Teen Denied Catholic Confirmation 'Cuz He Supported Same-Sex Marriage on Facebook

[Altair]

Barnesville [Minnesota] teen denied Catholic confirmation after Facebook post supporting gay marriage

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/34896/group/homepage/

This priest is certainly within his prerogatives. (I imagine a druidic sect, for example, might deny initiatory rites to a proponent of clear-cutting an old growth forest.) But this strikes me as bone-headed: It garners widespread bad publicity for the church and alienates already fractious followers, while gaining the church very little, from what I can see.

[RandallS]

This priest is certainly within his prerogatives. (I imagine a druidic sect, for example, might deny initiatory rites to a proponent of clear-cutting an old growth forest.) But this strikes me as bone-headed: It garners widespread bad publicity for the church and alienates already fractious followers, while gaining the church very little, from what I can see.

Agreed on all points. And it is unlikely to change the teen's mind.

What gets me is that I don't see priests and churches denying people communion, membership, etc. for things Christ mentioned a lot. You know, things like not feeding the poor, not healing the sick (whether they have money/insurance or not), trying to become rich, etc. Just for things Christ never mentioned (same sex marriage) or mentioned one or twice. But then it's always seemed to me that the leaders of most Christian churches are very selective on which teachings of Jesus are important.

[Snowdrop]

Barnesville [Minnesota] teen denied Catholic confirmation after Facebook post supporting gay marriage

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/34896/group/homepage/

This priest is certainly within his prerogatives. (I imagine a druidic sect, for example, might deny initiatory rites to a proponent of clear-cutting an old growth forest.) But this strikes me as bone-headed: It garners widespread bad publicity for the church and alienates already fractious followers, while gaining the church very little, from what I can see.

Exactly what you said.  I don't really understand the Catholic Church these days.  I admit I've never been a Catholic so perhaps I'm misreading the situation, but it seems like the leadership is doing its best to alienate the average people.

[Rhyshadow]

Exactly what you said.  I don't really understand the Catholic Church these days.  I admit I've never been a Catholic so perhaps I'm misreading the situation, but it seems like the leadership is doing its best to alienate the average people.

 
One thing to take into account as well - this is from the Park Rapids, MN newspaper

Park Rapids is a small town really, less than 4,000 people, in North-Central MN - they're very conservative up there for the most part.  While there are those who support freedoms, there are a lot who don't.  I know, an old friend from my college days (30 years ago) is a Hubbard County Deputy Sheriff, lives in Park Rapids, and I lived in Bemidji for six years, which is only 50 miles from there - graduated from Bemidji High

While it saddens me to hear about this, knowing the area as I do, it's really not surprising

[MadZealot]

But then it's always seemed to me that the leaders of most Christian churches are very selective on which teachings of Jesus are important.

And given that this church in particular is known for harboring sexual predators its stance on any kind of 'sexual morality' is just kiiiiiiinda fucking hypocritical.

[Snowdrop]

One thing to take into account as well - this is from the Park Rapids, MN newspaper

Park Rapids is a small town really, less than 4,000 people, in North-Central MN - they're very conservative up there for the most part.  While there are those who support freedoms, there are a lot who don't.  I know, an old friend from my college days (30 years ago) is a Hubbard County Deputy Sheriff, lives in Park Rapids, and I lived in Bemidji for six years, which is only 50 miles from there - graduated from Bemidji High

While it saddens me to hear about this, knowing the area as I do, it's really not surprising

 
I've never lived around there, but fair enough.  I admit, though, that actually I don't understand this kind of thing: I'm amazed by the number of scandals caused by people in very conservative small towns doing things that might be acceptable within the town but aren't elsewhere.  I genuinely don't understand how people don't stop and realize that in the world of today, things will end up on the internet.

[Dracona]

Barnesville [Minnesota] teen denied Catholic confirmation after Facebook post supporting gay marriage

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/34896/group/homepage/

And today we got this here in Australia:
Church pays legal costs of paedophile priests - repeatedly
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/church-pays-legal-costs-of-paedophile-priests--repeatedly-20121115-29evw.html#ixzz2CMc31yLW
http://www.smh.com.au/national/church-pays-legal-costs-of-paedophile-priests--repeatedly-20121115-29evw.html

they have no right to dictate anyone's morals imho....

[SunflowerP]

But this strikes me as bone-headed: It garners widespread bad publicity for the church and alienates already fractious followers, while gaining the church very little, from what I can see.

 
I suppose (because anything else would make even less sense) that they're assuming that it'll cause people to go, "omigoodness, I wouldn't want to be cut off from the church," and sit down and shut up.  But I think it'll backfire - people will stop and think twice about what they do and don't want to be cut off from, all right, but a lot of them will decide they'd rather be cut off from the church than from doing what they believe is right.  Especially given the selectivity Randall mentioned on what the church applies that pressure to, and the priesthood scandals MadZ and Dracona noted.

Sunflower

[Altair]

I think it'll backfire - people will stop and think twice about what they do and don't want to be cut off from, all right, but a lot of them will decide they'd rather be cut off from the church than from doing what they believe is right.  

Yup. The Catholic rank and file in the West is already way more progressive, as a whole, than the church leadership. I think if this sort of thing becomes even a little bit more widespread, the backlash from that rank and file is going to mean a whole world of hurt for that church.

[Darkhawk]

Yup. The Catholic rank and file in the West is already way more progressive, as a whole, than the church leadership. I think if this sort of thing becomes even a little bit more widespread, the backlash from that rank and file is going to mean a whole world of hurt for that church.

 
Meanwhile, of course:

"Over the people as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority there still stands one's own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, if necessary even against the requirements of ecclesiastical authority. Conscience confronts [the individual] with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of social groups, even of the official church."

- the artist formerly known as Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger

[Altair]

Meanwhile, of course:

"Over the people as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority there still stands one's own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, if necessary even against the requirements of ecclesiastical authority. Conscience confronts [the individual] with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of social groups, even of the official church."

- the artist formerly known as Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger

 
Ah, but that's a "properly formed" conscience. Clearly this young man's conscience was not "properly formed."

[SunflowerP]

Ah, but that's a "properly formed" conscience. Clearly this young man's conscience was not "properly formed."

That's very possibly the reason for denying confirmation:  kid's conscience clearly is not fully cultivated.  

'Course, to this benighted pagan, it looks exactly the other way 'round:  he and his conscience are capable of making up their own mind what's right, not just doing what Daddy says.

I sort of hope the young man tells them to take a catechism, fold it until it's all corners, and use it as a suppository.

Sunflower