Ending the Culture of Violence

This is an article by Fr. Shay Cullen on the culture of violence in the Philippines, with the Manila hostage crisis being the latest and the most talked about in the past week. We pray for the victims of this very unfortunate tragedy and the healing of relationships between the Chinese and Filipino people. Most importantly we pray for peace to begin from each and everyone of us in order for genuine and lasting peace to prevail in our society.


The culture of violence and torture is commonplace in the Philippines today. Young people in school fraternities are subjected to beatings and torture by their peers, called hazing, it is so severe that many have died. The student torturers learn perhaps from what they know about the police and military that routinely torture suspects and summarily execute many with impunity. They learn from US trainers as practiced in the Iraqi torture chambers of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. The torturers seem to enjoy inflicting pain on their victims and video and photographing the horrific acts.

The video games played on home computers or in internet shops turn killing, murder, violence and rape into entertainment for pleasure seeking youth. Adults allow it, but is it the way to prepare them for life? Minors that commit violent crimes are born innocent but learn from adults and older peers. Children are exposed to violence in the home, on television, in the movies, classrooms, school yard and on the streets. Students can go wild and shoot dead teachers and students.

When family, community, school and society provides little positive inputs to young people who are desperate for dignity, respect, attention, and acceptance, we can expect rebellious youth filled with anger or hatred because they are unwanted, excluded and hopeless. Many young people turn rebellious when they are excluded from a life of economic and racial equality, opportunity and education. With concern, respect, friendship and opportunity they can be inspired to live a good life but they need trusting adults they can admire and imitate. If treated well, most will become good. If abused, some tend to become abusers. They will respond to the friendly attention of a role model, and fulfill their obligations and responsibilities. I see this transformation every day in the lives of the 54 kids taken from prisons to an open trusting affirmative environment. Give respect and goodness to youth (if they are not too damaged) and you will get it in return.

Last week Filipinos here and abroad were filled with horror and disgust as they watched a cruel police torture session on television. The video showed a man lying naked on the floor of a Manila police station screaming and squirming in agony as the highly decorated senior police inspector sat over him viciously pulling a cord attached to his genitals while beating him with a belt to make him confess to a crime. Other police were standing around. One made the video recording of it on a cell phone. The victim is suspected to have been murdered later.

Another highly decorated former police inspector Rolando Mendoza, 55, took hostage a bus load of Hong Kong tourists last 23 August in a Manila park, and murdered several of them before he was shot by a police sniper. The entire nine hour drama was broadcast live on television here and abroad. Mendoza was convicted of drug-related extortion and brutality against an innocent cook of the Mandarin hotel in Manila in 2008. He demanded to be reinstated despite his conviction and that of his extortion unit.

In another recent ANC television report, teenagers rescued from the Manila jails told of their harrowing experience of police torture and brutality. One boy showed his feet with the toenails extracted and cigarette burns on his neck. Conditions in the detention cells were described as subhuman. The videos can be viewed at www.preda.org

During a peaceful demonstration in 1996, I and my companion were arrested and beaten, punched and kicked. My head was banged repeatedly on the steel floor of the police van as I was taken to jail. My wrists were tightly handcuffed behind my back with two sets of cuffs for many hours so my wrists were cut and scared. We were jailed, interrogated and subjected to psychological abuse and foul language by the lawyer of the former mayor.

To stop such horrific abuse we need to end the culture of violence, the impunity of the powerful and work for a just and decent society where the rule of law and justice prevails and the dignity of everyone is respected and honored.


(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)

Weekly News (Fourth Week of August)

1. Pontiff Says Mother Teresa "Invaluable" for World

Sends Message to Missionaries for Her 100th Birthday

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Mother Teresa of Calcutta was an "invaluable gift" for the world during her lifetime, and she continues to be so through the ministry of the order she founded, says Benedict XVI. [Read More]

2. CBCP Head: Don’t Blame The Filipinos

MANILA, August 25, 2010—The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines appealed to critics not hate all the Filipinos over the tragic Manila hostage drama that killed several Hong Kong tourists. [Read More]

3. Movie Proceeds to Feed Hungry Filipino Children

MANILA, August 28, 2010—Watch a movie and feed a hungry child.

