In a New York Minute: Coming Persecution of Christians over True Marriage?

By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/28/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The truth about marriage is not only a 'religious' construct, it is objectively true

The leaders of the homosexual equivalency movement are dedicated to building a society where the positive law of the Nation forces us all to call to be a marriage what can never be a marriage - or face the police power of the State. They scored what they believe was a decisive "victory" for their brave new world in New York last week. History will prove them wrong. However, with the tragic act of the legislature in New York, hostility toward Christians will continue to grow.

Homosexual equivalency activists march in New York

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ALBANY, NY (Catholic Online) - Sadly, even those who knew they were doing something which violated the Natural Law and threatens the common good - voting to call something a marriage which can never be a marriage - succumbed to the pressure of the mob last week. And the mob celebrated in the streets of New York on Sunday. The mob also placed on display some of the behaviors which will soon be protected by the positive or "civil" law of the State. To borrow from the refrain of the old Eagles song, "In a New York Minute, everything can change. In a New York Minute, things can get pretty strange."

The leaders of the homosexual equivalency movement insist that homosexual sexual practices are morally equivalent to the sexual expression of marital love between a man and a woman. They are dedicated to building a society where the positive law of the Nation forces us all to call to be a marriage what can never be a marriage - or face the police power of the State. They are using the courts and the legislatures to enforce a cultural revolution. They scored what they believe was a decisive "victory" for their brave new world in New York last week. History will prove them wrong.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn expressed the issue well, "This issue has been framed as upholding marriage equality. This is not the case since one of the principal purposes of marriage is to bring new life into the world. This cannot happen in same-sex marriage. It is not a civil rights issue, but rather a human rights issue upholding the age-old understanding of marriage. Our political leaders do not believe their own rhetoric. If they did, how in good conscience could they carve out any exemption for institutions that would be proponents of bigotry and prejudice?"

The truth about marriage is not simply a "religious" construct. The Natural Law reveals - and the cross cultural history of civilization affirms - that marriage is between a man and a woman, open to children and intended for life. Marriage is the foundation for the family which is the privileged place for the formation of virtue and character in children, our future citizens. The family is the first society, first economy, first school, first civilizing and mediating institution and first government.

In his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Charity, Pope Benedict summarized the duty of the Catholic faithful when confronted with this assault on authentic marriage: "Marriage and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is injurious to society itself."

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic Church wrote in 2003, "The Church's teaching on marriage and on the complementarity of the sexes reiterates a truth that is evident to right reason and recognized as such by all the major cultures of the world. Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose.

"No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman, who by mutual personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend toward the communion of their persons. In this way, they mutually perfect each other, in order to cooperate with God in the procreation and upbringing of new human lives."

Soon, New York will use the police power of the State to force all of its citizens to call what can never be a marriage to be one. A new Edict from a New Caesar, Governor Andrew Cuomo, insists that they bend the knee to the new order. In the warning issued before the vote by Archbishop Timothy Dolan New York, "You are claiming the power to change what is not into what is, simply because you say so."

This will not stand. However, it reveals a growing persecution against Christians and others who insist that a marriage is what it is - and not what Caesar decrees. The so called "religious exemption" requirements of the legislation are simply a ploy to placate those who might otherwise see the obvious bigotry which this legislation entails. The idea is not new. "Exempt" the Church out of the public square by forcing faithful Christians, Jews and others who insist on the importance of marriage - and the and family and society built upon it - into their own ghettos. Maybe there they will leave everyone else alone.

Sadly, even some Catholic legislators sold out. They did not understand what their Church proclaims about true marriage. Like the truth she proclaims about the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, the truth about marriage is written in the Natural Law. The irony is that the son of the man who betrayed the truth about the dignity of the child in the womb - and the ...

