How is accepting sexual orientation and gender identity implying that they are defined by culture?
I would say that accepting the term sexual orientation means you are attracted to particular genders and gender identity means you feel like you are more one gender than another.
Laws don’t prevent people from believing what their conscious tells them, nor do they prevent religions from teaching things. There have been lots of religions that believed slavery was okay (Xianity included) but that doesn’t make it okay to put it into law.
They are reaching with their logic.

It’s too bad they aren’t backing the UN declaration but it’s good they are doing a little, and that in itself might have a good effect in some countries especially if they mean it and stand behind it.
They are not alone in opposing stronger declarations of the rights of homosexuals; the US (Bush) is and some other churches are and I think some countries we shouldn’t want to be in bed with. I also tend to think they are imagining problems that don’t exist but hope a solution can be found that satisfies both sides. I’m not sure that’s likely but hope it can. Failing that I’m for the UN declaration.

It’s good the Pope doesn’t think we should kill our children who are GLBT, but it isn’t good enough. The UN should not change one thing they are asking for. I posted something else and lost it, I hope it doesn’t pop up. It’s too long and I like this better.

Tell you what, Vatican: you agree that it’s not nice to kill us, and you can call us “sodomites” all you want. Fair deal? If you throw in some support for marriage, I’d be glad to let you guys protest outside the church whenever it’s my turn to walk down the aisle as long as you promise not to throw things at us. Okay, you can throw rice or birdseed or whatever’s in these days, just not rocks or glass bottles or anything like that. How does that sound?

I think we all missed that our country the United States of America turned down the UN proposal. Doesn’t that make you proud? It was because of don’t ask, don’t tell. Ahuh, makes you pop with pride.

>>> I think we all missed that our country the United States of America turned down the UN proposal.
I didn’t miss that. Although I’m Canadian.
When it comes to GLBT issues on the international stage, America has consistently sided with countries like Saudi Arabia and China.
They say you are who you hang with.

While they might not have gone as far as some would like. Hell must have experienced a slight cold snap to go as far as it did. We have baby steps.

It is the policy of the US to oppose any resolution which may conflict with the First Amendment.

Erotic attraction is involuntary, but deciding to apply a label to oneself is entirely a matter of choice, and behavior certainly is a matter of choice.
Whatever the nature of same-sex attraction, “gayness” is purely a political ideology, part of a larger radical ideology that seeks to deny the truth about sex.

“…part of a larger radical ideology that seeks to deny the truth about sex.”
And just what is “the truth about sex”?
And isn’t it more likely they just want to make the world a better place for themselves, which doesn’t threaten the rest of us a bit.

yro,
I guess you have never been to Key West! Political ideology does not usually figure into the life and fun of the place. You are making an emotional reaction into an intellectual decision.
So you are the hold out who has been keeping secret humanity’s fondest quest, “The truth about sex”. Well, hold out no longer. We will see what truth you hold, or if it’s “fool’s gold”.

….deep seated homosexual tendencies…must be respected with compassion and sensitivity. So should all diseases RCC, but the Medical Societies of the U.S. and Europe have taken GLBT off the handicapped list. The RCC should bring them selves up to date. We all seek the latest therapies, solutions for healing our infirmities from our Doctors and Science in 2008, at least the majority, some fundamentalists just look for a healing from God for themselves and their children and if it doesn’t come they willingly lie down and die. Now I could not be surprised that they would think that GLBT should be cured by God, but not the rest of us educated, intelligent people. We are on the same page for cancer drugs, heart transplants, all transplants, etc. I don’t think the Pope would turn any of these wonderful advancements down if he needed any one of them. Why can’t he as leader of the RCC accept what the Medical world says about GLBT? Of course other Churches that are Protestant think the same way. Because of statements in the Bible, changed undoubtly many times in 2000 years, they continue to seperate people from their children, family, friends and society. This makes Christian religion seem less credible and the people who preach this way.