A movie that tells the greatest miracle of the 20th century will be shown in special screening to raise funds for the benefits of malnourished children. [Read More]

4. Gay Clergy Urged to 'Heal' Themselves

Catholic leaders must address the issue of homosexuality and the “healing process” must start with the “gay bishops and priests,” a leader of a Catholic homosexuals group said. [Read More]

5. Catholic Dissenters Create Homosexual Political Group, Solicit Reports of ‘Anti-Equality Activity’

Washington D.C., Aug 22, 2010 / 06:12 pm (CNA).- Prominent Catholic dissenters have created an organization to promote homosexual political causes and to change Catholic opinion through coordination with other activists. Organized explicitly to oppose the U.S. bishops, the group’s website asks for reports of “anti-equality activity” in Catholic parishes. [Read More]

6. Recession May Have Pushed U.S. Birth Rate to New Low

(AP) - The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row, and experts think the wrenching recession led many people to put off having children. The 2009 birth rate also set a record: lowest in a century. [Read More]

7. Obama Administration Reveals All in Major Abstinence Study

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has now released the full results of a government study that will give behavioral scientists insight into how parental attitudes and social norms are key to promoting abstinence before marriage, rather than sex ed programs. [Read More]

8. UN Campaigns for Homosexual Adoption in Mexico

NEW YORK, August 26, 2010 (C-FAM) – In the midst of a controversial judicial consideration of homosexual adoption earlier this month, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ran an ad campaign that appeared to support the effort to overturn Mexico City’s law against homosexual adoption. [Read More]

9. ‘Do Ordinary Things With Extraordinary Love’

The Things that Made Mother Teresa Tick

Father Brian Kolodiejchuk never expected to become a priest in Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Fathers. Now he is superior of the congregation — as well as postulator of the cause of canonization of Mother Teresa. [Read More]

10. Molotov Mitchell Shares Biblical Love and Truth with a ‘Gay’ Friend

Authentic Christianity in action cannot hide the truth…

Molotov Mitchell of Illuminati Pictures (and WND.com) created this “For the Record” video about loving a homosexual friend enough to tell him the truth from the Bible (1 Corinthians 6). PFOX’s Greg Quinlan, a former homosexual himself, shared this video at the recent AFTAH Truth Academy:

Lessons From The Retreat

It never ceases to amaze me that somewhere in Manila there are actually two churches located inside the same compound just a few feet away from each other. The place I am referring to is Bustillos Street in Sampaloc, Manila where you find the Church of Our Lady of Loreto and Church of St. Anthony of Padua. More amazing for me still is the fact that a secluded retreat house is sandwiched between the two churches named simply as St. Joseph Retreat House - a relatively small, simple, and quiet place to retreat without leaving the city. This post won't be long. I just want to share the lessons I learned from our retreat. These topics are actually taken from Henri Nouwen's book (In The Name of Jesus) and I urge you to read all of his books for spiritual refreshment and enlightenment. Although these lessons/temptations are somewhat more applicable to Christian leaders, the faithful in general can find subtle ways in which these can fit in to their Christian way of life.


Lesson #1: The Temptation To Be Relevant

- And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." (Matthew 4:3)

- To succumb to this temptation means to do something that is needed and can be appreciated by people, to make productivity the basis of our ministry, which can lead to preoccupation with products, visible results, tangible goods, and progress.

Reflection: In my experience keeping this blog, I sometimes get discouraged when I do not see the results that I hope to see from my readers, especially those in the gay lifestyle. After more than a year of posting articles here, I could hardly see those in the gay lifestyle coming in to join our ministry. Where are they? They are most probably having a "good time" out there. I sometimes get discouraged to continue this work because I am equating success with visible results. I forget to consider that I am just merely an instrument of God and the work of Courage is God's work. Who knows how God works in the hearts of men? It really boils down to the question of whether 'Am I doing this work for the love of God or am I treating this like work where being productive is my sole preoccupation?

