Weekly News (Second Week of July 2012)

1. Vatican Astronomer Says 'God Particle' is Misnamed, But Exciting

Rome, Italy, Jul 6, 2012 / 04:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- While it has no direct bearing on theology or revelation, the scientific discovery hailed by some as the “God particle” is an important achievement, a Vatican astronomer says. [Read More]

2. Christian Meditation Community to Hold Conferences in Manila

MANILA, July 7, 2012—The World Community for Christian Meditation here in the Philippines is organizing a meditation event for fellow practitioners, communities, priests, religious congregations and seminarians on July 11 and 12 at De La Salle University-Taft in Manila. [Read More]

3. Family and Life Commission Confab to Focus on RH Bill

MANILA, July 4, 2012–The Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) will conduct a 4-day conference that will focus on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill and other anti-life and anti-family bills. [Read More]

4. Bill Gates Backs Gay Marriage Drive With $100K Gift

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) —Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates have each donated $100,000 to the campaign supporting the state's new gay marriage law, which faces a referendum vote in November. [Read More]

5. The Overhauling of Straight America’: Homosexuals Lay Out Marketing Blueprint [Read More]

6. Underpopulation: Muslim World Faces Devastating Fertility Decline

New York, NY (CFAM/LifeNews) — Fertility rates of Muslim populations around the world have almost literally fallen off a cliff, so steep has been their decline. Policy makers at the UN and elsewhere have barely noticed this. [Read More]

7. Brad Pitt’s Mom Slams Obama on Abortion

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri, July 6, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Brad Pitt’s mother has shocked the Hollywood star’s fans after slamming President Obama for his views on abortion and same-sex “marriage” in a letter to the local paper in Missouri. [Read More]

8. Ex-Scientology Leader: Messy Tom Cruise Divorce Could Destroy the Allegedly Pro-Abort Cult

LOS ANGELES, California, July 6, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A former leader in the Church of Scientology is warning that a messy divorce between movie stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes could “blow Scientology wide open.” In addition to concerns about harassment and abuse, the cult has faced numerous allegations of coercing members into committing abortions. [Read More]

9. The Hidden Costs of Reproductive Technology

Studies Show True Risks of In Vitro Fertilization

ROME, JULY 6, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The number of babies born as a result of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) has reached an estimated total of 5 million, according to information presented at the 28th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), which opened on July 1, in Istanbul, Turkey. [Read More]

10. Know Thyself: 10 Reflections from St. Teresa of Avila on the Spiritual Life

St. Teresa of Avila, one of the great doctors of the Church, wrote some of the most beautiful and animated descriptions of the intricacies of the spiritual life. [Read More]

To Inspire Love: A Return to Modesty

Here is a take on modesty by Catholic author Edward Sri based on a series of Blessed Pope John Paul II's Love and Responsibility.


In our post-sexual-revolution world, skimpy dresses, mini-skirts, tiny bikinis, low-rise pants, and low-cut shirts have become part of the mainstream attire for women today. And anyone who might raise questions about the appropriateness of such dress is viewed as “rigid,” “old fashioned,” or “out of touch” with modern style. Modesty is no longer a part of our culture’s vocabulary. Though most people sense they wouldn’t want their own daughters dressing like Madonna and Britney Spears, few have the courage to bring up the topic of modesty, and even fewer know what to say if they did.

John Paul II — then Karol Wojtyla — in his book Love and Responsibility, offers much needed wisdom on the nature of modesty and how dressing modestly is crucial for strengthening our relationships with the opposite sex.


The Experience of Shame

Wojtyla begins his treatment on modesty with an explanation of a common human experience: shame. Shame involves a tendency to conceal something — not just bad things, such as sins, weaknesses, and embarrassing moments, but also good things that we desire to keep from coming out in the open. For example, someone who performs a good deed may prefer that his action go unnoticed. If he is complemented publicly, he may feel embarrassed, not because he did something bad, but because he did not want to draw attention to his deed. Similarly, a student who receives high marks on an exam may feel embarrassed when the teacher praises her in front of the whole class, since she wished to share her good grade only with her closest friends and family. There are many good things that we wish to keep hidden from public eyes, and we feel shame if they are brought out into the open.

