David Ancell / Sunday, June 12, 2005 / Comments(0)
Have you ever had someone respond to preaching against sin with something like “Well, how would you feel if someone said that about you?” I have a simple answer. That’s irrelevant. For example, someone may ask how I would feel if I had a loved one in or even if I myself were in a state similar to that of Terri Schiavo. Well, the truth is that it would be quite a cross. However, it isn’t relevant to the question of whether or not she should have been allowed to live. The objective moral norm that states that life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death is what is relevant here. The truth that we human beings don’t have a right to judge to worthiness of someone’s life is also what is relevant.
Don’t get me wrong. There are times when something is wrong because it is offensive or uncharitable. Racial slurs fall into this category. However, simply applying an objective moral norm cannot be ruled as the wrong thing to do just because it doesn’t feel good to someone.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Saturday, June 11, 2005 / Comments(0)
Below is the text of my letter regarding the new ministry to gays and lesbians in the Diocese of Memphis. Please note that I used the NRSV translation due to copyright issues (can quote up to 500 verses without express permission) and so that I will not be accused of stacking the deck by using a “conservative” translation. Let us pray for our bishop.
Your Excellency:
I am writing to make known my concern to you. I was greatly concerned by the formation of the new Catholic Ministry with Gay and Lesbian persons in the Diocese of Memphis as mentioned in the May 19th edition of the West Tennessee Catholic. I understand that those who find themselves attracted to members of their own gender may have special needs, and a fine apostolate named Courage (http://www.couragerc.net/) was developed years ago to support these people in remaining chaste and dedicated to Christ. However, the information that was presented in the article and in your This Far by Faith column did not indicate that this was the purpose of the ministry being formed in the Diocese of Memphis.
The mission statement of the Catholic Ministry with Gay and Lesbian Persons suggests that the baptized are called in “the diversity of our sexual orientation,” as though homosexuality were a form of legitimate diversity such as race or gender. While the Church teaches that men and women with homosexual tendencies are to be accepted with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” the same paragraph in the Catechism (2358) states that this inclination is “objectively disordered.” The Catechism says that homosexual acts are “contrary to the natural law” (paragraph 2357) and that “under no circumstances can they be approved.” This is not based on a preconceived notion of who does or does not belong in the Church or on fear of differences in others but the constant teaching of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
At the end of your column, you wrote “Let us dare to love as Christ loves.” Indeed, we should. Christ called sinners in the place where they were, but he did not leave them there. To the woman caught in adultery, he said “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 8:11, NRSV). We understand this when we minister to alcoholics or drug addicts. The effects of their addiction may remain for life, but they are helped to stop the abuse of the alcohol or drug that is destroying them. Likewise, those with a homosexual inclination must be helped in their call to chastity, self-mastery, and inner freedom as called for in paragraph 2359 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To do otherwise is to leave people whom Christ loves in bondage to sin. Jesus said “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” He also said “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:31,34, NRSV).
As you have said in your column “This spiritual home is to be a precursor of the home we will have for eternity . . . Our task while we are in this earthly home is to do all we can to help each other grow into the home we will share in heaven.” It is essential that we do not condone people’s sin but rather help them to overcome it. Otherwise, we are likely to find that they do not make it into Heaven, and we will be held responsible before God and possibly ourselves condemned. Some people may walk away, but people also walked away from Jesus on account of teaching they could not accept (John 6:66). Please reconsider the approach the Diocese is taking to its ministry to people with homosexual inclinations.
Sincerely,
C. David Ancell, Pharm.D.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Friday, June 10, 2005 / Comments(0)
I found this to be quite interesting. In-vitro fertilization results in an increased “pregnancy rate,” but it may not result in more live births. I guess we can assume that most couples wanting to get pregnant also want live births, don’t you think?
Of course, this article does not mention that the practice is immoral. Couples have no right to children; they are gifts from God. Children are not manufactured products, and in-vitro fertilization treats them as such. Besides, many more embryos are produced than are ever implanted, so this results in what is essentially multiple abortions. Each embryo, once produced, is a human being with a soul.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Friday, June 10, 2005 / Comments(0)
You will need to subscribe to Catholic World News to get the full article, but I thought this was interesting enough to merit posting. Germany is administering catechism tests to some participants in World Youth Day to determine whether or not they can get into the county. I wonder if they realized that this would cause a lot of Catholics to be barred from World Youth Day.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Tuesday, June 07, 2005 / Comments(0)
I spent last weekend at the Young Adult Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I had been to three Defending the Faith Conferences, but this was the first time I had been to Young Adults Conference. The Young Adults Conference was held in Washington DC the past two years, and I wanted to be in Steubenville, not Washington DC. They moved the conference this year, so I decided to go for it.
The experience was quite different. Defending the Faith gets about 1,500 participants and is therefore very crowded. The schedule is very intense, with two or three talks back-to-back in a morning and then Scott Hahn talking about the talks in between. Young Adults gets about 400, so it’s easier to meet people and then see them again later. There were fewer talks, and there was a social each evening. It was much easier to get through the confession line as well. You know you are in a Catholic venue when there is a praise band and a cash bar within 25 feet of each other.