- Let God's Word shape and reshape us as human beings, to feast each day on His Word, to grow into free and fearless people. Thus, we can continue to witness in this world, even when there are fewer or no visible results.


Lesson #2: The Temptation To Be Spectacular

- "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (Matthew 4:6)

- To succumb to this temptation means to force God to respond to the unusual, the sensational, the extraordinary, the unheard of - and then to force people to believe.

Reflection: I can relate this temptation to my desire to show off and to be the center of attention because by doing so I get the approval that I long for. It satiates even for a moment my need to be needed, approved, praised, honored, consulted, extolled, and preferred to others. It is my tendency to focus on the superficial rather than delve on the essential, the external rather than the core of who I am as a person. This temptation is common among persons with SSA because the majority never got affirmed in their true identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. Jesus, before he was tempted in the desert, was affirmed by His Heavenly Father as His "beloved son" during his baptism at Jordan River. We too need to claim and constantly reclaim the truth of our belovedness and cease identifying ourselves with our SSA struggle and false self.


Lesson #3: The Temptation To Be Powerful

- "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." - Matthew 4:9

- To succumb to this temptation means to make ourselves believe that striving for power and wanting to be of service are for all practical purposes, the same thing.

- Power can take many forms. These are always to get some sense of security and control, and strengthen the illusion that life is mine to dispose of. More power can eventually fulfill my needs. I cannot remain powerless when I am surrounded by so much power.

Reflection: This temptation to be powerful has something to do with manipulation. Am I manipulative? It questions the real motive behind our "generosity" towards others. Am I just being generous/kind to this person because I expect to get something in return from him/her at a later time? Am I trying to control people and expect them to live up to my standards? Am I trying to buy affection from someone by lavishing him/her with material gifts? I guess these are some of the hard questions we need to ask ourselves to find out if we are doing the right thing with pure and right intention.

-oOo-

*My Berakah
(Prayer of Praise to Almighty G-d)

Blessed be the Lord G-d lover of my soul and consolation of my afflicted heart.
With all the humility I can muster I praise Thee for Your unconditional love for me.
Nobody has such great a love as yours that I desire in return to love Thee as much as I can.

Blessed be the Lord G-d whose mercy and kindness towards me is so immense.
Even though my sins are great and faults too many, Thy infinite mercy is much powerful still.
Sustain me in my struggles, enlighten me in my doubts, strengthen me when I am faltering.

Blessed the Lord G-d the wellspring and fountain of divine grace.
Grant me a faith that can move mountains, a hope that aspires for nothing else but Thee, and a love for Thee so intense it sets my whole being on fire. Amen.

(*I composed this prayer during our retreat.)

-oOo-

Pahabol:

G-d has a message for all of us in Courage: "UMAYOS KAYO!"

P.S. Thanks to all who attended the retreat. I learned a lot from you guys. 'Til next time.

Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality (Part 5)

Myth No. 9: Homosexuals are seriously disadvantaged by discrimination.

Fact: Research shows that homosexuals actually have significantly higher levels of educational attainment than the general public, while the findings on homosexual incomes are, at worst, mixed.

One obvious measure of social disadvantage in America is reduced educational attainment. For example, this is an area in which there are obvious racial differences. According to 2008 data from the Census Bureau, 21.1% of non-Hispanic whites over the age of 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree, while the same is true of only 13.6% of blacks and 9.4% of Hispanics.

However, studies have uniformly shown that homosexuals have higher levels of education than heterosexuals, which hardly suggests that they are disadvantaged. The groundbreaking National Health and Social Life Survey found “that twice as many college-educated men identify themselves as homosexual as men with high-school educations. . . . For women the trend is even more striking. Women with college educations are eight times more likely to identify themselves as lesbians . . . .”