This helps us understand one of the most powerful experiences of shame: sexual shame. Why do human persons tend to conceal body parts associated with sexuality? Why do men and women instinctively cover themselves quickly if someone of the opposite sex accidentally walks in on them while they are changing their clothes or going to the bathroom? Wojtyla explains that this tendency to conceal those parts of the body that make it male or female is itself not the essence of shame, but a manifestation of a deeper tendency to conceal the sexual values themselves, “particularly in so far as they constitute in the mind of a particular person ‘a potential object of enjoyment’ for persons of the other sex” (p. 176).

For example, a woman may instinctively sense that if certain parts of her body are exposed, a man might view her merely for her sexual values as an object of pleasure. Indeed, those particular parts of her body reveal her sexual values so powerfully that a man can be drawn primarily not to her true value as a person, but to her sexual values which give him sensual pleasure in his glances and imagination.

That is why we tend to veil the sexual values connected with particular parts of the body — not because they are bad, but because they can overshadow the greater value of the person. Wojtyla thus says sexual shame is “a natural form of self-defense for the person” (p. 182). It helps prevent the person from being treated as an object of enjoyment. Thus, the concealing of sexual values through modesty of dress is meant to provide the arena in which something much more than a mere sensual reaction might take place. Modesty of dress helps protect interactions between the sexes from falling into utilitarianism, and thus creates the possibility of authentic love for the person to develop.


Shame Absorbed by Love

Yet within the context of betrothed love — a mature self-giving love of a husband and wife — there is no longer any reason for shame. True love ensures that sentimental and sensual experiences “are imbued with affirmation of the value of the person to such an extent that it is impossible for the will to regard the other person as an object for use” (pp. 183–84). Each person has complete confidence in the other’s selfless love. They each have total trust that they won’t be treated merely as an object for the other person’s pleasure. Hence, their emotional and sensual enjoyment is grounded in full self-giving love and a profound sense of responsibility for the other person.

The need for shame has been absorbed by mature love for a person: it is no longer necessary for a lover to conceal from the beloved or from himself a disposition to enjoy, since this has been absorbed by true love ruled by the will. Affirmation of the value of the person so thoroughly permeates all the sensual and emotional reactions connected with the sexual values that the will is not threatened by a utilitarian outlook. (p. 184)

This kind of trust, however, can only be found fully in betrothed love. Only in a healthy, thriving marriage is shame absorbed by love in this way. That’s why we want to dress modestly when we are with members of the opposite sex to whom we are not married. Outside the context of betrothed love, we must be careful with the unveiling of sexual values or else we will set ourselves up to be used by the opposite sex.


Avoiding Objectification

Now we are prepared to explore the three aspects of sexual shame presented by Wojtyla. We have already touched upon the first aspect — how shame leads us to conceal sexual values so that they don’t produce a merely utilitarian reaction in another person. A woman should want to avoid dressing in a way that deliberately draws attention to her sexual values and obscures her value as a person. Certain types of clothing (or lack thereof) are bound to elicit a sensual reaction that puts her in a position of being treated as an object of enjoyment.

But here some women may object: “Why is it my responsibility to dress modestly? If a man struggles with lustful thoughts, that’s his problem, not mine.” But this objection misses Wojtyla’s point. The purpose of modesty is not merely to help prevent men from stumbling into impure thoughts. Modesty of dress is primarily meant to protect the woman herself. It helps keep the woman from being treated as an object for sexual pleasure.

Wojtyla offers two important insights that help make sense of this. On one hand, we must remember that human beings are fallen. Thus, it is not easy for us to avoid a utilitarian attitude when we see the body of the opposite sex. The attitude of “I shouldn’t have to worry about how I dress — that’s the man’s problem” naively fails to take original sin seriously. As Wojtyla explains, “Man, alas, is not such a perfect being that the sight of the body of another person . . . can arouse in him merely a disinterested liking which develops into an innocent affection. In practice, it also arouses concupiscence, or a wish to enjoy concentrated on sexual values with no regard for the value of the person” (p. 190). As a result of original sin, the human will “too readily accepts the sensual reaction and reduces another person . . . to the role of an object for enjoyment” (p. 191). And when this happens, Wojtyla calls it “depersonalization by sexualization.” The woman is not viewed for who she is as a person. She is reduced to a potential object for sexual pleasure. Modesty of dress helps women to avoid being depersonalized in this way.

