Catholicism

Rebuttal: 1) Catholics believe homosexuality is not a sin. Catholics believe homosexual behavior is a sin. I hope I have made this clear enough. With that, I'd like to address Con's two points: Statement: "Nothing is wrong with homosexual behavior." Response: Homosexual behavior robs the world of a future, as it is the only way to guarantee no children are conceived as a result of sexual intercourse. If Con is willing to accept that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse is to conceive children (as that is how the organs involved are designed), Con would also have to agree that to eliminate the primary purpose by engaging in homosexual behavior is wrong. As such, we must accept the statement that homosexual behavior is wrong. Here is the syllogism format of my argument. TO BE ASSUMED: All things that are moral must follow their purpose. 1) All moral sexual intercourse has the purpose of conceiving children. 2) No homosexual intercourse results in conceiving children. 3) Therefore, No homosexual intercourse is moral sexual intercourse. Statement: "God made them that sexuality, therefore it must be okay." Response: There are many temptations in life. The fact that we have them in no way validates or moralizes us giving into them. For example, have you ever felt the temptation to lie? I'm sure it felt natural to lie. Does this, however, mean lying is moral? Not by any means. Something "feeling natural" doesn't mean it is moral because nature, as Catholics believe, is fallen. Nature contains many immoral things. 2) Masturbation Statement: "Masturbation isn't bad because it is natural." Response: See above. Natural things are not always good, and in many cases, are bad. Statement: "I don't thing God cares what the hell you do to please yourself." Response: First off, nice pun. But to refute this argument, we need only look at what is pleasing and determine if all things that are pleasing are good. If I can offer even one counterexample, this entire argument falls apart. Con, is it pleasing to drink? I'm sure it is. Is it pleasurable to drink copious amounts of alcohol until one's functions are impaired? I'm sure it can be. However, what is the result of this pleasurable action? Drunk driving, car accidents, perhaps even fatalities. Are these things which are the direct result of pleasurable action good things? Would God care about them? If your answer was yes, your entire argument in this line is invalidated because you do not believe it is true yourself. 3) Prayer Statement: "You bow down to statues while in church, therefore you worship them." Response: How do you show respect, Con? Have you ever bowed to your elders, or saluted your officials? These are outward signs of respect towards others. It is in no way worshiping another over God. We show respect to others, reverence to God. Statement: "Catholics pray to saints." Response: Have you ever been involved in a prayer group? Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you or for a loved one? Have you ever prayed for someone else? This is what we call intercession. As Catholics, we believe that intercession does not end once you die, but it continues while in heaven. We believe that those in heaven can interceded by praying for us. We ask the Saints (a fancy way to say we are sure they are in Heaven) to pray for us. This does not violate any teaching of Jesus or the Church. To refute this statement, Catholics believe in intercession in Heaven as well as on earth, and as such, asking the Saints to pray for us is in no way in violation of any of Jesus' teachings. 4) Catholicism is too strict Statement: "[Catholicism] makes people worry too much about what is and isn't a sin." Response: Shouldn't we worry about sinning? This is what keeps us from sin. Attention and vigilance are powerful tools that the Catholic Church uses to help its congregation keep in accordance with God's plan. A life free from sin is impossible (Romans 3:23), but that doesn't mean we ought to avoid sin. Statement: "Strict parenting can ruin someone's life." Response: Lax parenting can ruin someone's life. I'd argue it is better to be involved in a strict regimen free from sin than be allowed to harm yourself with no reproductions. Which life is worse, a life devoid of sin or a life devoid of God? In conclusion, I'd ask you to look on the whole, ask for clarification, and afterwards, the choice is up to you. You can choose Catholicism, Protestantism, or neither. Just make sure it is your free choice.