One study of homosexual men, using data from the Urban Men’s Health Study, reported that “65.7 percent of the respondents fall within the relatively narrow range of having a B.A. or an M.A.”

The data on the incomes of homosexuals tends to be more mixed. Some data, drawn primarily from marketing surveys, suggest that homosexuals have considerably higher incomes than heterosexuals. For example, a 2009 survey of over 20,000 readers of “gay” magazines and newspapers found that they had an average household income of about $80,000; whereas the Census Bureau reports that the average household income for all Americans in 2008 was only $50,303.

Other researchers have argued that such surveys may not be reaching a truly representative sample of American homosexuals. Lesbian economist M. V. Lee Badgett has virtually made a career of debunking what she calls “the myth of gay and lesbian affluence.” But even Badgett finds the data are, at worst, mixed.

A 2009 publication on “poverty in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community” which she co-authored, found that according to one national study, both homosexual men and women were more likely to live in poverty than heterosexuals, but in one California study, both were less likely to do so. And census data which applies only to couples shows that same-sex female couples are more likely to be in poverty than opposite-sex married couples, but same-sex male couples are less likely to live in poverty than are opposite-sex married couples.

A 2008 study using data on couples available from the 2000 census reported:

Lesbian women earned substantially more than both married and cohabiting women. . . . While gay men suffered a small wage penalty relative to their married counterparts (4.5%), they actually enjoyed a large wage advantage relative to their cohabiting counterparts (28.2%).

Homosexual activists like to attribute the small disadvantage in income for some subpopulations of homosexuals to societal “discrimination,” and use that as an argument for employment “non-discrimination” laws. However, other explanations, such as different career choices, are also possible.

If “discrimination” presented serious limits to the economic opportunities available to homosexuals, one would expect “non-discrimination” laws to improve their economic standing. However, research has not shown such laws to have that effect. A journal article on the issue declared:

In contrast to studies of anti-discrimination laws for women and ethnic minorities, we have produced no evidence that employment protections for sexual orientation directly increase average earnings for members of same-sex households.

-oOo-

Myth No. 10: Homosexual relationships are just the same as heterosexual ones, except for the gender of the partners.

Fact: Homosexuals are less likely to enter into a committed relationship, less likely to be sexually faithful to a partner, even if they have one, and are less likely to remain committed for a lifetime, than are heterosexuals. They also experience higher rates of domestic violence than heterosexual married couples.

Homosexual men and women are far less likely to be in any kind of committed relationship than heterosexuals are. A 2006 study by researchers at UCLA concluded:

We found that lesbians, and particularly gay men, are less likely to be in a relationship compared to heterosexual women and men. Perhaps the most outstanding finding is also the most simple—that over half of gay men (51%) were not in a relationship. Compared to only 21% of heterosexual females and 15% of heterosexual males, this figure is quite striking.

Secondly, even homosexuals (especially men) who are in a partnered relationship are much less likely to be sexually faithful to that partner.

• A Dutch study of partnered homosexuals, which was published in the journal AIDS, found that men with a “steady partner” had an average of eight sexual partners per year.

• A Canadian study of homosexual men who had been in committed relationships lasting longer than one year found that only 25 percent of those interviewed reported being monogamous. According to study author Barry Adam, “Gay culture allows men to explore different . . . forms of relationships besides the monogamy coveted by heterosexuals.”

A 2005 study in the journal Sex Roles found that “40.3% of homosexual men in civil unions and 49.3% of homosexual men not in civil unions had ‘discussed and decided it is okay under some circumstances’ to have sex outside of the relationship. By comparison, only 3.5% of heterosexual married men and their wives agreed that sex outside of the relationship was acceptable.”

Finally, research shows that homosexual relationships tend to be of shorter duration and much less likely to last a lifetime than heterosexual ones (especially heterosexual marriages). A 2005 journal article cites one large-scale longitudinal study comparing the dissolution rates of heterosexual married couples, heterosexual cohabiting couples, homosexual couples, and lesbian couples:

On the basis of the responses to the follow-up survey, the percentage of dissolved couples was 4% (heterosexual married couples), 14% (heterosexual cohabiting couples), 13% (homosexual couples) and 18% (lesbian couples).