On the other hand, Wojtyla goes on to remind us that men struggle with sensuality a lot more than women. Therefore, it is not surprising that women may have difficulty understanding what really constitutes modest dress, for sensuality is not as strong in them as it is in men. “Since a woman does not find in herself the sensuality of which a man as a rule cannot but be aware in himself she does not feel so great a need to conceal ‘the body as a potential object of enjoyment’” (p. 177). Consequently, women often don’t realize that a certain way of acting or dressing may actually be immodest. And they may have absolutely no idea that the way they are dressing may be setting themselves up to be viewed by a man as a mere object for sexual pleasure. “Very often, a woman does not regard a particular way of dressing as shameless . . . although some man, or indeed many men, may find it so” (p. 189).


Concealing Our Reactions

The second aspect of sexual shame is its tendency to conceal our own utilitarian reactions to the opposite sex when we treat them as objects for our enjoyment. We realize that a human person is not an object for use, and we feel ashamed if we treat people that way in our glances, thoughts, or imagination. Deep down, a man senses, “I must not touch her, not even with a deeply hidden wish to enjoy her, for she cannot be an object for use” (p. 180).

Consider what often happens when a man is staring at a woman lustfully and she notices it. As soon as he is caught, he quickly turns his eyes away because he feels ashamed of what he was doing. He does not want his utilitarian attitude toward her to be exposed. He knows he shouldn’t treat a woman that way and he immediately looks away.


Inspiring Love

The third and most important aspect of sexual shame is its connection with love. Ultimately, modesty seeks to inspire love — true love for the person, not just a sexual reaction to a woman’s body. Deep in a woman’s heart is a longing to inspire and experience love. Thus, a woman should dress in a way that inspires love for her as a person. But dressing immodestly hinders the possibilities for true love to develop, for it draws attention to her sexual values to such an extent that it overshadows her value as a person. In other words, a woman dressing immodestly may deliberately elicit a sexual reaction to her body. And she may attract men to view her body as an object of enjoyment. But she doesn’t inspire men to love her as a person.

Here we see that modesty of dress is about so much more than helping men avoid falling into sin. And it is not simply a “defensive reflex” protecting women from being used. In the end, modesty is about inspiring a reaction to the value of the person — not just to the sexual values. As Wojtyla explains, “sexual modesty is not a flight from love, but on the contrary the opening of a way towards it. The spontaneous need to conceal mere sexual values bound up with the person is the natural way to the discovery of the value of the person as such” (p. 179).


(Source: Integrated Catholic Life)

-oOo-

True Modesty is not:

• a set of rules and regulations, laid out by others on what is appropriate
• a strict style - such as wearing dresses all the time, in every circumstance
• a certain look - only skirts below the knee, etc.
• a mindset of being 'holy' or superior
• a focus on self - how we look

Modesty is first and foremost an attitude of the heart. An attitude of submission to the Lord and the desire to please Him in our thoughts, actions and dress. It is not to please others or to gain attention, but is the act of being mindful of others, being careful to avoid causing a brother to stumble or succumb to temptation. A by-product of holiness that reflects in our attitude and dress. As holiness cannot be produced, it must be formed in the heart and then it extends outwardly. Modesty cannot be forced or put on, but it begins with that desire to please the Lord and allow Him to change us from the inside out.

Modesty requires grace. As we receive grace, we must extend grace. There are no 'levels' of modesty. We don't ever 'arrive'! It is a constant surrender of our will to have the will of God molded in us. But it creates an inner beauty that always points others to our Lord.

(Source: Joyfull Living Blog)

Weekly News (First Week of July 2012)

1. Defending Religious Freedom

Threats at Home and Abroad

ROME, JUNE 28, 2012 (Zenit.org).- As the Church in the United States continues its campaign to defend religious liberty, with its “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign a recently-published book examined the variety of threats. [Read More]

2. Church to Oppose Mega Casino Project

MANILA, June 29, 2012— If the government would allow the proliferation of more casino in the country, it must prepare for the consequences of more addicts, stealing and putting more stress on their families, a ranking Catholic bishop said. [Read More]

3. Use Funds For RH to Address Child Labor Problem – Bishop

MANILA, July 2, 2012— Spend funds intended for contraceptives to solve the burgeoning problem of child labor, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Jose Palma told government officials during a recent interview over Radio Veritas. [Read More]