“Erotic attraction is involuntary, but deciding to apply a label to oneself is entirely a matter of choice, and behavior certainly is a matter of choice.”
Why not apply a label to it? That is the purpose of language, after all. The problem with people who believe that homosexuality is wrong is that they then want to force their belief on the rest of us, in which case taking the choice of our behavior away from us. Please, I beg you, stop trying to legislate your morality on sane, healthy, and independent adults.
“Whatever the nature of same-sex attraction, “gayness” is purely a political ideology, part of a larger radical ideology that seeks to deny the truth about sex.”
No, “gayness” is purely a term describing attraction to the same sex, no more or less. There may very well be an absolute and objective truth about sex, but do not have me convinced that you hold the key to it.

I never knew up until now, Henrietta, that you believed homosexuality to be a disease. National Geographic did a TV special recently on pairs of identical twins who happened to have different sexual orientations, which might suggest components other than genetic. Various talk shows have also profiled stories in previous years covering the same situations. While one may have a genetic predisposition towards being gay, it certainly doesn’t explain the condition in and of itself, nor are there any studies I’m aware of that confirm genetics to be the one and only reason.
“Of course other Churches that are Protestant think the same way. Because of statements in the Bible, changed undoubtly many times in 2000 years, they continue to seperate people from their children, family, friends and society. This makes Christian religion seem less credible and the people who preach this way.”
There is a fundamental difference between having moral reservations about an issue and bigotry. Though I have suspicions about a couple of my relatives I would never sever contact with them based on their condition, yet I also wouldn’t pretend to condone what I believe to be morally illicit behavior. People have disagreements on many things like the economy, religious convictions, politics, scientific theory, and so on. It isn’t necessarily the issues in and of themselves that divide people. Rather, immature adults choose to seperate themselves based on the disagreements that arise out of these issues.
“The problem with people who believe that homosexuality is wrong is that they then want to force their belief on the rest of us, in which case taking the choice of our behavior away from us. Please, I beg you, stop trying to legislate your morality on sane, healthy, and independent adults.”
I felt the same way when religious institutions were forced to shut down or refer foster children to same-sex couples based on ‘anti-discrimination’ laws in Massachusetts, San Francisco, and the UK. What a travesty this is as society will suffer as a whole from the social services these adoption agencies provided.

Tom, go back and read my post over. I don’t believe that GLBT is a disease. I was quoting the RCC in the article above. They believe it is or they wouldn’t say what they say. I’m addressing the RCC, read it again. You must not have read the whole thing.
Incidently I read some good news today. Caroline Kennedy believes that GLBT should have equality and allowed to marry. Hope she fills the slot for a senator. A person who can think is a rare thing these days.

“The problem with people who believe that homosexuality is wrong is that they then want to force their belief on the rest of us, in which case taking the choice of our behavior away from us. Please, I beg you, stop trying to legislate your morality on sane, healthy, and independent adults.’
I felt the same way when religious institutions were forced to shut down or refer foster children to same-sex couples based on ‘anti-discrimination’ laws in Massachusetts, San Francisco, and the UK. What a travesty this is as society will suffer as a whole from the social services these adoption agencies provided.”
Why Tom? There are gays looking after children in all manners these days, teachers, doctors, social service workers. If someone were a different religion than I but could provide a loving, supportive, home for children, I would not prevent them from doing so. Again, this is another case of you trying to legislate who an adult can love and what other adults they can have intimacy with. As far as children go, they feel the love of their parents the same, regardless of gender and there has never been any evidence to the contrary.
I feel sorry for the gay relatives that have to put up with your ignorance.

Never the less, Your Name, the adoption agencies aren’t ‘discriminating’ against same-sex couples, they just prefer to put them under the tutelage of traditional spousal unions. Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s uno who an adult chooses to love or what other adults they can have ‘intimacy’ with. I was never for anti-saudomy laws. The point is that same-sex couples can be granted adoption from state agencies or others who don’t have moral convictions against same-sex parenting. They don’t have to harrass or sue these particular agencies or force THEIR morality on traditional institutions. Before feeling sorry about my relatives you’d do well to keep your own ignorance in check, as I’m typically more respectful with those who disagree with me than you’ve demonstrated thus far.

Wait a minute! Is it an adoption agency or is it a religious institution.? Adoptinn agencies don’t administer sacraments now, do they?