In other words, the dissolution rate of homosexual couples during the period of this study was more than three times that of heterosexual married couples, and the dissolution rate of lesbian couples was more than four-fold that of heterosexual married couples.

Since men are generally more likely to engage in acts of violence than women, it is not surprising that there would be differences in rates of domestic violence based on the gender of partners in a relationship. One might expect, for instance, that women with a female partner would be less likely to be abused than women with a male partner. However, one early study (1986) showed that women with female partners were nearly as likely to be abused (25%) as those with male partners (27%).

Meanwhile, a 2002 study showed that the five-year prevalence of battering among urban homosexual men (22%) was nearly double the rate among heterosexual women living with men (11.6%)—despite the fact that one might expect men’s greater size and strength to be a deterrent against a would-be batterer. A 2006 study—one of the few with a direct homosexual/heterosexual comparison for both men and women—found that of persons entering substance abuse programs, 4.4% of homosexuals had been abused by a partner in the last month, as opposed to 2.9% of the heterosexuals. The lifetime prevalence rates for domestic violence were 55% for the homosexuals and 36% for heterosexuals.

The myth that homosexual relationships in general are qualitatively the same as heterosexual relationship—a myth that is crucial to the current push for legalization of same-sex “marriage”—is simply not borne out by the evidence.


(Source: Family Research Council)

Weekly News (Third Week of August)

1. Busy Months Ahead for Benedict XVI

Trips to Spain, Italy; Synod for Mideast

ROME, AUG. 19, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Some historic and noteworthy events await the Holy Father and Vatican officials after the summer break, when the Eternal City springs back to life. [Read More]

2. Caritas Philippines Appeals For Aid in Flood-Hit Pakistan

MANILA, August 21, 2010— Caritas Philippines urged the Filipino faithful to help provide aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan as the 20 million people made homeless grew increasingly desperate. [Read More]

3. Rejection of Gay Adoption Is Not a Matter of Tolerance, Asserts Mexican Archbishop

Mexico City, Mexico, Aug 20, 2010 / 02:04 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Alberto Suarez Inda of Morelia, Mexico explained this week that the adoption of children by gay couples is not an issue of tolerance but rather a concern over legitimizing something that “goes against nature itself.” [Read More]

4. White House On The Defensive About Obama Christianity

WASHINGTON - The White House insisted on Thursday that President Barack Obama is a Christian who prays daily as it looked to tamp down growing doubts among Americans about the president's religion. [Read More]

5. Glenn Beck Is Wrong on the Importance of Homosexual ‘Marriage’ [Read More]

6. Pro-Life Leader: Treating Unborn as Non-Persons Key to Planned Parenthood Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – What do serial killers, slave-owners, eugenicists, and abortionists have in common? According to Michael Hitchborn of American Life League, all these groups can only carry out crimes against human beings by first de-personalizing or trivializing the humanity of their victims. [Read More]

7. Obama Appoints another Homosexual Official

WASHINGTON, August 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Thursday, President Obama announced his intent to recess appoint four nominees to various administration posts; Richard Sorian, one of the appointees, is openly homosexual. [Read More]

8. FDA Okays Embryonic Stem-Cell Trials on Humans

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Even as a federal agency gave a California biotech firm the go-ahead to begin the first human trials of therapy employing human embryonic stem cells, a federal court approved a pro-life legal action that could lead to blocking President Obama’s promised expansion of federal funding for research using these cells. [Read More]

9. El Paso Priest on Homosexuality: Genuine Love Seeks Eternal Salvation, not 'Tolerance'

EL PASO, Texas, August 19, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Although his small stature and gentle voice don't betray it, Rev. Michael Rodriguez's strong words and fidelity to Catholic Church teaching against homosexuality have caused quite a stir. [Read More]