The only speakers I had heard of before seeing them at the conference were Fr. Larry Richards and Fr. Michael Scanlan. They were still very good. They hit on some things that I needed to hear about. Despite being without Jim Cowan, the music ministry did a great job. I spent some time yesterday trying to find some of the songs on iTunes. I found everything I was looking for. They aren’t as good as the Steubenville band, but they will have to do.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. While I appreciate the enthusiasm they show at Mass (which indicates they regard it as a reality), sometimes things got a little showy or silly. I attended the Life in the Spirit workshops as my break-out session, and I don’t think that was a good idea. Most of the first part seemed to be a repetition of “The Lord touched my heart . . . I had a lot going on, but the Lord really spoke to me.” and other rather general phrases. The second part was kind of a prayer meeting. It wasn’t a good thing for someone like me who is not that knowledgable of the Charismatic Renewal and is very skeptical of some (but not all) of their claims, especially their interpretation of speaking in tongues. It probably didn’t help that I was so tired when I went that I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Overall, I had a great experience. I found great joy in meeting other young adult Catholics who want to live their faith. Since I went by myself, I went around to groups in the dining area and asked if I could join them. No one turned me down. They were an awesome group, and I hope that I see them again. Maybe I’ll see them next year.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Tuesday, May 31, 2005 / Comments(0)
I forgot to mention something in my last post. This whole gay and lesbian ministry was announced right on the heels of the drive for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. This appeal is our diocese’s name for the fund drive that takes place to get people to give to the diocese. I used to give every year until last year.
Unless he has a wealthy homosexual or sympathizer sponsor, this is the last thing he needed while he is trying to get people to pledge money. There is no way in Gehenna that I would give a cent for this. I can’t fund immorality regardless of who requests it. I do take seriously my obligation to support the Church, but the first thing is to support the truth taught by the Church and not a cheap substitute. I wish I felt that I had a better option. I didn’t make the decision last year lightly. It was made out of genuine concern that the money had great potential to be used to fund things that weren’t in keeping with the teachings of the Church. If things improve, I would be happy to give again, and I will be happy to support any individual cause that does its work in accord with Catholic teaching (e.g. seminary fund).
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Sunday, May 29, 2005 / Comments(0)
I learned last week that, much to my horror, the Diocese of Memphis is forming a new gay and lesbian ministry. Granted, this could be a ministry helping those who struggle with same-sex attraction remain chaste, but a reading of the mission statement does not suggest so. It is posted in the link presented in this paragraph complete with a story about how a man committed suicide because people weren’t accepting of his sexual orientation. Notice how the mission statement says that all the baptized in “the diversity of our sexual orientation” are called to participation in the life of the Church.
The Church clearly teaches that sexual attraction to members of one’s own gender is a disorder. People with alcoholism, drug addictions, or mental disorders such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia also commit suicide. However, no one clamors that we should accept these disorders, but rather we should treat them. Why do we think we should treat a homosexual orientation any differently? We aren’t going to help people by pretending that their destructive path is normal.
So, where’s our bishop in all of this? Well, I’m afraid that he’s here. I can only pray that he realizes the mistake. However, it’s hard to hope for this when the second paragraph in that article seems to imply that his view of the Church is simply a place to celebrate “sacramental moments” where God somehow just becomes a part. Whatever happened to the fact that the Sacraments themselves bring the grace.
I plan to write a letter. I will pray for those involved. If necessary, I will help bring this to Rome if I have to. I sincerely hope that this can be replaced with a ministry that truly helps people afflicted with same-sex attraction find true healing rather than an affirmation of their destructive path.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Saturday, May 28, 2005 / Comments(0)
I know a few people who really love their pets. Really, most of them have great little animals. However, isn’t paying $32,000 for a clone a bit much?
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Tuesday, May 17, 2005 / Comments(0)
If you have tried to e-mail me, I assure you that I am not intentionally ignoring you. My e-mail hasn’t worked all day. In fact, there were some problems on Sunday, too, but I think I got all the messages. My provider says they are working on it, so we’ll see when we get it back up. Hopefully, your message won’t be lost.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Sunday, May 15, 2005 / Comments(0)
Some of you may have read that I bought the Cingular version of the Treo 650 about three months ago. It has worked great in Memphis, but I had never given it a good road test. Well, now I have.
I have had quite an eventful weekend. Yesterday, my sister graduated from medical school at Mizzou in Columbia, Missouri. I travelled to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois on Friday and spent the first night there. Yesterday morning, I finished the trip to Columbia to see my sister graduate. I’ll have more on that later. That night, I drove back to Belleville and will be headed back to Memphis this afternoon after Mass at the Shrine. It has been a great trip.
I am now blogging from the motel in the Shrine on my Treo 650. It is working really well. I have kept up with e-mail, text messages, and even made some phone calls. This is perfect for travelling.
Now maybe some people reading this would think I’m kind of sick for wanting to have my contacts and e-mail while on the road. I think it’s a lot of fun to give friends a play-by-play of all the fun while keeping up with them. Besides, I don’t like to travel up the roads these days without a cell phone in case my car breaks down. My car is now almost five years old with almost 70,000 miles on it. I know that isn’t too old, but things can happen.
Anyway, I’ll write more about the graduation later. I had a great time. I am so proud of my little sister.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized