Human Rights and Same-sex Marriage

 Catholic News Service reported today that The Catholic Church condemns violence and discrimination against homosexual persons, but recognizing same-sex unions as a marriage devalues the unique identity and social contributions of the union of a man and a woman, a Vatican official told the U.N. Human Rights Council.Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican observer at U.N. agencies in Geneva, told the council March 9 that the Vatican "condemns discrimination and violence against any human person, including those who are so targeted because of perceived sexual differences."

The Human Rights Council was discussing a report on "Discriminatory Laws and Practices and Acts of Violence against Individuals Based on their Sexual Orientation."

While the report noted international law does not require states to recognize same-sex unions, Archbishop Tomasi said Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, proposed that states have an obligation to "ensure that unmarried same-sex couples are treated in the same way and entitled to the same benefits as unmarried opposite-sex couples."

The archbishop said, "The Holy See expresses grave concern that, under the guise of 'protecting' people from discrimination and violence on the basis of perceived sexual differences, this council may be running the rise of demeaning the sacred and time-honored legal institution of marriage between man and woman."

Traditional marriage has "enjoyed special protection from time immemorial within legal, cultural and religious traditions and within the modern human rights instruments, starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said.

Marriage was afforded special recognition because the relationship between a man and woman, who commit to staying together for life and are open to having and raising children, benefits all the individuals involved, and "makes a unique and essential contribution to the public good," the archbishop said.

Marriage "provides the best conditions for raising children; namely, the stable, loving relationship of a mother and a father," he said.

Discrimination and violence against homosexuals or any other group of people violates internationally recognized human rights laws, he said, and acts of discrimination and violence should be punished by local or national authorities.

However, he said, the Vatican opposes efforts to "define new categories" of persons requiring special protection under international human rights laws.

The right to life, liberty and security "should and must be universally respected and enjoyed," he said. "Efforts to particularize or to develop special rights for special groups of people could easily put at risk the universality of those rights."

To date the Vatican is the only country in the western world that has refused to sign the U.N. declaration that decriminalizes homosexuality.  Remember there remain many countries today that jail or execute homosexuals.  At the same time the Vatican claims that same-sex unions as a marriage devalues the unique identity and social contributions of the union of a man and a woman.

How any loving couple's sexual behaviour is affected by the marriage of another heterosexual or homosexual couple is yet to be explained by anyone from the Vatican. At the same time it is obvious that the Vatican has a very limited or poor understanding of what constitutes a `traditional marriage`.  Here are just a few biblical examples that were obviously overlooked by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.  For example Abraham, Jacob all had concubines. Solomon it is said had more than 300.  Genesis 16 tells us that a married man could acquire his wife`s property including her slaves. Nor were many biblical heroes exempt from polygamy.  Esau and Jacob shared several wives, while Solomon enjoyed more than 700.  Genesis 38:6-10  reveals that a widow who had not borne a son was required to marry her brother in law, and must submit sexually to her new husband.  Deuteronomy 22:28-29 shares that a virgin who is raped must marry her rapist.  However the rapist must pay victim`s father 50 shekels of silver for property loss.  Numbers 31:1-18 and Deuteronomy 21:11-14  announce that under Moses` command Israelites were to kill every ‘Midianite man, woman and child, save for the virgin girls who are taken as spoil of war.  Again, wives must submit sexually to their new owners. Exodus21:4 explains that a slave owner could assign female slaves to his male slaves.  Female slaves must submit sexually to their new husbands.

Ofcourse I am not suggesting that anthing goes. But reading scripture it seems to me that God was not the least bit concerned about the sexual mores of David, Solomon and many others.  Could it be that God is more interested in our potential than our sins?   Could it be that God values our heart above all other things?  Could it be that loving and committed homosexual couples are a special gift rather than a curse from God?

Finally, is a heterosexual marriage any more or any less fragile than that of a homosexual couple?  Are the children of a heterosexual couple more loved and cared for than by a homosexual couple? 

Traditional Marriage under attack

The National Catholic Register (US) posted the following headline April 15/2011: 'Marriage 101:  Societal decline of traditional marriage and rise of cohabitation and 'hooking up' affect students’ values, according to Catholic experts.'

This summary was based on a presentation by associate professor W. Bradford Wilcox during a recent symposium at the Catholic University of America. According to Prof. Wilcox ‘the decline of traditional marriage in America continues to affect students’ education and the welfare of the Catholic Church’.  Wilcox and other experts maintain that traditional marriage is on the decline due to:

· The nation’s retreat on marriage

· cohabitation is on the increase

· universities need to do a better job of preparing students for marriage

· Students from unmarried families are prone to more drinking and “hooking up,” or engaging in casual sex

· The creation of the birth control pill

· The government has set up programs encouraging sexual abstinence but still hands out birth control

· the decline in traditional families is affecting the future of the Catholic Church

· unmarried families with children rarely attend church

What should be immediately evident from these expert opinions is that the problem(s) seem to be something or someone else's fault. This begs the question: 'Should this symposium not have redirected its focus on learning to take individual responsibilities instead?'

Accordingly, should we not be teaching our children, students, etc. the importance of being responsible for our own individual actions?  Surely we cannot blame ‘others’ for our own mistakes.  Each of the issues presented above merely provide an excuse for following the crowd.  At the same time it is highly unlikely that these influences are likely to change. What really needs and can be changed are our individual choices and decisions.   So, here follow some recommendation for the church today.  Teach people that they too are connected directly to the Creator and that their salvation is not dependent on the church.  The church too must accept that God dwells within each individual, regardless of our understanding of the faith.  The church can no longer afford to dictate to the people how they must live out their life and spirituality.  It is the hierarchy in the church that must also change if it hopes to survive - although that may already be too late. The current church teaching on human sexuality is hopelessly outdated since it is almost entirely based on the 4^th. century understanding of St. Augustine who himself struggled with sexuality throughout his entire life.  In its own struggle to deal with the growing sexual scandal the church has revealed its own battle with its understanding on the subject.

If the purpose of the symposium was simply a call to return to the traditional form of marriage as defined by the church the decline will most certainly continue for the reasons I have already stated.  

Rather than complain about failures of society let us pass on the importance of learning to accept personal responsibility for our actions and toward others through the unconditional love of God.  The following scriptural passages may be of help: 

 

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ... Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ESV

For each will have to bear his own load. Galatians 6:5 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. Ezekiel 18:20 ESV