4. President Using Military to Advance LGBT Agenda

A conservative military watchdog thinks the recent government-sanctioned events in honor of the military's homosexuals will spread to bases around the world if Barack Obama is re-elected president. [Read More]

5. Facebook Founder Chris Hughes Donates $100,000 to Pro Homosexual 'Marriage’ Forces in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine — Supporters of same-sex marriage exceeded the $100,000 they needed to raise to receive a matching contribution from a co-founder of Facebook. [Read More]

6. Archbishop Fulton Sheen Beatification Could Come 'Very Quickly'

Peoria, Ill., Jun 30, 2012 / 07:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A priest connected with the cause of Archbishop Fulton Sheen has said the “historic speed” with which he was declared venerable could be a sign that next steps to the beatification and canonization of the famous U.S. television evangelist and author might proceed at a rapid pace. [Read More]

7. Forced Abortion: The Most Despicable Human Rights Violation

On June 2nd, a despicable human rights violation was committed, and the world took notice. Chinese woman Feng Jianmei was dragged from her home, beaten, and forced to abort her seven month old unborn child, because it was her second pregnancy. [Read More]

8. Leading California Gay Rights Leader Arrested Over Child Porn Possession

June 27, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prominent leader in the gay-rights movement in California headed to jail on June 22 after police say they caught him in possession of graphic images of toddlers engaged in lewd acts of sodomy and oral sex. [Read More]

9. Pro-Lifers on Obamacare Ruling: ‘Abortion Is the Greatest Social Injustice’

(CNSNews.com) – Pro-life activists gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court on Thursday expressed disappointment in the court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, which upheld all of the law except the expansion of Medicaid – including the requirement that Americans buy health insurance plans that pay for contraceptives and abortion. [Read More]

10. How Will Gay ‘Marriage’ Hurt Us? Here’s How.

June 28, 2012 (Breakpoint.org) - Christians are often asked by gay activists why they oppose same-sex “marriage.” “How does our marriage hurt you?” they ask. [Read More]

Weekly News (Fourth Week of June 2012)

1. Pope Gives Advice to Keep Catholics From Falling Away:

Be Better Believers, More Pious, Welcoming in Our Parishes

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 22, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI met today with a group of bishops from Colombia in Rome for their ad limina visits, offering them some concrete advice on growing religious pluralism and the increasing presence of evangelical communities in the country. [Read More]

2. Priest Raps Bill Banning Religious Rites, Symbols in Gov't Offices

MANILA, June 20, 2012—An executive official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines hit a proposed bill seeking to impose a ban on holding religious ceremonies and displaying religious symbols in government offices on the pretext of religious freedom. [Read More]

3. California Flaunting Deviant Lifestyles in Upcoming Parades

A California family leader says two "gay pride" events scheduled in the state are harmful because they advocate for "false rights." [Read More]

4. Marian Event Answer to Threats vs. Life, Practice of Faith

MANILA, June 18, 2012—As the moves to uphold life and the faith must always be accompanied by the Blessed Mother, a Marian Congress on Faith & Life has been organized as the Catholic faithful’s answer to the current threats against life and the practice of faith. [Read More]

5. Linda Harvey: Don't Get Married - Get Even

How ‘non-discrimination’ laws are used to discriminate against people of faith

Relatively few self-identified homosexuals get “married,” even when same-sex unions become legal. But perhaps that was never the main point anyway. [Read More]

6. Abortion Proponents Admit Defeat at Rio Conference

RIO DE JANERIO, June 20 (C-FAM) In an astounding show of solidarity, a diverse group of countries rallied together with the Holy See to successfully remove any mention of reproductive rights or population control from the final outcome document produced during the last round of UN negotiations at the Rio +20 conference this week. [Read More]

7. Study: Belief in Hell is Associated with Reduced Crime

EUGENE, OR June 21, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Religions are thought to serve as bulwarks against unethical behaviors. However, when it comes to predicting criminal behavior, the specific religious beliefs one holds is the determining factor, says a University of Oregon psychologist. [Read More]

