Bishop Richard Malone of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland was there in Augusta last month testifying before legislators on the supposed dangers of legalizing same-sex marriage. Malone, who says his church supports domestic partnerships and “civil rights for all,” is now “deeply disappointed” by his state’s elected officials, who opted to become to become the nation’s fifth state to pass a new round of civil rights. Want to read his sorrow letter? Exceptional Mag:
I am deeply disappointed in the Maine Legislature and the Governor for making same sex-marriage legal in our state. We believe that the vast majority of Maine’s people believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, and that calling same-sex relationships marriage doesn’t make them so. Marriage as we have known it for millennia has served as the cornerstone of society. The family, consisting of mother, father and children, has served throughout the ages as the natural place for the healthy development of children into well adjusted and productive citizens. Same-sex marriage is a dangerous sociological experiment that I believe will have negative consequences for society as a whole. Children will be taught in schools that same-sex marriage and traditional marriage are simply different expressions of the same thing, and that the logical and consistent understanding that marriage and reproduction are intrinsically linked is no longer valid. These are profound changes that will reverberate throughout society with tragic consequences.
And lest you think Portland’s diocese will be sitting out the next round:
The Catholic Diocese in Maine previously declared that it will work closely with a number of partners in bringing this issue to the voters this November.
“Although the details are still being worked out at this time, we can say with certainty that the Portland Diocese will play a lead role in organizing this petition drive to bring the issue before voters,” said Marc Mutty of the diocese, who has been working closely in the legislature on this bill. He went on to say that he expected a number of prominent national organizations dedicated to preserving marriage to assist Maine in its efforts to restore traditional marriage to its rightful place.
edgyguy1426
How can the Diocese support domestic partnerships when the basic tenets behind them are deemed sinful? It suggests that the church is promoting sinful behaviour. This seems to me, as far as the church is concerned a black or white situation. I find it laughable then the church is making ‘We gave them an inch, now they want a mile’ argument. If you deem homosexuality wrong, then how can you support domestic partnerships? I’m not a christian, I’m a buddhist, and I don’t understand how they got around to accepting domestic partnerships, maybe I was sick that day and didn’t buy the paper, but it seems once they put one toe in the water there, it greatly weakened their position.
edgyguy1426
…and you can’t sling around the words ‘dangerous’ and ‘tragic’ without going into details….but maybe a lot of people weren’t trained to think critically and won’t stop to parse this out.
Alec
@edgyguy1426: He’s being less than honest. The Catholic Church doesn’t support domestic partnerships; sometimes they support what can be called “domestic beneficiary” legislation, which encompasses relationships like parent/child, brother/sister, etc. His diocese may have taken this position, probably to avoid civil unions and marriage, but it isn’t the position of the Catholic Church.
Tarcash
If the church wishes not to be meddled with by the government, then the church should not meddle with the government.
I’m sick of this, can we tax them already, since they seem so keen on forcing their religious views on those of us who don’t believe in the mythical sky pixie?
Dick Mills
If you want to talk about “Dangerous Sociological Experiments” lets discuss Religion! How many millions upon millions have been killed at the hands of the religious?
Peter
What is a “millennia” that we’ve known to be the present idea of marriage of a man and woman, only? I thought the catholics thought up the ‘sacrament of marriage’ in 1512. That was less than 500 years ago. What were the rules before that when the “church” had a liturgy and married two men, as a common practice? Seems to me that some rules can be changed in one direction, but they can not be changed back to what was historically the rule.
Discrimination seems to be the ‘in’ thing for them.
Raven
Soooo sick of these people acting like they have the final word on the way people should run their lives. ARGH!!!! Sick, sick, sick of it.
ZJ
One man and one woman? Throughout history and across cultures, marriage has just as often been one man and one woman and one woman and one woman and so on. It’s even in the Bible. Evidently nobody had a problem with multiple women in a marriage together. So why are they so insistent on redefining “traditional marriage” now?
stevenelliot
Hate thy brother but by all means, molest thy brother’s son. The catholics. All dolled up with smoke and mirrors, pomp and circumstance and no where to go.
Bob
Why do people who have over the years supported torture, pedophiles, and vast corruption have any influence?
Wait am I talking about the Catholic Church or the GOP?
Jon from Maine
Does he pay taxes?
Chris_Yes that one
Well, Well, Well,
Where are all the folks with such anger at “The African American Church”……..where are they? Or are they’re accepting of “WHITE” HOMOPHOBIA????
