Half Truths and Father James Martin
When I studied dialogue and debate, the point was often made of the necessity to find common agreement between opposing views. We were taught to agree up to the point where our consciences forbid us to proceed any further. Personal integrity was paramount. Transparency was essential. Truth was vital. Presenting half truths as if they were complete in themselves was a form of non-integrity or half truth.
The campaign of Fr. James Martin in the homosexual or gay world illustrates a clear example of the half truth. It could range from, at best, a sincere though false insight or at worst, deceit. Of course, there is universal agreement among us all on the need for compassion, the welcoming of all to Church life and the total assurance of God’s love for all of His children. Agreement is necessarily obvious for the Church up to but not including dilution or deletion of God’s Truth.
Yet, Fr. Martin lectures the Church for being delinquent in compassionate treatment of homosexuals. However, written clear as day in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2358) is the teaching that Catholics are to treat gay people “with respect, compassion and sensitivity…” Does Fr Martin not know this? Or is he simply just telling a half truth?
The Church shouts from the roof tops that honesty without charity is brutality. No Catholic who brutalizes others in any situation has the backing of the Church.
Fr. Martin implies that homosexual/gay people are not welcome to our Church. The fact is that everyone, regardless of “anything” is welcome to God’s house. And if one wishes to fully participate, all he needs to do figuratively is to doff his hat, wipe his shoes and taste and see “How sweet is the Lord.” The confessional is always waiting for him (or her.) Does he not know this? Or is it another half truth?
He seems upset with Church teaching which formally holds that homosexual acts are of “grave depravity” and “Under no circumstances can they be approved” (#2357). The language is very clear and leaves no room for exception. Further, the Church teaches that homosexual persons are called to Chastity….” (#2359). He apparently thinks such language is too severe and that these truths should be mixed with or replaced by sweeter, more accepting phrases. Nevertheless, the Church insists that ”All the baptized are called to chastity” (#2348). There are no exceptions - even for married people.
The Church does not teach that homosexual/gay persons are disordered. It teaches that any tendency toward behavior contradictory to the Will of the Creator is disordered. This is true of any errant human behavior. Sin in itself is negative and anything possibly leading to it should be considered unacceptable or disordered. These terms are descriptive and in no way are meant to define the person, rather it is the act/behavior. There is no dynamic set up to “pick on” homosexual/gay people. To pretend that homosexual behavior is good and beautiful is serious distortion and untruth. Very clear, unambiguous language could be helpful for people confused by foggy or studied ambiguity in finding peace in God’s command.
It has been my personal privilege to serve weekly for the last 27 years as a Chaplain of Courage International, a Catholic organization dedicated solely to assist homosexual people achieve their God-given call to chastity. Of the hundreds of men and women with whom I have walked to chastity, very few have spoken of the alleged ill treatment so highly publicized by Martin. On the contrary, the testimony was and is that the Church’s clarity was most helpful in their emancipation from their homosexual addiction.
These are accomplished adult men and women who had been trapped in the homosexual lifestyle but who now speak as free persons of inner peace and wholeness of spirit. These are not vulnerable young people, anxious and unwrinkled but those who have experienced the homosexual/gay lifestyle. Some Courage people say that Fr. Martin is either lying or is woefully uninformed. The gay world is anything but “Gay” in the deeper sense of the word. The gay wound beginning very early is deep and painful. Behavior reinforcing this wound cannot ultimately heal the wound. God’s grace can.
Equivocation or retreat into vague generalities are not helpful. In a recent Vatican statement responding to a request to “bless” homosexual unions, it was officially stated that the Church does not and never can bless that which is sinful, i.e. homosexual acts. Ignoring this reality is a serious matter leaving the huge elephant in the middle of one’s soul. Does Fr. Martin want to pretend that homosexual behavior is not sinful? On the other hand, telling the whole truth gives one a shot at freedom and inner peace. Half truths can be most misleading and harmful from any point-of-view. No apologist is justified in using facts only to the benefit of his side of the argument while ignoring the truth on the other side.
Whether intentional or not, Fr. Martin can be setting people up for years of at least objective sin even though they well may be people of good heart who do many good things. Were they to truly hear the call of the Lord in the FULL truth of God’s holy Will, good people that they are, they well might embrace the meaning of chastity. There are many people, upon their freedom into chastity believe they were “hoodwinked” in their earlier lives by falsehoods. Hoodwinked because they were led to believe that was no need to go beyond where they were. They could remain in the active homosexual lifestyle and be in good standing with their Church. This is certainly false.
Recently, Cardinal T. Dolan, Archbishop of New York while interviewing me on his TV show, made the unsolicited report that he referred his own spiritual flock who struggle with homosexual impulses, to Courage because Courage tells the truth. It is not airy persiflage, Jesus teaches that the Truth will make you free.
Studied ambiguity can mislead to the point of sin. Some years ago in the California riots, a looting woman justified her thefts by saying: ”No one told me not to do it…” The human mind delights in rationalization when articulation is unclear. Even the Holy Father slipped in this regard when he made his famous “Who am I to judge?” remark. He spoke thus in Good Faith, hoping to encourage homosexuals to chastity but many homosexuals jumped on this and claimed that the Church now approves of their lifestyle and there is no need to change. Personal perception can go wild if a statement is not carefully phrased. That it can happen to anyone underscores the need for Clarity. Half truths only roil the waters.
Such is the point of this paper. Fr. Martin does great harm by shading the whole truth, perhaps in good will. Yet he must be challenged particularly when he somewhat underhandedly inserts false remarks such as “You are born this way.” To date, scientific research has found no indication of a ‘gay gene’. The accumulating data suggest more a “nurture” correlation with a possible chemical influence in utero or an epigenetic component. The jury is still out on this.
In any event vulnerable young people are following Fr. Martin’s lead to their own detriment and that is the tragedy. It is frightening to recall the admonition of Jesus that ‘who leads one of these, my little ones….it were better for him that a stone be tied around his neck and he be cast into the sea…” Fr. D.Longenecker notes wisely that it is not so much what Fr. Martin says but what he doesn’t say that is disturbing. Fr. Martin says he will never publicly dispute the Church nor publicly deny the Teaching. This is also vague and misleading. Does he not accept Church teaching and follow it? If he does why does he avoid representing the whole truth of Church teaching! Even allowing the whole issue of objective/subjective conscience.
He should at least speak unambiguously on the whole of Church teaching on homosexual behavior alongside his own efforts of outreach to the homosexual community. His personal life is his own business but Church teaching is not his to change.