8. Catholic Charity Helps Lift People Out of Poverty

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Allison Yancey and her family, of Wadesville, Ind., had been sponsoring a Filipino child through the charitable organization Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) for 11 years, but it wasn’t until she joined a mission trip in 2011 and met her sponsored child that she fully realized the impact of their sponsorship. [Read More]

9. The After Effects of Bullying Can Last a Lifetime [Read More]

10. Vatican Unveils ‘Year of Faith’ Plans

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has approved a formula for a special “Mass for the New Evangelization” for the upcoming Year of Faith, as well as devised an official hymn, a dedicated website and a multilingual pastoral guide to coincide with the event. [Read More]

Overcoming My Shame of SSA

This is a personal sharing by Bro. Victor. I must say that we are fortunate in Courage to have a handful of priests who stand by us and minister to us. On the other hand, we also yearn for more and more members of the clergy to be bold in defending and upholding the Church's teachings on homosexuality publicly in as much as they are in defending pro-life issues like the RH bill and abortion as the gay agenda is slowly and constantly pushing its way to make it more acceptable by our society.


You know what my problem is? I feel disempowered.

I would like to shout out that I'm a Catholic, single male, I'm 40, and I struggle with same sex attraction. But how can I do that when there are very few leaders in the Catholic Church who are even willing to set an example? How many of our Catholic priests are courageous enough to stand up among the congregation and identify with this struggle?

No, they remain silent. They listen to us confessing our sins of impure thoughts and acting out our intrinsically disordered sexual desires, but where are the church leaders who do not just absolve us of our sins in the secrecy of the confessional, but also stand with us before the church community, to declare that, “Hey, I too am a leper, crying out to the Lord to have pity on me.” Because that is how I feel, like a "leper"; to have to struggle with SSA in secrecy within my Catholic community, and if I were to disclose my struggle with SSA, I would be “cast out into a leper colony”. And I feel as though the only circles where I can experience the full measure of freedom to express my innermost struggles, is among other men and women who also struggle with SSA. So in this sense, isn't it true, that Courage, the support group for Catholic men and women struggling with SSA, is the Church's modern day “leper colony”? When will a “leper” like myself be allowed to be fully integrated with the main body of the church community?

It seems the only people who are bold enough to speak aloud publicly are people who have SSA, but are fighting against the church; and advocating “gay” rights, which to me are “rights that allow persons with SSA to act out in defiance to the Catholic church's teachings on morality and chastity”. Yet those of us with SSA, but choose to live according to the guidelines on morality and chastity pertaining to homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, seem to be “bullied” into silence by the “stigma” that being a Catholic person with SSA still carries with it in our contemporary church communities. A “stigma” that makes me feel ashamed to speak up in my church community, rather than boast with great joy that Christ redeems me each day in my struggle with sexual brokenness, that it is by His grace alone that He sustains me in my daily battle for purity.

I often feel overwhelmed by the seeming hopelessness of living as a Catholic “outcast” with SSA. However, if I were to regard my SSA as the “thorn in my flesh” similar to that which St. Paul also spoke of, then perhaps I should actually rejoice and be glad even that I have been given this “thorn in my flesh” as a constant reminder of my dependence on God, that it is His grace alone which sustains me. Perhaps as well, I should also learn from St. Paul, who with wisdom that can come only from the Holy Spirit, spoke of the added benefit of this “thorn in his flesh” that “kept a proud man humble before God”. Perhaps the great paradox is that that this “thorn in the flesh” which seems more a curse than a blessing, helps to develop in the person struggling with SSA, the virtue of humility.

Perhaps this “stigma” of shame that comes with my SSA has little or nothing to do with the lack of solidarity and support coming from church leaders, or the potential threat of rejection by the greater church community in the event of self disclosure, but rather it is a “shadow” that comes with my own self-absorbed pride in constructing an impenetrable fortress about myself, projecting an image that I am perfect and unblemished, yet knowing desperately deep inside that it is all a lie.