10. Ground Zero Mosque: ‘Wounded Site’

NEW YORK — Controversy surrounding plans to build an Islamic mosque and cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero prompted Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York to offer his services as a mediator — even as he avoided taking sides in the dispute. [Read More]

Courage Retreat

Dear Friends,


We in Courage Philippines will be having our annual overnight retreat this weekend somewhere in Manila. The theme is about "The Desert Experience" and will be facilitated by our very own Bro. Rollie. Please pray for the success of this retreat. I am personally looking forward to this event for me to experience a deeper intimacy with God.

God bless us all!

The Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality (Part 4)

Myth No. 7: Children raised by homosexuals are no different from children raised by heterosexuals, nor do they suffer harm.

Fact: An overwhelming body of social science research shows that children do best when raised by their own biological mother and father who are committed to one another in a lifelong marriage. Research specifically on children of homosexuals has major methodological problems, but does show specific differences.

Few findings in the social sciences have been more definitively demonstrated than the fact that children do best when raised by their own married mother and father. The non-partisan research group Child Trends summarized the evidence this way:

Research clearly demonstrates that family structure matters for children, and the family structure that helps the most is a family headed by two biological parents who are in a low-conflict marriage.

Homosexual activists say that having both a mother and a father does not matter—it is having two loving parents that counts. But social science research simply does not support this claim. Dr. Kyle Pruett of Yale Medical School, for example, has demonstrated in his book Fatherneed that fathers contribute to parenting in ways that mothers do not. On the other hand, Dr. Brenda Hunter has documented the unique contributions that mothers make in her book, The Power of Mother Love.

The truth is that most research on “homosexual parents” thus far has been marred by serious methodological problems. However, even pro-homosexual sociologists Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz report that the actual data from key studies show the “no differences” claim to be false.

Surveying the research (primarily regarding lesbians) in an American Sociological Review article in 2001, they found that:

• Children of lesbians are less likely to conform to traditional gender norms.
• Children of lesbians are more likely to engage in homosexual behavior.
• Daughters of lesbians are “more sexually adventurous and less chaste.”
• Lesbian “co-parent relationships” are more likely to break up than heterosexual marriages.

A 1996 study by an Australian sociologist compared children raised by heterosexual married couples, heterosexual cohabiting couples and homosexual cohabiting couples. It found that the children of heterosexual married couples did the best, and children of homosexual couples did the worst, in nine of the thirteen academic and social categories measured.

The clear superiority (in outcomes for children) of households with a married, biological mother and father; the limited but revealing research on children raised by homosexual parents; and the inherent mental and physical health risks (see Myths 5 and 6) and dysfunctional behaviors (see Myths 8 and 10) associated with homosexual relationships—all of these combine to suggest that we should be exceedingly cautious about deliberately placing children in the care of homosexuals, whether through foster care, adoption, or the use of artificial reproductive technologies.

-oOo-

Myth No. 8: Homosexuals are no more likely to molest children than heterosexuals.

Fact: Sexual abuse of boys by adult men is many times more common than consensual sex between adult men, and most of those engaging in such molestation identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual.

If this myth were true, it would support the notion that homosexuals should be allowed to work with children as schoolteachers, Boy Scout leaders and Big Brothers or Big Sisters. However, it is not true. The research clearly shows that same-sex child sexual abuse (mostly men molesting boys) occurs at rates far higher than adult homosexual behavior, and it strongly suggests that many of those abusers are homosexual in their adult orientation as well.

As this is perhaps the most explosive claim about homosexuals, a couple of clarifications are in order. This does not mean that all homosexuals are child molesters—no one has ever claimed that. It does not even mean that most homosexuals are child molesters—there is no evidence to support that. But there is evidence that the relative rate of child sexual abuse among homosexuals is far higher than it is among heterosexuals.

