Grandpa,
Just so you know, I agree with the priest! (See The Voice, June 11, 2020). That man should kick out the queers who kissed each other. Queers should not be allowed to stay in a house where a man brings kids. Stop calling them “gays”, God calls them abominations.
Grandpa says: That man only assumed that his roommates were gay based on his own prejudice and ignorance. I feel badly for you. Hatred is one of Satan’s favorite tools. To my knowledge, God does not call any person an abomination. What is abominable is the actions of misled individuals.
Grandpa,
Just writing to let you know that I enjoy your columns and the good advice that you usually give. I was reading your letter taking to task a divorced man who was showing his bias toward gays (See The Voice, June 11, 2020). No problem with the advice, but why take a cheap shot at Catholic priests? In Matthew 23:1-12 the Lord Jesus is taking to task the Scribes and Pharisees who were supposed to be the spiritual fathers (leaders) of the people. That is why He says to “call no man Rabbi, or ‘teacher’, or Father.” If this passage was to be observed, we could not call our own Dads father, nor our doctors or teachers by their positions. Obviously, early Christians did not take it as a hard and fast rule because Stephen, in addressing the Sanhedrin before his martyrdom said, “brethren and fathers hear…”, and Paul says in 1 Cor 4:15 “Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” That is why Catholics call their priest Fathers.
Grandpa says: I believe you and I are pretty much on the same page on this one. The difference is your eloquence of speaking. My comment was directed at one particular member of the clergy, not the office of the clergy. The one particular man, whose name I did not reveal, was not acting in the capacity of a true leader; he seemed to be co-signing the phobia of his parishioner. When I got your E-mail, I went back and re-read that column. You are right, I was not explicit enough in my response. I referenced the quotation about calling no ‘man’ father without the explanation that there is a difference between a common person and a person called of God as a leader. As you pointed out quite well, there are many who may have a position with true credential to hold that position. I believe the leader who helped his follower fuel hatred toward other men was no different than the Pharisees of whom Christ warned. In Matthew 23:9, Christ used the Greek word ris, which generally means a common thing or person. It is an indefinite pronoun. Christ appears to have been telling us that we need to discern the true leaders from those who might pose as leaders. Thank you for giving me pause to clarify my stance. I bid you peace.
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