaver eggs flourentene in pearls and high heels.
He deserves to be married…to a straight woman…who has no lack of opinion as to the dominance of men over women in marriage. I’d love to see the hat-man defend himself when he demands that his wife be subservient. He deserves to be married, with that attitude!
B
No. 2 · WillBFair wrote, “His ‘reasoning’ is tired. He says ‘the nature of marraige’ and ‘the natural fact’, as if he has the sole right to decide what is natural and what is not.”
To really “be fair”, these characters have claimed to be God’s earthly representative for nearly 2000 year. Curiously a court supposedly once ruled against that claim. It seems, based on their claim, the Catholic Church was once sued by some wise-ass who had some misfortune, only to have his insurance company refuse to cover it because it was “a work of God” (insurance-ese for hurricane damage or damage due to some other natural disaster). So, since it was an “act of God” and the Catholic Church claimed to be God’s representative, …
Aaron in Honolulu
Does the legalization of ABORTION force the public to embrace abortion? Does the legalization of DIVORCE force the public to accept divorce as an option?
His statement is bullshit.
Terence Weldon
Memo to Cardinal George:
Please check some Church history. This is not the first time that the nature of marriage is being “redefined” – the church itself has done so frequently.
In Biblical Israel, marriage was polygamous, arranged exclusively between men (the groom, and the fathers of his wives). The Hebrew patriarch, if he could afford it, would also keep concubines as well as wives.
In classical and medieval times, marriage was not a contract between two people based on love to raise children, but a financial and legal arrangement to protect property and inheritance.
In the early Christian church, there was no obligation for couples to marry in church – unless the groom was a priest.
There was, on the other hand, provision for same sex unions to be blessed, in church, by formal liturgical rites.
The idea of marriage as a “Christian Sacrament” came relatively late in Church history. The popular Western understanding of “traditional marriage” is a very modern invention, dating mostly from the nineteenth century.
Cam
Lets see, an all male, celebate organization…yeah, JUST the type of group that should be lecturing the rest of the world on “sexual complementarity”.
Perhaps they should spend more time worrying about all of the lawsuits they are involved in in Europe for the enslavement and abuse of young girls they kept trapped in the “Magdeline Homes” and less worrying about what consenting happy adults get up to.
Steve
@Terence Weldon: And as I remember, the Primitive Church refused to conduct marriage ceremonies thinking them to be pagan. Which is why the Plymouth colony, aka the Pilgrims of Thanksgiving fame, refused to conduct marriage ceremonies.
Robert in NYC
Hmmmm, sexual complimentarity? That’s code for “procreation” but he doesn’t address the issue of straight couples who don’t want to procreate or can’t but want to marry anyway. I’ve no doubt he’d come up with some excuse to cover his ass about that one. What a creep. It seems to me that straights are the ones who’ve been “undermining” or “threatening” marriage with their millenia old tradition of adultery, philandery and procreating outside of marriage, long before there were any semblance of legal unions for gay couples. The roman cult, among others, is living proof that devolution exists.
SteveMD2
@codyj: I thought it was a dunce cap. Being catholic anyway makes so many good people unable to realize that they worship what has been,a nd has become even more with RATZInger the curse of western civilization – perhaps more so then Islam and the east.
SteveMD2
@Cam: Didn’t know about the enslavement of women. I do know about the hiding of endlessphysical and mental and sexual abuse of the alter boys etc all over the world where the church operates.
But what else would you expect of a timeless organization still living in the 10th century -where women were burned at the stake. Both to demonstrate the patriarchial power of the church, as well as to prevent the spread of “witchcraft”, seen as a competing religion by the church.
If only the churh has a mirror re witchcraft…………..
SteveMD2
@Aaron in Honolulu: If you look at the churches most opposed to abortion…………..
Cathoic – who still have not Excommunciated the worst murdere in history – Hitler, born and baptised catholic in very cath. Austria in 1888
who also during the christian crusades 900-1500 murdered an estimated 40 million muslims in 13 grand crusades – no wonder they haven’t forgotten………..
Southern evangelical baptists – the people who gave us the KKK, slavery and segregation. who were complicit in bringing an estimated 20-40 million west africans to the western hemisphere as as slaves. In the filty holds of ships, where perhaps 25% did not survive the month long voyabe.
And the nut case westboro baptist church that also opposes abortion while parading around with “thank god for dead soldiers’ and thank god for crippled soldiers.
There is no word in our language to describe the utter depths of their hypocrisy. If you belong to any of these churches shame on you.
SteveMD2
@Robert in NYC: gay sex is for recreation, str8 sex is for procreation.
Saw that one on some video site by kids.
time to change the whole definition of the family.
Another benefit – Philandering will be required to create new generations.
SteveMD2
Some people have reverse3d alimentary canals due to genetic errors.
This guy has a vagina in place of a mouth. With which he certainly sucked off little boys. And then broke their jaws having them return the favor.
Reminds me of queen ants – they only mate once, and then kill off the male to ensure diversity.
this guy prob got a load fom his priest and has been using the semen like an Queen ant does for the rest of its life to create more crap.