This conclusion rests on three key facts:

Pedophiles are invariably males: A report by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children states: “In both clinical and non-clinical samples, the vast majority of offenders are male.” The book Sexual Offending Against Children reports that only 12 of 3,000 incarcerated pedophiles in England were women.”

Significant numbers of victims are males: A study of 457 male sex offenders against children in Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy found that “approximately one-third of these sexual offenders directed their sexual activity against males.” A study in the Journal of Sex Research found that although heterosexuals outnumber homosexuals by a ratio of at least 20 to 1, homosexual pedophiles commit about one-third of the total number of child sex offenses.

Many pedophiles consider themselves to be homosexual: Many people who write about the issue of pedophilia argue that most men who molest boys are merely attracted to children, not to adult males, but they do not cite any specific data to support that assertion. In fact, a study of 229 convicted child molesters in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that “eighty-six percent of offenders against males described themselves as homosexual or bisexual.”

Since almost thirty percent of male-on-male child sexual abuse is committed by homosexual or bisexual men (one-third male-on-male abuse times 86% identifying as homosexual or bisexual), but less than 3% of American men identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual, we can infer that homosexual or bisexual men are approximately ten times more likely to molest children than heterosexual men.

In addition to the actual data on elevated rates of homosexual child abuse, there is clearly a sub-culture among homosexual men that openly celebrates the idea of sexual relationships between adult men and underage boys, whether pre-pubescent or adolescent. Such relationships are referred to in some research literature using neutral-sounding euphemisms such as “age-discrepant sexual relations (ADSRs)” or “intergenerational intimacy.” Lesbian writer Paula Martinac summarized this phenomenon:

. . . [S]ome gay men still maintain that an adult who has same-sex relations with someone under the legal age of consent is on some level doing the kid a favor by helping to bring him or her “out.” . . .

[A]dult-youth sex is viewed as an important aspect of gay culture, with a history dating back to “Greek love” of ancient times. This romanticized vision of adult-youth sexual relations has been a staple of gay literature and has made appearances, too, in gay-themed films. . . .

Last summer, I attended a reading in which a gay poet read a long piece about being aroused by a flirtatious young boy in his charge. In response, the man went into the boy’s bedroom and [sexually abused the boy as he] slept. . . . Disturbingly, most of the gay audience gave the poet an appreciative round of applause. . . .

. . . The lesbian and gay community will never be successful in fighting the pedophile stereotype until we all stop condoning sex with young people.



(Source: Family Research Council)

Weekly News (Second Week of August)

1. For Over 50 years, Nuns at a Convent in Rome Pray For Russia

Russian icons fill the walls of the small chapel of the monastery of Rome where nuns from around the world pray for Russia as part of a special effort for over 50 years now. [Read More]

2. RH Bill Advocates Get Ire of Archbishop

MANILA, August 11, 2010 —Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz has expressed infuriation on the proponents of Reproductive Health Bill, saying their continued anti-population push is all driven by money and selfishness. [Read More]

3. Same-Sex 'Marriage' Can Resume in California Next Week — Judge

LOS ANGELES—Same-sex marriages will be able to resume in California next week, a federal judge ruled Thursday, following his landmark decision to overturn the state's ban on gay and lesbian weddings. [Read More]

4. Top 10 Gay Marriage False 'Facts'

When one judge overturned the will of more than seven million Californians last week in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, he listed 80 supposed "findings of fact" (FF) as evidence that Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Many of those 80 findings are not facts at all. They're lies or distortions. [Read More]

5. American Bar Association Calls for Homosexual Marriage Nationwide

(CNSNews.com) – The American Bar Association (ABA) adopted a resolution this week calling for same-sex marriage nationwide, and urging government at every level to “eliminate” any restrictions on homosexual unions. [Read More]

6. Inaugural Truth Academy Tremendous Success – Others Planned

Arlington Heights, IL – On Thursday, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality launched its first of many comprehensive “Truth Academies” to be held at various locations around the United States. [Read More]

