From: ajpg1322@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Angelo J. Paguia)
Subject: Apology, clarification re:homosexual acts
Summary: Apology, clarification re:homosexual acts
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 09:53:34 GMT
Keywords: Apology, clarification re: homosexual acts

I would like to publicly apologize to Greg Wolff, Brent Winiger,
Thomas Zerucha, and others who followed up on my angry posting
a while ago regarding a misstatement of my opinions on the
sinfulness of homosexual acts outside the context of idolatry.

In ensuing private correspondences with people from the newsgroup,
I came to realize that I had caused them to misunderstand me and,
most importantly--this is why I am writing this letter--also 
might have misled others who had been following up on my posts
(I hadn't seriously believed, to that point, that people actually
considered my postings as coming from a sane person. B*0 )

I'm sorry for taking this long to write an apology, but I've been
busy working on my thesis and couldn't post much.

To clarify, I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin, but that the
homosexual act IS a sin, in accordance with Church teachings. Just as 
being a heterosexual is not a sin, but acting upon one's desires for the 
opposite sex outside of the marital procreative act is a sin.

I considered the demand for condemnation of such homosexual acts as
mindless chatter, however, for the following reasons:

1. If a person is a practicing Christian, then he/she knows what is 
wrong or right. Unless the person confides in me, I could not
accuse that person of homosexual acts. In any case, there would be
no context in which I could admonish that person, and

2. if a person is a non-practicing Christian or is a non-Christian,
then I could not discuss Christian morality with this person. What
is needed is an effort towards that person's conversion and any
condemnation before this would cause alienation and no conversion.

It is obvious that my approach is pragmatic in this sense, but I find
the idea of condemnation  (as in "You're damned to hell if you don't
stop that!") as furiously negative and pharisaical, and subscribe to 
a supportive admonition (as in "This is not what God wants.") as 
preferably positive. It is only a matter of semantics if one does NOT
notice that the former approach is Godless, and the latter can only
be discussed after the groundwork of Christian theology has been laid
and a supportive stance established.

It is true that St. John the Baptist's heroism included his condemnation
of Herodias' acts (which caused him his life). However, the God that
he knew to that point was the demanding God of the Old Testament. This
is the God of Creation that Israel had come to know. This is why the
Gospel of Love that Jesus had taught was such a new and shocking idea
to Israel. To realize that the God of Creation is also the God of
Redemption, among an infinite amount of theological implications, 
demonstrates the manner in which we must love our fellow men: to love 
with the strength that comes from God's laws. This is what we now know 
as Christian morality.

Doubtless, not to admonish is as good as a condemnation. But this 
condemnation comes from the laws of God, not from our judgement, to 
which we have no right. Our task is to shine light on the Christ that 
is in each of us, the conscience that is the Holy Spirit, and the laws 
which the Father has written in our hearts, and to ask the person to
stand and live in this light.

How is the actual separation from homosexual acts and lust to be
carried out ? Just as with heterosexual lust, not by the strength and
determination of the human being, but by the desire to change as the
Holy Spirit initially prods, and the Divine Grace with which to walk away
from such lust. Our prayers, in my humble opinion, is the only answer.

Perhaps, to instill in a person the fear of damnation will cause initial
conversion to Christian living. But such conversion, IMHO, is not sincere. 
Maybe, here too is where the action of the Spirit comes in to cause true
conversion. I don't know.

But I am still trying to learn from the courage of St. Paul in converting
the Greeks and the Romans. I humbly ask for your prayers for a friend of
mine who is in need of such conversion.

I humbly beg of you the Peace of Christ,
Angelo
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