By Cassie Phillips.
This article is in response to an article published in our Nov. 7 issue by Mary Keran, which itself was was in response to an article published in our Oct. 10 issue by Serena Bonnette.
As someone who was raised in a Christian household and now considers herself agnostic, I am inviting myself in the discussion surrounding gay rights in the catholic church that Serena Bonnette and Mary Keran arose. All three of us share two remarkable qualities: we’re students at Northwestern State, and we think it’s wrong to condemn homosexuality.
So, the big question is, should the Roman Catholic Church support LGBTQ+ rights? Spirituality is one of the largest influences on the human population’s moral compass, and Catholicism continues to be the most popular denomination of Christianity. Those who hold that kind of power should acknowledge the progress of humanity and adapt to it. Even the students I’m responding to agree that, essentially, civilization has modified as a society to accept a variety of individuals.
Bridging the divide between science and religion is difficult. I believe that genetics cannot inherently be right or wrong. Scientific studies have shown evidence that homosexuality is genetic. Those who wrote the Bible thousands of years ago didn’t have the technology to determine these ideas. Religion was their science, so they continued to push the belief that being gay was unnaturally wrong.
Homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality. No one bats an eye at a straight couple kissing in public, so why is homosexuality still frowned upon?
Katie, an LGBTQ+ student at NSU, was raised in a Catholic community, and she says, “I think the church has lost its right to judge people’s lifestyles. Tradition is what says they shouldn’t support gay people. I didn’t want to accept who I was, and that had a lot to do with upbringing.”
Christians choose to base their moral code on what is and isn’t a sin. Since the Bible tells them what that is, they will follow the belief that homosexuality is sinful.
Yes, I think the Catholic Church should support LGBTQ+ rights because they are human’s rights. There is no longer a reason for them not to. However, many followers will continue to do as their book tells them because it’s traditional.
In conclusion, love is love, and the Catholic Church is on the wrong side of history right now.