“Lord, help me to lay down my pride, tear down the fortress I have built around myself, my fake image, my false pretenses, my excuses and finger pointing, pushing the blame on others; and build instead a new life grounded on the truth that You have redeemed me through your love and sacrifice, that by Your grace I can grow daily in inner chastity as well as humility, patience, temperance, fortitude and charity; and that you have set me free to love others as the Father has loved me. Lord let this truth of Your redeeming love empower me to speak freely and boldly of Your love for me, the same love you offer to all mankind; and help me to love all people, as You, Lord Jesus, love me. Amen.”


http://www.revelife.com/754851828/i-was-given-a-thorn-in-my-flesh-paul-and-homosexuality/

http://www.joshweed.com/2012/06/club-unicorn-in-which-i-come-out-of.html#comment-form

http://gawker.com/5917022/im-a-gay-mormon-whos-been-happily-married-for-10-years?comment=50017956

Weekly News (Third Week of June 2012)

1. Vatican's New Project Dives Into Sports Ethics

Vatican City, Jun 15, 2012 / 02:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The ethics of sports will be the focus of a new initiative launched June 14 by two Vatican departments. [Read More]

2. Pro-Life Philippines’ Forum to Discuss Same-Sex Attraction

MANILA, June 14, 2012—A half-day seminar aimed at educating the public and pro-lifers on the issue of same-sex attraction is being organized by Pro-Life Philippines Foundation on July 21. [Read More]

3. More Porn, More 'Ransom Money'

A leading organization that opposes pornography and indecency is fighting against a proposal to allow more porn domains on the worldwide web. [Read More]

4. RH Bill a Foreign Concept to Filipinos – US Pro-Lifer

MANILA, June 14, 2012—Some sectors may praise what they regard as the merits of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, but another pro-lifer from a nation that is grappling with the consequences of institutionalized contraception, comprehensive sex education and abortion has pointed out that the measure is alien to a culture that is immensely fond of children, such as that of Filipinos. [Read More]

5. Study Finds Children of Same-Sex Partners Face Difficulties as Adults

Austin, Texas, Jun 13, 2012 / 03:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Children brought up by partners in same-sex relationships are encountering more difficulties in adulthood than their conventionally-raised counterparts, according to new findings published June 10. [Read More]

6. Washington Times Graphic on Homosexual Parenting Study Reveals Risks of Having Lesbian ‘Mothers’ [Read More]

7. Because of Abortion, Not All Dads Can Celebrate Father’s Day

As a father and now grandfather, I have entered an era of my life that’s blessed me with a profound respect for the significance of Father’s Day. [Read More]

8. Club Unicorn: I Am a Gay, Devout Mormon, Happily Married To a Woman, With Three Children

Editor’s Note: Homosexuality is one of the most challenging issues that we at LifeSiteNews.com deal with. In all of our reporting on the issue we seek always to integrate the principle of “love in truth” - that is, in all cases to love all people, but also to present them with the truth, which can be extremely challenging if they experience same-sex attraction, and especially if they have given themselves to the homosexual lifestyle. [Read More]

9. Open Your Home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is the traditional month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost. This year it falls on June 15. What better time to enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus as King of yourself, your home and your family? [Read More]

10. Spreading Lies

De-Bunking Myths About Christianity

ROME, JUNE 15, 2012 (Zenit.org).- “Christianity is the main, central, most common, and most thoroughly and purposefully marginalized, obscured and publicly and privately misrepresented belief system in the final decades of the 20th century and the opening years of the 21st.” [Read More]

Open Letter to GMA News & Public Affairs

This is an open letter addressed to GMA-7 by our Courage head Brother Rollie regarding the Makati incident where a group of transgenders were denied entry in an establishment. I also caught this TV interview with Danton Remoto and as always I have this impression that pro-gay groups such as Ang Ladlad are quick to pick this kind of news and make a big deal out of it and thus make it seem like the gay community is yet another "victim" of "discrimination" in society. And what a wise move for Danton Remoto to use this kind of media exposure to advance his agenda of legislating the Anti-Discrimination Bill. For GMA-7, I guess it's also high time to examine if you are truly living up to your tagline of "walang kinikilingan" as I'm also getting the impression that you are biased in presenting gay issues like this or maybe you guys don't really know much about how to deal with it. Anyway, I hope this open letter gets your attention.


To: GMA News and Public Affairs

I like your tagline "Walang kinikilingan, walang pinoprotektahan, serbisyong totoo lamang".

However, in your morning program Unang Hirit this morning, I think you were biased (consistent with how you always treat the issue of homosexuality) in favor of the LGBT community.

