Gay and Catholic?

[Lucky]

Having grown up a Catholic, I swallowed hook, line and sinker all of the indoctrination against sex, and gay sex in particular. It caused me no shortage of problems. To learn later in life that priests themselves were avidly engaging in sex and gay sex was a shock. My disillusionment with the Church grew and I finally gave it up. But many gay men have not, and they each have their own reasons. For some, it is no doubt hard to disavow something you have belonged to since birth.

Gay sex is a sin, the Church says, even though so many priests delight in it, preferably with a little kid. The NY Times today has an article about a gay man in San Diego who has not only tried to keep current with his faith, but actually has a job with his parish church. Not everyone is happy. He has received many threats. Why does he continue with a church that does not want him? Read the article to find out:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/29/us/catholic-church-gay-members.html

 

[Latbear4blk]

4 hours ago, Lucky said:

Having grown up a Catholic, I swallowed hook, line and sinker all of the indoctrination against sex, and gay sex in particular. It caused me no shortage of problems. To learn later in life that priests themselves were avidly engaging in sex and gay sex was a shock. My disillusionment with the Church grew and I finally gave it up. But many gay men have not, and they each have their own reasons. For some, it is no doubt hard to disavow something you have belonged to since birth.

Gay sex is a sin, the Church says, even though so many priests delight in it, preferably with a little kid. The NY Times today has an article about a gay man in San Diego who has not only tried to keep current with his faith, but actually has a job with his parish church. Not everyone is happy. He has received many threats. Why does he continue with a church that does not want him? Read the article to find out:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/29/us/catholic-church-gay-members.html

 

Sorry Lucky, I do not have time to read why someone needs to hold on to superstition. I am sure it fills some basic need for him.

I also grew up in a very Catholic family, and out of my K-12 education 10 years were in Catholic schools. One of my brothers is a Jesuit priest. My breaking out with the Catholic Church has nothing to do with my homosexuality. As soon as I was able to start thinking independently in my high school years I realized how needy and nonsensical believing in any god is. I turn into agnosticism in my 9th grade and into Atheism in my 10th. Imagine how desperate my mother and the priests and professors in my Salesian high school were. Their first one in the honor roll list was a confessed Atheist. I did have a falling back into believing, of course out of weakness and desperation, during my military service. 

Back in my early adolescence I learned that my cousins in Esquina, the little town my parents where from and where I used to spend my summers, were having sex with the local priest. I was having sex with my cousins, but the priest never tried to touch me. I was just disappointed and felt unwanted. 

I understand why people need to believe. Not everyone is able to put out with an existence without any further meaning than living itself. Not everyone is able to put up with not being special and immortal. Good for them as long as they do not tell me how I should live my life.

[Lucky]

No priest ever hit on me either. However, as an adult, I allowed the head of a seminary I attended for one year to stay at my place and gave him my bed while I slept on the couch. He kept telling me that we had yet to properly say goodnight. This is after he had gone to bed. So I said good night, that's it. Never saw him again.

[Latbear4blk]

4 hours ago, Lucky said:

a seminary I attended for one year

I had to pay a little fortune to a private eye, but he found this picture from @Lucky seminary time. I have more, but do not want this thread moved to the porn folder.

[MsGuy]

6 hours ago, Lucky said:

No priest ever hit on me either. However, as an adult, I allowed the head of a seminary I attended for one year to stay at my place and gave him my bed while I slept on the couch. He kept telling me that we had yet to properly say goodnight. This is after he had gone to bed. So I said good night, that's it. Never saw him again.

Bless your innocent heart, Lucky, but I am reasonably sure that counts as being "hit on."   ;-)

[Lucky]

1 hour ago, MsGuy said:

Bless your innocent heart, Lucky, but I am reasonably sure that counts as being "hit on."   ;-)

Well, I was not then a child. How is a guy supposed to feel after learning that the priests were diddling all the boys...except for himself! What was wrong with me?

Well, I think they must have known that I would never have kept it quiet.

[Hirsch123]

On 12/29/2018 at 9:27 PM, Latbear4blk said:

Sorry Lucky, I do not have time to read why someone needs to hold on to superstition. I am sure it fills some basic need for him.

I also grew up in a very Catholic family, and out of my K-12 education 10 years were in Catholic schools. One of my brothers is a Jesuit priest. My breaking out with the Catholic Church has nothing to do with my homosexuality. As soon as I was able to start thinking independently in my high school years I realized how needy and nonsensical believing in any god is. I turn into agnosticism in my 9th grade and into Atheism in my 10th. Imagine how desperate my mother and the priests and professors in my Salesian high school were. Their first one in the honor roll list was a confessed Atheist. I did have a falling back into believing, of course out of weakness and desperation, during my military service. 

Back in my early adolescence I learned that my cousins in Esquina, the little town my parents where from and where I used to spend my summers, were having sex with the local priest. I was having sex with my cousins, but the priest never tried to touch me. I was just disappointed and felt unwanted. 

I understand why people need to believe. Not everyone is able to put out with an existence without any further meaning than living itself. Not everyone is able to put up with not being special and immortal. Good for them as long as they do not tell me how I should live my life.

That's a very profound story. I was wondering; did you experience any long-term self-doubt or difficulty in breaking away from the religious element of your upbringing? I am not Catholic myself but I know that many lapsed Catholics who cannot ever completely feel not-Catholic.

[Latbear4blk]

36 minutes ago, Hirsch123 said:

That's a very profound story. I was wondering; did you experience any long-term self-doubt or difficulty in breaking away from the religious element of your upbringing? I am not Catholic myself but I know that many lapsed Catholics who cannot ever completely feel not-Catholic.

None since my early 20s.

[Hirsch123]

41 minutes ago, Latbear4blk said:

None since my early 20s.

Well, that's good; glad you're happy now. I've was dating a guy who was Catholic, gay and said he was able to reconcile the two but I'm not sure. 

Makes me glad I wasn't raised religiously.

[Avalon1849]

Many years ago I used to attend the Dignity mass. It was held once a month in the afternoon. The drive was @50 miles away.  But I like smells and bells. This was back in the days of the indult mass where one had to get special permission from Rome to celebrate the old Latin mass. It was celebrated in the same town; different parish of course and in the morning.. So I'd get up early on Dignity mass Sunday and go the Latin mass first.  Two masses in one day! 

The Dignity mass was everything one would expect. Afterward some of us would go out to dinner together.

I will be no hypocrite though. I stopped receiving communion long ago.