FROM RACHEL
A couple years ago, a Catholic priest refused to give a communion at her own mother's funeral because she was a lesbian. I was outraged at this. Jesus was all about love and acceptance. It just disgusts me that homophobic hypocrites like this are teaching in churches today. What do you think of that?
RESPONSE
I remember when that happened. I didn't know what all the fuss was about. It's not like the woman took the Catholic religion seriously; she was living in direct, willful opposition to it. So why should she be upset she can't participate in a little worship ritual of a religion she doesn't believe in anyway? I think the priest was just doing his job. I think he should've had a little bowl of communion wafers to the side and said, "Listen, you're living in direct rebellion to God, so as a priest, I can't give you communion, but you're welcome to those unsanctified Dollar General wafers over there to have your own personal communion with whatever god you believe condones homosexuality."
This scenario is as old as Cain. The attitude is this: "I can worship God however I like." God made it abundantly clear to Cain that was not true, and this priest made it abundantly clear to this woman. The priest was not a hypocrite, he was living up to the dictates of his religion. Now if he had given her communion and she had accepted it, then both of them would've been hypocrites, in my opinion.
Where I think the priest went too far was when he left the altar during the woman's eulogy to her mother, then would not attend to graveside services due to "sickness". I think there's a difference between participating in official worship rituals and offering comfort during a time of pain. It wouldn't have killed him to stay during the eulogy and say a few words of encouragement at the graveside. That he left smacks of a pretty disgusting self-righteousness to my mind.
As for Jesus, you seem to forget that He was all about righteousness and justice too. Was Jesus accepting and loving to the Pharisees or to the money changers in the temple? Jesus says pretty darn clearly that those who put their sexuality above obedience to God He will personally order thrown into hell....that includes both heterosexual and homosexual. That said, I know that there are people who were homosexuals who are in heaven right now. How do I know that? Because the Bible says that murderers (Moses) and adulterers (King David) are in heaven. Is homosexuality a greater sin than murder or adultery? Thanks to Christ, God uses a different standard to measure our worthiness to enter heaven. It is our faith in Christ that determines our destiny, not our works, lest any man should boast.