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1 - 10 of 37 Comments

ek
1 year ago
I am heartened that so many true Catholics have had enough of the homosexual, feminist and abortion activists that are attacking Holy Mother Church from within and without. The Church has been wounded, but the gates of hell will not prevail. Pray for our bishops and clergy. They have no choice now. They have to be the beacons of light they were meant to be. Their uniting to fight the hhs mandate is very good news. The battle is on. I hope that soon they will unite in excommunicating the Cuomos, Bidens and Pelosis who continue to cause so much scandal among the faithful.
Rob
1 year ago
J, your post is spot on. My reaction to this and to a majority of the social evils of our day is to just double my efforts in my own parish community. I really believe that until we clean up our own house, we just can't influence the greater society. And swimming with the sharks in politics, I dare say, just makes us more and more like them. I don't have a problem calling evil for what it is, but I just don't believe and too many decades has proven, that politics is not the solution. It is by love that people will know we are Christians and it is by love that we will lead them to Christ. Using the government and law is not going to lead people to Christ. The greatest weapon against all these social ills is a strong Catholic family. We do not need the government to legislate this. It's all possible when you walk closely with Christ.
Babatope
1 year ago
Romans 1:26-27 teaches specifically that homosexuality is a result of denying and disobeying God.
1 Corinthians 6:9 proclaims that homosexual “offenders” will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Read more here: http://christonline.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/gay/
J
1 year ago
Look to your soul and not to the state. There has never been nor ever will be a Christian State. We are citizens of Christ's everlasting kingdom, and politics, which is about power, money, ego, and has nothing to do with our daily work of love and compassion. Let's please forget about the theatrics which politics brings, unwanted, to a truly spiritual life. And let us remember that our time is best spent lovingly spreading God's word, rather than "enforcing it" under law, which is man's law, not God's. Let us each embrace humility, and do what we can, materially and spiritually, for those we can, who are close. Let us not muddy the waters of human feeling with state mandates and egoistic judgments on fellow, if lost, souls. I am disappointed that so many followers of Christ have taken up such un-Christian, warlike, antagonistic, egoistic positions, while the word of God is simple, pure, selfless.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17

"How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another, and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God." John 3:44

"I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn them, for I did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world." John 13:46-7

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 15:35

"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." Luke 20:25
mikem
1 year ago
SO WHEN is Archbishop Dolan going to outright EXCOMMUNICATE gov. Cuomo? ban him from even entering a Catholic church until he publicly repents on the steps of St. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. There are worse punishments than excommunication. Churches can be closed. Whole regions can be placed under anathema.
When?? When are US bishops going to get serious about this? in hell? The bishops and cardinal's souls are just as much at stake as is Governor Cuomo's if they don't defend the souls won by Christ's crucifixion.
Celine
1 year ago
Irl, the R.C churches in Europe do not perform Holy Matrimony on same sex couples
whether they were married in a civil union or not counts for nothing. Only hetro sexual couple who comply with the church teachings.
Donna
1 year ago
I did hear this Sunday on how we need to defend Marriage. I wanted to get up and clap that this priest finally had enough courage to talk about it. I need to tell him that he did do the right thing. Our Archbishop has been very vocal about marriage being between a man and a woman. In fact, a CD was sent to every Catholic home in three states by him. Thank God we do have an Archbishop is willing to tell us the truth. God bless him and may many bishops follow his way in telling the truth to the faithful that they shepherd.
JACINTA
1 year ago
IF JUST 10% OF CATHOLICS IN AMERICA SAID THE ROSARY EVERY DAY, WE WOULD SEE A NEW EARTH. LUCIA, ONE OF THE VISIONARIES OF FATIMA SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE ROSARY CANNOT SOLVE. THIS SPIRITUAL WEAPON WAS GIVEN TO US BY HEAVEN.
WHEN OUR LADY APPEARED IN FATIMA IN 1917, SHE REQUESTED THE ROSARY SAID DAILY. THE ROSARY STOPS WARS AND DEFEATS HERESY. WHY ARE WE IGNORING A MANDATE FROM HEAVEN.
OUR LORD SAID HE WOULD SPIT OUT THE LUKEWARM.
PARENTS, IF YOUR CHILDREN HAVE LEFT THE CHURCH, START THE DAILY ROSARY.START THE ROSARY IN YOUR LOCAL CHURCH AND PRAYER GROUPS.
CAN'T SLEEP, KEEP YOUR ROSARY UNDER YOUR PILLOW AND PRAY.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL,
JACINTA
Troy
1 year ago
It is so nice to see the comments filled with Catholic comments. Love is the answer. God is Love; and God is the answer. And please, stop bashing the bishops. They are speaking, but no one is listening. Do you think the media wants to give voice to the bishops? They know what would happen then. Archibishop Dolan has tirelessly fought the good fight. I believe that the homily in the Mass should reflect the readings of the Mass, personally. It is always nice when the homily can be tied to these very important issues. It makes it that much more meaningful and brings more validity, too.
rustywheeler
1 year ago
"Homosexuals can call their union a marriage as much as they like and as loud as they like, and pass a law saying their union is a marriage but the fact remains whether they like it or not, it is not a marriage and will never will be even if the law puts all catholics in prison, it still will never ever be a marriage."

Well, I guess that puts the lie to the "redefining marriage for everybody" argument, then, doesn't it?

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