Yes, You Can Be Catholic and Support Gay Rights

The Catholic Church has always been an interesting phenomenon when it comes to the issue of gay rights. For example, on one hand you have a Church leadership in nearly every corner of the globe that demonizes LGBT people and works to send the message that LGBT people are dysfunctional, aberrant, and a threat to the fabric of the common good.

But then you have the people in the pews who in many places are not only supportive of their LGBT brothers and sisters, but support non-discrimination efforts, support marriage equality, and support dismantling unjust laws like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Talk about a disconnect. It's like the Catholic Church's hierarchy is not only operating in a different time zone, but on another planet, compared to the folks who make up the body of the Church.

Cue the launch of a new pro-LGBT organization, Catholics for Equality, which seeks to tap into that energy in the pews, and work to transform the Church from the "gays are a worse threat than climate change" rhetoric that currently comes from Church leadership, to more accurately reflect the Catholic Church's historic commitment to social justice and civil rights. As the Catholics for Equality mission statement puts it: "Drawing on the rich tradition of Catholic social justice teachings, American Catholics are among the strongest supporters of equality for LGBT people of any religious group in the United States. Yet the official voice of the hierarchy is increasingly one favoring discrimination and opposing just, humane, and reasonable efforts to secure legal equality for LGBT Americans."

Yeah, it's time for the dog to start wagging the tail again, instead of the other way around.

Recent polls have proven this, too. Support for marriage equality among Catholics runs high, particularly in Catholic-heavy states like Rhode Island and New Jersey. Meanwhile, across the globe, epicenters of Catholicism are also turning into epicenters of marriage equality. Spain. Portugal. Argentina. Mexico City. And while the institutional Church in these areas has lobbied hard against gay rights, legislators and voters haven't listened.

That's how you spell disconnect.

Meanwhile, here's an interesting take, courtesy of Religion News Service and the National Catholic Reporter. It's by Daniel Burke, and it looks at how Christians (including Catholics) are dealing with the issue of gay rights. Burke notes that the divide that exists today between Church institutions and folks in the pews mirrors the divide that existed in the mid-19th century when it came to slavery.

"In both eras, cultural trends forced Christians to question practices that had long been taken for granted," Burke writes, paraphrasing scholar Mark Noll. Burke notes in many places in the Bible, if taken literally, slavery seems both moral and justified, which allowed many a "Christian" in the early history of our country to believe slavery was perfectly acceptable.

Abolitionists started to turn that meme on its head, arguing that a literal interpretation of biblical passages that seem to condone slavery are foolish, and that smart biblical study requires a more fruitful look at historical context, and a framework that morality should revolve around freedom and "inclusive love." Very similar to activists and scholars today that try to combat the biblical homophobia that many a religious pastor uses in demonizing homosexuality.

For more information on Catholics for Equality, head on over to their Web site. It's still in the process of launching, but a great foundation is there. And let it serve as a vivid reminder that when it comes to the issue of gay rights within the Catholic framework, the institutional Church doesn't speak for all Catholics. Not by a long shot.

Photo credit: Catholics for Equality