7. Singapore Launches 'Dating Campaign' To Counter Low Birth Rate

SINGAPORE, August 13, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The government of Singapore announced that it has asked for tenders from communications agencies to produce a television commercial to "promote dating and come up with a 'unique dating concept' to get singles to interact" in a bid to deal with the city-state's low birth and marriage rates. [Read More]

8. Gay Marriage and the End of Christian Civilization

FRONT ROYAL, Virginia, August 13, 2010 (HLI.org) - Back in the 90s when Fr. Paul Marx, founder of HLI, was asked his opinion about the efforts to legalize "same-sex unions" he commented in his usual forthright fashion, "When they do that," he said, "it's the end." [Read More]

9. Catholic Education Prefect: Only Universities With Strong Catholic Identity Will Last

Vatican City, Aug 13, 2010 / 03:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - "Only the Catholic university that conserves its identity will have a future," said the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education just days before the 20th anniversary of John Paul II's document “Ex Corde Ecclesiae.” [Read More]

10. Obedience vs. Conscience

What to do about all the lapsed Catholics? Those Catholics who don’t come to church because they reject the Church’s teachings on such matters as contraception, the ordination of women to the diaconate, and married priests. [Read More]





Today, August 15, is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pro-Life Seminar on Homosexuality

Pro-Life Philippines Foundation, Inc. invites all to attend the Pro-Life Seminar Series for August entitled WHEN YOUR LOVED ONE TELLS YOU “I’M GAY”

This talk deems to answer questions related to families confronted with the homosexual issue most popular today. With the proliferation of the homosexual culture in mass media, our young people are increasingly exposed to a stronger promotion of this so-called “alternative lifestyle.” How does the family handle this growing situation? What should be the attitude of parents and siblings and well-meaning friends when their loved one/s reveals their tendency towards same-sex attractions (SSA)?

This seminar also aims at helping the homosexual person understand the roots of his/her SSA, and hopefully be able to influence him/her to embrace a path of chastity and change.

Mr. Rolando Delos Reyes II of Courage Philippines will be facilitating the talk. An open forum comes after each of the speaker’s discussion.

The seminar is slated on a Saturday, August 21, 2010 from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Please call the contact numbers below for the venue. A registration fee of P 300.00 includes one snack, one seminar kit, and a certificate of participation signed by the organizers.

For reservations or more information, please call Ellen at 733-7027. Or, you may send us a telefax at 734-9425; a text through mobile# 0919-2337783; or an email at life@prolife.org.ph. Visit our website at www.prolife.org.ph.

Serenity

Catholics who don't go to Confession miss a lot of things. Besides missing on the opportunity to receive the grace of forgiveness, they also miss on the opportunity to know themselves in a deeper way and to discover their defects from the perspective of another person, in this case a priest.

That is what I received last Sunday after our monthly Sacrament Sunday with our spiritual director Fr. Dan. After confessing the litany of my misdeeds and sins for the past month, which he has already heard a million times from me before, he advised me to pray the serenity prayer often.

And then it struck me like a lightning bolt.

I discovered right there and then that I have this personality trait of insisting that things and persons should behave the way I see fit. Or else, it will greatly upset me to the point of casting unfair judgments and criticisms against others and thereby make myself miserable in the process.

Fr. Dan reminded me that I am living in a fallen world, an imperfect world, where there is disorder and disharmony that can turn my world upside down if I let it affect me too much. That although there are norms and rules that should be followed by everyone to preserve order, there will always be someone who is not going to go towards that direction. That I cannot expect people to act the way they should all the time because everyone grew up with different backgrounds and perspectives in life.

That is why I need to accept with serenity and total surrender that there are just things in this world that I cannot change no matter how much I want to. Other people will always hurt and offend you no matter how kind and sincere you strive to be towards them. People will always say bad things about you no matter how much you strive to do what is right. It is indeed really impossible to please everyone. Some people will always be on the other side of the fence and I just need to accept that as a fact of life.

Thus the prayer.

Let go and let God because the fruit of letting go is serenity.