Throughout this blog, I have learned so much about the faith of approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. Even though I have attended Catholic Church from kindergarten to my senior year in high school, I still had many questions about this faith and quite a few misunderstandings. I thought that the Catholic Church was homophobic, completely dismissing the idea of gays and lesbians. I was under the impression that chastity was merely a teaching taught by adults who were afraid of their teenagers getting pregnant or developing sexually transmitted diseases. I was convinced that the Church was sexist and did not want full rights for women. And I was sure that I could get no meaning or purpose out of going to Church.
My opinion was greatly shifted from these interpretations. I now understand the motives behind the Church speaking out about homosexuals and the reasons why priests and others encourage church attendance. I greatly appreciate those who take the vow of chastity and wait until marriage to have a full commitment with their partner and God, Himself. More simply, I have understood, that despite the misunderstandings, Catholics really and truly want the best for all people. They want others to be able to experience in loving and respectful relationships, and they do not like to see others suffering from injustices around the world. Catholics are all about giving back to their community and promoting commonalities between the people of the world so that everyone can love and respect one another.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Second Self Evaluation
Love, in my opinion, is definitely not something one takes lightly. To me, it means giving all of yourself in a relationship, sharing and keeping promises, and respecting one another for who the other is. It also means believing in each other through faith and hope. When one promises to save the gift of chastity until marriage, one is promising oneself to other person. It is understanding each other and realizing that despite the great attraction to one another, this special gift can wait until there is an absolute sealed commitment with God. To me, this relationship is so special. It involves much patience and trust, but most importantly, love. I have much respect for those individuals who chose this path of life.
In accordance with this teaching, people who chose this path of life must keep their faith and commitment to God, as well as their husband or wife. To keep these ideas and practices alive in their hearts, church attendance seems so necessary. In today’s society, it is so easy to lose sight of what of what is really important. Through traditional practices, taught through God’s spoken word, the Bible, it is easy to be enlightened and see the truth during these very confusing times. Everywhere we look, it seems, advertisement is using sex symbols or risky behavior to entice consumers into buying their products. In addition, we are so often reading in newspapers and watching television regarding the crimes and disasters that happen worldwide. Church gives us an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and relax with God. It also gives us the opportunity for pray for those who are suffering, doing crimes, or falling into the false advertisements. Most importantly, however, it gives us a chance to be thankful for the many gifts in our life.
In accordance with this teaching, people who chose this path of life must keep their faith and commitment to God, as well as their husband or wife. To keep these ideas and practices alive in their hearts, church attendance seems so necessary. In today’s society, it is so easy to lose sight of what of what is really important. Through traditional practices, taught through God’s spoken word, the Bible, it is easy to be enlightened and see the truth during these very confusing times. Everywhere we look, it seems, advertisement is using sex symbols or risky behavior to entice consumers into buying their products. In addition, we are so often reading in newspapers and watching television regarding the crimes and disasters that happen worldwide. Church gives us an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and relax with God. It also gives us the opportunity for pray for those who are suffering, doing crimes, or falling into the false advertisements. Most importantly, however, it gives us a chance to be thankful for the many gifts in our life.
First Self Evaluation
Although it is still extremely difficult to view homosexuality as something that needs to be changed, I can now more clearly see how others may believe this. Because of tradition, religion, and family guidelines, some people are taught that it is abnormal to be attracted to someone of the same sex as you, while for others, we are taught that homosexuals are just another type of people- just like people of different race or religion.
I now understand that the Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals, they just see it as a problem, like a disease or injustice in our world, which needs to be fixed. It is not fair that these people have different feelings than the average person. Just like, it is unfair that some people in our world must starve to death, when other people, like me, can reach into the cupboard to grab a snack whenever I would like. It is not fair that these people have been conditioned to like the same sex, while the majority of the world can appreciate the beauty of having both worldviews in one’s life- masculinity and femininity.
In order to cease this problem of homosexuality to perpetuate, it is therefore very important to stress the differences between the two sexes. Both sexes share in a whole, in which combine to form the beauty of humanity. Dressing in accordance to one’s gender, then, helps to fix this problem. It also helps to reiterate the differences between the two sexes. For example, if girl were to dress inappropriately during Halloween, most would assume that she is promiscuous, even if she was not. It is also important so that homosexuals may learn from example, instead of being more confused with their sexual orientation.
I now understand that the Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals, they just see it as a problem, like a disease or injustice in our world, which needs to be fixed. It is not fair that these people have different feelings than the average person. Just like, it is unfair that some people in our world must starve to death, when other people, like me, can reach into the cupboard to grab a snack whenever I would like. It is not fair that these people have been conditioned to like the same sex, while the majority of the world can appreciate the beauty of having both worldviews in one’s life- masculinity and femininity.
In order to cease this problem of homosexuality to perpetuate, it is therefore very important to stress the differences between the two sexes. Both sexes share in a whole, in which combine to form the beauty of humanity. Dressing in accordance to one’s gender, then, helps to fix this problem. It also helps to reiterate the differences between the two sexes. For example, if girl were to dress inappropriately during Halloween, most would assume that she is promiscuous, even if she was not. It is also important so that homosexuals may learn from example, instead of being more confused with their sexual orientation.
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