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 You
Can’t Have It Both Ways
Nancy Salvato
June 10, 2004 |
The Catholic Church has been in the news a
lot in the past few months. First; the Administrative Committee of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops called for a constitutional amendment to
protect the unique social and legal status of marriage to preserve the
belief that "marriage is a faithful, exclusive and lifelong union between
one man and one woman, joined as husband and wife in an intimate partnership
of life and love,"1 second; the St. Louis Archbishop, Raymond Burke, forbade
Kerry from taking communion while campaigning in the area due to Kerry's
stance on abortion, and third; Chicago Cardinal Francis George ordered
priests in his archdiocese not to offer Communion to gay sash-wearers.
The Catholic Church is standing firm and not allowing their moral authority
to be swayed by public opinion or "politically correct” ideals. Not
surprisingly, their decision to uphold their doctrine became news headlines
because the media understands that reporting on "controversial issues”
always sells papers.
The question I have to ask is, when did it become acceptable behavior for
individuals to demand that a private organization change their established
traditions to accommodate a differing set of values or beliefs rather than
accept the idea that one must, as part of the membership, conform to
recognized practice? If a person doesn’t agree with an association, simply
put, why be affiliated? Why not find a better fit instead of creating a
public spectacle about preexisting conventions?
Everywhere I turn, the "politically correct” charged atmosphere of our
society is serving to erode the very foundations of our civilization by
challenging the institutions traditionally responsible for molding the
character of our citizens. "Whatever makes good Christians makes them good
citizens." Daniel Webster
Why is it that Gays or John Kerry feel entitled to break the rules of the
Catholic faith and still be considered good Catholics? In the old days,
people of one faith broke away and started their own if they didn’t agree
with how things were being done. Martin Luther started the Protestant
Reformation this way.
The privilege of free speech does not carry with it the right to harm or
violate the rights of another person. However, people accept as truth that
they’re allowed to rally against and try to publicly intimidate an
organization into changing their policies because they’re not universally
welcomed.
Although the Boy Scouts are a Christian organization and want those values
held by their members, they have been portrayed by those who don’t agree
with them as discriminatory toward Gays and Atheists. They are being
pressured to accommodate "special interests” or be denied public funding.
We’ve finally accepted the idea of allowing publicly funded voucher money to
be used in Catholic Schools so why should the Boy Scouts being called to
task?
Robert Frost wrote about "the path not taken”. Who has never been told to,
"Pick one” or reminded, "Everything in moderation”? There is a lot of wisdom
in these age old notions.
It is your right to choose a lifestyle guided by "anything goes” and "me
first”. By doing so, you have "made your own bed”. But, the Catholic Church
certainly doesn’t have to approve of who you choose to have laying in it
with you. May you rest assured, "you can’t have it both ways”.
[1] Bishops Urge Constitutional Amendment to
Protect Marriage
http://www.americancatholic.org/News/Homosexuality/default.asp
Nancy Salvato is an educator in Illinois and an independent
contractor for Prism Educational Consulting.
Click here for her complete bio.
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