Catholicism

[Ciaran]

Originally Posted by Sun

Ciaran, Please forgive me for offending you with that comment I should have been more specific; the interpretation of Leviticus that has been used to denounce men who are with men, is what I was referring to. That one interpretation, which many biblical scholars and clergy have referred to as "poor biblical scholarship" has been used to oppress for far too long. In the marriage equality movement in the states biblical scholar EJ Graff made strides with her work "What is Marriage For?" listing factual accounts of the history of marriage. Many mainstream fundamentalist religions misinterpret the history or marriage, to fulfill an agenda. In that circle of conversation the term "poor biblical scholarship" was used often.

I do think that it is important that if any institution is going to use a text to teach that the leadership understand the original text prior to translation.

Again I did not intend to offend, rather I was hoping to share the information from Dignity USA as many of my Catholic friends very much enjoy Dignity and have for many years.

Sun - there was no offence taken.


I was simply indicating that my religion isn't a part of a textbook but a part of my DNA. I don't know what my ancestors think on the subject of LGBT rights but would be surprised if they've heard of Levicitus. Similarly, I don't give a damn what "biblical scholars" think. My (Roman) Catholicism isn't a belief that can be explained by religious scripts or textbooks or understood in the halls of academia. I am glad of that.


For me, my Roman Catholicm is a part of my identity and a part of my value-judgement system. It's integral to, and an evolvement of, something that my forefathers and foremothers not only believed in but fought for and represented. My Catholicism isn't about some verse in the bible that I have never read nor understood.


Rather, it's about my mother, then aged 15, who with her mother and priest heard a banshee on the night her father died at the age of 50. He was a non-smoker and took his first ever alcohol, a shot of brandy, that night. The banshee is said to only appear when those most devout of the Irish are dying.

My Catholicism is also about my father's people - years spent at graveyard Sundays praying respects for family members I didn't know and now doing exactly the same but, as I and we all age, for family members that I do know.

Roman Catholicism isn't easy. I have significant issues with the Roman Catholic church - admittedly these are very different from most here. My issues with the church aren't to do with LGBT aspects but rather nationality / politics .

The church in Ireland has generally been viewed as Irish nationalist and parts of the church have been very sympathetic towards Irish republicanism. Conversely, I'm the polar opposite politically - and have been all my life. I have an absolute hatred of all forms of Irish nationalism and republicanism, violent or otherwise.

This caused me to turn my back on the church for many years - I was already coming back to it but time spent in the Philippines in 2008 speeded that process up.

I go to mass an average of once a week - sometimes more, sometimes less. Often, here in London, I go to the Soho Masses, a mass aimed towards LGBT Catholic folk in London. However, I am as happy to go to more mainstream services and when I'm back to Belfast over Christmas, I'll be at mass four or five times alongside a very conservative congregation and will be accepted with nothing but lovingness and warmth.

I've never been made not to feel welcome or a part of the Catholic community - which is just as well as it's a community I won't be leaving until I'm in the ground.


Give me holy water, a crucifix and sacred heart on my desert island.