You can call it gay attractions, same-sex attraction, homosexual tendencies, or something else. Whatever you call it, people with it are still culpable for their actions.
Even if the people with gay attractions are “born that way,” they remain responsible for their actions. When they engage in their homosexual attractions, physically or mentally (such as by lust), they are guilty of sin.
This is the observation the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), a body within the Vatican, gave to the Catholic bishops around the world. The CDF released a document in 1986, titled “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons.”
I will quote for you a few key passages from the letter. My goal is to relay to you the sound advice the CDF gave to the bishops. Particularly, I want to highlight that CDF recognized acutely that those with gay attractions remain culpable for their actions. As a whole, they cannot mitigate moral liability for their actions, just because they suffer from same-sex attraction.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CDF’S LETTER
(All emphasis is my own.)
“Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.
“Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not” (section #3).
Notice the CDF rightly labels the gay attractions as not being sinful, in themselves. It is a part of the fallen, human condition that we all share inordinate appetites toward sin.
“It is only in the marital relationship [between a husband and wife] that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging in homosexual behavior therefore acts immorally,” the CDF picks up (#7)
Why is Homosexual Activity Intrinsically Disordered?
The CDF goes on to explain the inherit problem with homosexual activity: “To chose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator’s sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living” (#7)
“This does not mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves; but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent.
“As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood” (#7).
The CDF goes on to poignantly stress that the homosexual lifestyle “threatens to destroy” those caught up in it (#12).
“What is at all costs to be avoided is the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behavior of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and therefore inculpable.
Great Confusion Has Arisen, Allowing People to Think Homosexually is Morally Acceptable
The CDF called attention to the growing trend of moral tolerance or even promotion of homosexuality. They were writing this in 1986, mind you. They saw the writing on the wall.
“Nevertheless, increasing numbers of people today, even within the Church, are bringing enormous pressure to bear on the Church to accept the homosexual condition as though it were not disordered and to condone homosexual activity. Those within the Church who argue in this fashion often have close ties with those with similar views outside it. These latter groups are guided by a vision opposed to the truth about the human person…
“[Political activism to promote homosexuality] is done in order to conform to these pressure groups’ concept that homosexuality is at least a completely harmless, if not an entirely good, thing. Even when the practice of homosexuality may seriously threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people, its advocates remain undeterred and refuse to consider the magnitude of the risks involved” (#8).
We have seen this play out, haven’t we?
Despite Its Popularity, Culpability for the Grave Sin of Homosexual Behavior Remains
I will quote section 11 of the Letter in its entirety.
“It has been argued that the homosexual orientation in certain cases is not the result of deliberate choice; and so the homosexual person would then have no choice but to behave in a homosexual fashion. Lacking freedom, such a person, even if engaged in homosexual activity, would not be culpable.
“Here, the Church’s wise moral tradition is necessary since it warns against generalizations in judging individual cases. In fact, circumstances may exist, or may have existed in the past, which would reduce or remove the culpability of the individual in a given instance; or other circumstances may increase it.
“What is at all costs to be avoided is the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behavior of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and therefore inculpable.
“What is essential is that the fundamental liberty which characterizes the human person and gives him his dignity be recognized as belonging to the homosexual person as well. As in every conversion from evil, the abandonment of homosexual activity will require a profound collaboration of the individual with God’s liberating grace.”
IN CLOSING
So, don’t buy into the common belief spewed by our current Culture of Death. Namely, don’t believe for a moment that those with same-sex attraction must be allowed to sexually express themselves in an unnatural way.
A society that encourages such behavior is not doing those with gay attractions any favors. Just as you wouldn’t encourage a drunkard to down more beers, you shouldn’t affirm anyone to act out their same-sex attractions.
As the CDF stated, the homosexual lifestyle leads to personal ruin. No one would wish that on anyone.
Stay tuned for my next post, as I will discuss what those who have gay attractions can do to live morally.
YOUR TURN
Those who suffer from gay attractions face a big, daily cross. But do you see the Church’s wisdom in saying that does not excuse them all from being morally responsible for their actions?
Please leave your thoughts below.