Just asking.
schlukitz
@stevenelliot:
Love it! 😉
alicia banks
het divorce stats prove that het marriage is the failed experiment!…
peace
ab
http://aliciabanks.blogspot.com/
john r
when will this belief that antiquity is a litmus test for the truth ever end? any one who has any knowledge of history, particularly, of christianity knows that that simply not true.
and also, that belief is centered around the concept of “i” (and in most cases it is about “versus you” “i believe this “” i dont believe that”
that unless belief is transformed into faith thru grace it, it never becomes christ centered and therefore has nothing to do with christ.
to hear clergy speak in ways that are totally oblivious to this, identifies the state of christendom.
edgyguy1426
@Chris_Yes that one: Where are all the folks with such anger at “The African American Church”……..where are they? Why would anyone with anger at African American churches be commenting here..I don’t understand the connection…help
Chris_Yes that one
@No.15 edgyguy1426
What I mean is this HOMOPHOBIA is HOMOPHOBIA. When Queerty post about the African American Church and HOMOPHOBIA you get hundreds of comments with such anger at Blacks because of it.
Now we have a post here where The mostly caucasian Catholic Church is producing their HOMOPHOBIA. And it seems with that of the mostly caucasian crowd that protest against The AA Church. Well where are they now with this one?
Or we do we only accept HOMOPHOBIA from some and NOT from others????
Jon from Maine
Don’t you think the catholic church needs to clean up their own back yard before attacking others…
Marion from Germany
@Jon from Maine: your absolutely right, but it´s easier to point on others than on theirselves.The church has to accept that civil rights are an political issue and have to be separated from religion.
Fr. Marty Kurylowicz
I wrote a comment to a news article in the Bangor Daily News 9/28/09 about Maine’s Catholic Bishop Malone’s antigay statement, in support of Marriage Equality and challenging the his ignorance about human sexuality and the bible. It may help support Marriage Equality from the lack of education on the truth of human sexuality and the bible.
“…Same-sex marriage is a dangerous sociological experiment that many of us believe will have negative consequences for society as a whole,” said [Bishop] Malone in the message, according to the Bangor Daily News. “Children need the love of a mother and a father.”?
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/122793.html
This statement is cruel and untrue. People against Marriage Equality do not base their public statements on facts either from science or the bible. It is a repeat of the time the Vatican was condemning Galileo, because they insisted that Galileo was going against the bible that it is the sun that revolves around the earth.
With all due respect, it is without a question that Bishop Malone would not be able to pass graduate course exams on human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity or biblical studies. Prove me wrong!!!
And if Bishop Malone cannot pass these exams today, than before God he needs to publically retract what he said against Marriage Equality. If not, then Bishop Malone needs to go back to the seminary to study moral theology.
I think Marriage Equality is bringing the LGBT population to a healthy state mind and well-being, where it belongs. I think in truth and soon more significantly by research we are going to find that the general population is more LGBT as a whole, than not.
I say this from being a bartender, priest, pastor, psychologist and now an activist of the LGBTI people. My life has always been surrounded by a diversity of people. Researchers show us that components of human sexuality are on continuums. This means that nearly everyone is a mixture of LGBT components to some degree.
And the harsh ignorant antiLGBTI social and religious norms just keeps us separated from one another because of what we cannot accept in our themselves.
Educating people about the complexities that make up human sexuality that each person is a unique mixture of components of LGBTI, it will, for one, increase the human potential in the world by leaps and bounds, finding cures of all kinds of diseases and much more.
The best thing to do for the well-being and safety of all children would be if people against Marriage Equality spent their money to academically study human sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity and the bible. This is what children need the truth. People speaking out on such life and death issues should not speak out of ignorance and fear, thus spreading hatred and violence that indiscriminately is severely harmful to all children.
The truth will set you free – not ignorance and fear.
With all best wishes,
Fr. Marty Kurylowicz
will clemens
@edgyguy1426: Guy, If your a budhist I would love to ask you a question on reincarnation.
James Fox
Can’t understand why the people who are so upset with the churches that oppose “gay marriage” look at the excesses of the Gay Rights movement. As a society, we tend to oppose those groups that resort to violence, profanity, or blasphemy to get their points across. Until the Gay Rights movement disowns the people that freak mainstream people out i.e. the transgender, the leather and chains crowd, etc…, they will have to put up with so called “homophobia.”
Don’t want the church telling others what to do? That’s okay, but the people so opposed to the churches and others expressing their views on homosexuality should not ream us in the backside with their agenda by calling us names or using the courts and the ACLU to suppress the voice of those opposed to gay marriage/rights.
Orson
After all the anguish homo-sexual priest ephebophiles what position do you expect him to take?