One of the topics that gets a lot of feedback whenever I blog about it or post anything on it is the issue of the church and homosexuals. And particularly now, that's a big issue with gay marriage. And one of the common misunderstandings is people seem to think that the church hates homosexuals.
And people will write to me and comment and say, why does the church hate gay people? And I have to keep reminding people again and again that that's not true. This is one of the big misunderstandings of church teaching that I think we've failed a little bit in not clarifying what the church's teaching is about homosexuality and the church's feelings toward homosexuals. It's actually very nuanced. It's very sympathetic.
The church really wants to love and support homosexuals in whatever journey they're on. And... The teaching of the church toward gay people is the same as it is toward straight people. And this is something that I think the church has failed in and really needs to do a better job of clarifying what the church's teaching is about sexuality in general, but particularly towards gay people. That it's, you know, to put it in the simplest terms, it's really loving the sinner but hating the sin and bringing that out and finding a way to teach that and to explain that.
in a loving and supportive way. Essentially what the Church teaches is that homosexuals are to be loved and accepted and supported as children of God and as human beings with dignity. But the homosexual act itself, like all sexual acts outside of marriage, is something the Church cannot condone or support.
So it's really encouraging chastity and encouraging a pure way of living. Essentially the church is teaching toward straight people also that sex outside of marriage is not to be condoned and is sinful but sex within marriage is life-giving and love-giving and is something to be encouraged.