This is about the "discrimination" case about transgenders who were not allowed entry to an establishment in Makati. There was already a news feature about this, but you even more stressed the "victim mode" of the LGBT community by interviewing Danton Remoto of Ang Ladlad during the Talakayan with Arnold Clavio segment. I think this was unnecessary, though I guess it was an early plug-in promotion of this partylist group wanting to have a seat in Congress.

I am leading a group called Courage Apostolate Philippines chapter, of persons with same-sex attractions, but who chose not to live out the gay lifestyle but live a chaste life. I would like to make three (3) statements regarding this issue.

1. A right of one group of persons that undermines the right of another group of persons is not authentic human right.

When you upheld the right of the transgenders to party and have fun in any bar that they want, you undermine the right of an establishment to make their own rules and policies. If an establishment has rules and policies, the public must abide by those rules and policies, and not insist that they have the right over the establishment. If an establishment chooses to break its policies in favor of an angered party, this establishment must open itself to break its rules on any other party. This means to say if an establishment has rules regarding no crossdressing and no sandos and sandals - if they allow crossdressers to enter their establishment because they become offended by its rules, they must also allow those in sandos and sandals to enter as well.

I admire Icon bar for apologizing that they have offended the feelings of transgenders. But they should not bend to the whims of any group to change their rules for fear of offending anyone. Otherwise, we will just live in anarchy and paranoia, worried that another advocacy group would appear challenging our rules and policies.


2. Discrimination in its purest sense must be against classification of persons based on substantial distinction and not superficial difference.

The Anti-Discrimination Bill pose a danger because it draws from a flawed logic. Sexual orientation and gender identity should not be compared to skin color or racial attributes, because these are behavior-based and not on characteristics with relative permanency. One may not choose to have same-sex attraction, but what we do with this attraction is by itself a choice! In Tagalog "Hindi mo man piniling maging bakla, pinipili mong magpakabakla at manatiling bakla".

Because this dangerous bill defines discrimination as "actual or perceived", and there is no clear distinction or attribute if a person is part of the LGBT community or not, ANYONE could pose as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender and claim that they are being discriminated against! So that means an employer, an establishment, a church or anyone who goes against the whims of the LGBT community can be sued with discrimination cases. So that means anyone could just claim to be an LGBT member and get away with lawsuits in the name of discrimination.


3. Ang Ladlad partylist does not represent all members of the homosexual community.

We are persons with same-sex attractions - we share this character with everyone in the LGBT community. We share in their dream of being accepted by society. But we are in opposition with all the principles of the Ang Ladlad partylist. We do not believe that anyone is born a homosexual. We do not believe that advancement of the people's understanding of homosexuals is made through laws that strikes fear in a person's heart, but an education on the true pastoral care of homosexual persons. We do not accept homosexuality as our end, but see it as the surface and symptom of the deep wounds and hurts sustained in a person's gender security. We do not accept that celebrating gayness is the way to happiness, but knowing one's true self as God sees us. We do not accept the defeat of our sexuality through what other people say we are, but we fight for our right to change!

We exist. We thrive in the protection of our God whom we dearly called Father - for He is not a genderless God.

* Aftercall - http://aftercall.webs.com/


* Bagong Pag-asa - http://www.bagongpagasa.org/


* Courage - http://couragerc.net/

http://www.couragephilippines.blogspot.com/


* Ichtus Community - http://castingthenets.blogspot.com/


You, like all popular mass media, have always highlighted the plight of the LGBT community. But you have yet to explore our own struggles, our own victories, our own lives that are offered as an alternative lifestyle - an option, to persons with same-sex attractions.

We challenge you to feature us in your programs - in full length, and not just sandwiched in your pro-gay agenda.
See our groups thriving amidst the gay culture which you so adamantly promote.

May God bless and keep you!

