Underdeveloped Humans

Apparently the current pope of the Roman Catholic church thinks that homosexuals are underdeveloped human beings. Here is what he said to the French people on September 21 while they debate this subject:

"The family is threatened by a conception of human nature that is defective (...) defend the family and life in society is nothing but retrograde prophetic" Benedict XVI stated in particular at this meeting , before recalling that "marriage and family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is in fact caused injury to the society itself ." (Google translation from the French)

Perhaps most startling of his remarks on gay marriage and secularization was his saying the Church must “promote those values that permit the full development of the human person.”

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/pope-decides-gay-people-arent-fully-developed-humans.html#ixzz27mjfsqP1

I find it very disturbing that people find these kinds of statements, from someone who denies his person-hood by being celibate, to be God given. Nothing from scripture supports this argument. Only by extreme conjecture from a spattering of writings could this argument be made. It could be argued from this same logic that all Roman Catholic Priests are also not "fully developed" human beings. By being celibate they do not promote those values that permit the full development of their human person. By not entering into the marriage institution they deny God's creation. And don't give me the crap argument that they are married to the Church, we know what kind of crone she is.

The very idea that someone could call another human being less than a full person is mortifying. (Two definitions in case you all miss the irony: 1. to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect. 2. to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering.) To make an argument by debasing your subject is cowardly and worse, just bad rhetoric. The reason those who are abhorred by the idea of homosexuality (and notice it is almost always about male homosexuality) use elementary school rhetorical arguments is because they have no real substance to base their "feelings." 

I love the Church. I really do. I also know that those who have a problem with homosexuality love the Church as well. The Church has the possibility of being a great witness to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ for the world. A love that draws all nations to the mountain of peace. As long as we continue to denigrate each other as being lesser humans (we in the USA are great at this) we will deny this love, this peace. 

Shame on the Pope for using derogatory arguments and belittling his fellow humans. The Church is better than that.

(Thank you Don Early for posting on facebook and giving me something to blog about.)