Position of Catholic Church
Same sex marriage is one of the contemporary moral issues facing the global society, as one group is in support of the behavior while the other opposes it sharply. Both groups try to justify their positions regarding the issue and many governments are struggling to establish a policy to contain the behavior. In developing countries that observe traditional values strictly, same sex marriage is not only considered immoral, but it is criminal as well. In Zimbabwe, those practicing homosexuality and advocates of same sex marriage have low morals and are compared to dogs. In Uganda, homosexuality is a crime and the government has a tight law that seeks to prevent the behavior. Unfortunately, the western countries, particularly Australia, Canada, Scandinavian states, the United States, and Britain were quick to criticize Uganda when it illegalized homosexuality threatening to stop diplomatic relations and any form of assistance. This shows the extent at which the debate is drawing the attention of many people around the world. The church is not left behind since the debate is ongoing, with the Anglican Church openly supporting the behavior.
However, the Catholic Church has always opposed the idea of same sex marriage basing its arguments on the Bible. For the Catholic Church, marriage is viewed as a faithful, special, and permanent union between a man and a woman who are supposed to be joined as husband and wife in a close partnership of the life and love. The church suggests further that the so-called homosexual unions do not express full human complement given the fact they are intrinsically non-procreative. When the courts in the US awarded marriage rights to the homosexuals, the church noted that marriage was under attack and the media, culture, and the legislature was to blame for their elusiveness. For the media, the church observed that it tries to equate homosexuality to marriage yet the two are very different.
In a recent conference held in Washington, the Catholic Church established a strong committee comprised of senior bishops to get rid of homosexuality in society. The church resolved to promote the fundamental principles of marriage through teaching and preaching. Additionally, the church is determined to set up advocacy groups both at national and state levels with the sole purpose of championing for dialogue on the best ways to protect marriage. In this regard, the church is to play a role in amending the US constitution to prevent legalization of same sex marriages. Consequently, the church sponsored a bill in the congress aimed at defining marriage only as a union between a man and a woman. The bishops in the United States supported the circular issued in Vatican calling on the Catholic faithful to condemn same-sex marriages for the sake of raising children. According to the Vatican, denying social and legal status to same sex partners is doing justice to children because the behavior serves to deny them the right to love. However, the bishops were categorical noting that they do not intend to discriminate against the homosexuals, but instead they simply aim at teaching the community the importance of marriage. In 2000, the Pope challenged the Dutch parliament after it voted to recognize same-sex marriage. John Paul II observed that natural marriage is incomparable to any other since it provides an environment for love and upbringing of children.
Recently, Pope Francis issued a statement that was misinterpreted to mean a support for same sex marriage, but the truth is that the Pope was simply dismissing the idea of viewing homosexuality as a sin. However, he was categorical that the behavior should not be allowed to continue and those practicing it are immoral. The pope urged the Catholics to show love and compassion to the homosexuals since they needed guidance and direction. In his view, the inclination towards homosexuality is not necessarily a sin, as this can be considered a tendency towards an intrinsic moral evil hence it must be viewed as an objective disorder. According to Pope Francis, those engaging in homosexuality are inconsiderate of God’s plan for procreation.
Opposing/Alternative View
Those in support of same sex marriage note that gays are likely to be better off as individuals as compared to people in heterosexual relationships. In particularly, same sex partners are often financially stable and this means they will be emotionally, psychologically, and medically stable in their unions. Families created by same sex partners will definitely benefit from stable finances and issues of medical challenges, which are known to cause separation, are greatly reduced. The proponents further claim that marriage is about being there for one another meaning partners must be ready to help each other in accomplishing family and career goals. Same sex partners argue that their attraction to each other is always natural meaning they were born homosexuals. In this case, their situation is unchangeable meaning it is morally legitimate. Since trying to change the behavior of the homosexual individual will be infringing on their right, the best thing to do is to change the various aspects of society to accommodate their needs and desires. Therefore, constitutional alteration, adjustment of the education system, and religious acceptance is required, as this will be doing justice to the homosexuals. Homosexuality has to be accepted as part of the modern lifestyles and those choosing to adopt it should be protected constitutionally. The aspects of society, such as religion, should be forced to abandon their oldest views on same sex marriage since they simply amount to discrimination.
While the church has always termed homosexuality as a sin, the proponents observe that it is a condition brought about by various conditions, including drug addiction, sickness, and poor upbringing of children. In this regard, an individual has very little control over this condition and they should be allowed to practice their lifestyle. For this group of advocates, homosexuality is simply classified as a disease together with alcoholism and allergies. It can also be a disability the same as congenital blindness. Likewise, it might be categorized as evil the same sickness and death, but it cannot be a sin just like pride and blasphemy. Homosexuals were born with the condition and society should not hold them accountable because this will be equivalent to accusing somebody of being of a particular color. Whenever an individual is impious and exercises inappropriate homosexuality, such a person should be considered evil and immoral. If anything, homosexuals claim it is God to blame for creating them that way hence the church should exercise tolerance and respect to their culture.
Personal Stand
To begin with, homosexuality is not marriage, as many proponents would want people to believe since marriage is defined as a covenant between a man and a woman and the main aim is procreation and upbringing of children. In same sex marriages, the major aim of procreation is not achieved meaning it does not qualify to be considered as marriage. In any case, a child should have the chance of interacting with the mother and the father because they both play special roles in molding the future of children. In this regard, same sex marriage should not be allowed in society because it violates the natural law, which states that the good is be done and pursued while anything evil has to be given a wide berth. Homosexual lifestyle is a threat to humanity because it encourages adopting of children yet procreation is highly avoided.
If society is to adopt this lifestyle, chances are high that the human race will be extinct since reproduction will be no more. This behavior goes against God’s plan of multiplying to fill the earth. Same sex marriages do not result in the creation of families, but instead they lead to naturally sterile unions because the spouses cannot find children of their own unless they buy in the name of adopting. The position of the Catholic Church on same sex marriage is valid because homosexuality is perceived as a social revolution aimed at destabilizing the institution of marriage. The claim that homosexuality is natural and must be accepted is unfounded because other immoral issues, such as alcoholism are natural, but they cannot be accepted. Therefore, society must resist any attempt to legalize same sex marriage because it has various effects.