Weekly News (Second Week of May 2012)

1. That Bread Is Really Jesus Christ

ROME, JUNE 5, 2012 (Zenit.org).- This Thursday, Benedict XVI will preside over Holy Mass in the courtyard of Saint John Lateran, and then lead the procession of the Body of Christ to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. [Read More]

2. Philippines: Door to Asia

Priest Tells of Church's Strengths, Challenges

ROME, JUNE 8, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Philippines are the door to the Far East for the Catholic Church. The first missionaries arrived in 1521 and today, with close to 100 million inhabitants – 80% of whom are Catholics -- it presents a very different picture to the rest of Asia. [Read More]

3. Bishop Endorses 1st Catholic Social Media Summit

MANILA, June 8, 2012—In spearheading the use of online media to spread the Gospel, the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged parishes, schools, youth organizations and religious communities to attend the 1st Catholic Social Media Summit being organized by a group of young Catholics promoting digital evangelization. [Read More]

4. Catholic Schools Will Follow Ontario's Gay-Straight Club Requirement

Toronto, Canada, Jun 7, 2012 / 04:10 am (CNA).- Catholic schools in the province of Ontario will abide by a law requiring them to allow “Gay-Straight Alliance” clubs, despite concerns about the loss of religious freedom. [Read More]

5. Culture of Death Gets Rid of the Person, Not the Problem

I have realized what separates the progressive way of solving humanity’s problems and the right way. [Read More]

6. Int’l Conference Equips Traditional Family for Modern-Day Lifestyles

MANILA, May 31, 2012—Amid attempts by some quarters to redefine the traditional family, an international conference that celebrates aims to strengthen relationships within the family has started, with the participation of delegates representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). [Read More]

7. Denmark Forces Churches to Perform Same-Sex ‘Marriages’

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, June 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The nation of Denmark has voted to force churches in the established Evangelical Lutheran Church to perform same-sex “marriage” ceremonies inside their sanctuaries, although one-third of all the denomination’s priests say they will not participate in such rituals. [Read More]

8. Screwtape’s Formula: Boys, Video Games & Porn

June 7, 2012 (Breakpoint.org) - A generation of young men is choosing fantasy over reality. At least that’s what Dr. Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University and psychologist Nikita Duncan argue in their new book, The Demise of Guys: Why Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It. [Read More]

9. SDG Reviews 'Prometheus'

Ridley Scott returns to Alien territory with a sprawling sci-fi horror epic that raises big questions about life, faith and God. [Read More]

10. Powerful Film Examines Faith, Persecution

For centuries, Christians have wrestled with the questions of how their faith should impact culture and how far they should go to promote a righteous and just society. For Greater Glory, a film arriving in theaters June 1, dives head first into such thorny issues. [Read More]

Understanding Same-Sex Attraction

Forwarded invitation from Pro-Life Philippines

PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION INC.
INVITES YOU TO ATTEND
PRO-LIFE FORUM SERIES

UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF SAME-SEX ATTRACTION
(“Everything you want to know about Same-Sex Attraction but don’t know whom to ask.”)

Date: July 21, 2012, Saturday

Time: 8:00 am -12:00 nn

Venue: St. Joseph Retreat House Conference Room, Loreto Parish
Manzanas Street, Bustillos, Sampaloc Manila
Registration Fee: P 300.00 (inclusive of snack, kit & certificate)

PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC. seeks to educate the general public & Pro-Lifers everything we must know about Same-Sex Attraction:

• What are the origins of Homosexuality?
• What does the Church say about the “Gay Lifestyle”?
• How does the gay lifestyle injure God’s plan for marriage & family life?
• How should we relate with gays?
• What do we do to help gay loved ones?

In this forum we will learn and understand how to deal with people exhibiting same-sex attraction whether male or female. Let us help to make these people understand themselves better. We must understand its implications in our pastoral care, student guidance counseling and classroom management and even to our family. Send your family life volunteers, pastoral workers, guidance counselors, teachers and school administrators. Reserve now.

Resource Speaker: MR. ANSEL BELUSO

Mr. ANSEL BELUSO, former entertainment writer and showbiz talk-show host, now married with two beautiful children and a full-time pastoral worker in Couples for Christ Foundation for Family & Life, is responding to God’s call to start a psycho-spiritual program for the pastoral care and spiritual nourishment of active homosexuals who struggle to step out of the enslavement of their flesh. He is also the host of radio program, “Digma ng Buhay”, Veritas 846 AM Station.

For reservations or more information, please call Ellen at 7337027 or you may send us a telefax at 7349425; or a text through mobile # 09192337783; or an email at life@prolife.org.ph. Visit our website at www.prolife.org.ph

Powerful Ex-Gay Testimony: Danny Wallace

What if there is a way out of that prison called 'homosexuality', would you take that first step?


Thanks to Bro. A for this link.