Tuesday 15 June 2010

Thesis Proven

I remarked in a previous post about the attitude of Catholicism towards the Intersexed. And the hitherto relatively rational and humane Catholic Answers Forum - http://forums.catholic.com/

My Thesis was that the Catholic Church is now starting to actively persecute the Intersexed. The reasoning behind it appears to be as follows:
There are many, many gay priests. Most are celibate, but celibate or not, there are many who are attracted to the same sex. Now, in order not to feel unbearably guilty about that, and as they're sexually frustrated, they can't help but think about it a lot, it's important that they be given some form of excuse. That there's nothing wrong per se with same-sex attraction, it's only same-sex behaviour that's wrong.

But how to casuistically find or manufacture a reason why it's not the attraction that's wrong, just the behaviour? That it is, in the words of the magisterium, "intrinsically disordered"? Tricky, that. But it's vital to do so, lest a large proportion of the priesthood - possibly even a majority - feel tortured by feelings they can't control. They can control their actions (well, most can) but not their attractions.

What's needed is something plausible - and of course Natural Law, which you can state without proof supports whatever claim you care to make, as long as it's not completely and obviously ridiculous.

Hence the notion that there is an indivisible and immutable boundary between Male and Female, that Nature supports this, and that to violate or blur this boundary is a threat to all Creation. That this is not an out-dated Metaphysics, but something very real and relevant today. Such a blurring, so contrary to nature, is a Threat to Mankind, and the Human Ecology. And same-sex sexual behaviour (but not attraction) blurs this line, so must be anathematised. There, simple, problem solved. And it all ties in nicely with the Theology of the Body too, a dogma very popular with the more conservative elements of the Church who wish to roll back Vatican II.

Except... there are side-effects. Unintended consequences. Those people who are born with bodies neither stereotypically male not stereotypically female, regardless of sexual behaviour, also blur this line. Blur? Some of us shatter it!

So we are a threat to Creation too. A threat to all Mankind. Because of what we were born as. Constantine the Great, venerated as a saint in the Eastern Rite, put intersexed infants in caskets and threw them into the river as a kind of ecological recycling program, for this very reason.

That means our existence must be denied, or at least suppressed. We're inconvenient facts, that must be kept out of the eye of the Faithful, lest they ask unanswerable questions.

Persecuting Gays is unjust - unless for a really good reason, such as preventing the "intrinsic disorder" of same-sex marriage. But persecuting us is a different matter, that's just by definition. One could even call it a matter of self-defence.
I'd welcome any evidence from anyone in the Catholic Hierarchy - as opposed to statements unsupported by concrete proof, and contrary to the facts - that I'm wrong here.

See what happened on the Forum:
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Dear Zoe Brain,

You have received a warning at Catholic Answers Forums.

Reason:
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Contempt for Catholicism

Contempt for Catholicism
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Original Post:
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?p=6727529
From the Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Bishops' Council (KWI) has declared the controversial marriage of transgender Alterina Hofan illegal, kompas.com reported on Monday.

KWI secretary Benny Susetyo said the Catholic Church could not accept the marriage and suggested that Alterina should seek medication rather than changing her sex status.
Mr Hofman has 47XXY chromosomes, rather than the usual 46XX ones of females, and 46XY ones of males.

Most people with 47XXY chromosomes look male. Quite a few can father children. A few look female, and some of those have given birth.

Alterina has the rare Klinefelter’s syndrome which gives him an extra X chromosome, making him look more effeminate. After years of operations, he documented himself as a man and even married Jane Hadipoespito.

Benny said the health problem could not justify the change in sex status. “Her DNA and genetics prove she is female, therefore she can be medically cured,” the priest said.
Warnings serve as a reminder to you of the forum's rules, which you are expected to understand and follow.

All the best,
Catholic Answers Forums
--------------------------
That's all. Those words were deemed "contempt of Catholicism". Probably because the moderator, Eric Hilbert, is as biologically clueless as the Indonesian Bishops. Then, there was this:
Your account has been locked for the following reason:
Contempt for Catholicism, refuses moderator direction.
I wonder what "direction" was supposed to have been given though? Never mind.

While suspended - and thus unable to do anything against the site's rules, I finally got this little message.
Your account has been locked for the following reason:
No reason was specified.

This change will be lifted: Never
"Banned" is also now the status of every Intersexed person on the forum, and all those who posted scientific data in support, as expected if I were correct.

Thesis proven, I'd say. In which case, I have no cause for complaint, do I?

They'll get it right in the end, as they did with heliocentricism. They usually do. It might take a while though, and they do tend to end up with egg on their faces.

6 comments:

CatherineCC said...

Ok, so they'll get it right at some period in the future.

In the meanwhile - this likely means "for at least the next 2 or 3 decades, if not longer" - they'll cause immeasurable harm to many people.

The RCC has made it clear that they are not willing to actually engage in real debate on issues unless there is significant pressure to change. And "science directly challenging your dogma" doesn't qualify.

Zoe Brain said...

I was thinking more in terms of 1-2 centuries.

Anonymous said...

I've long suspect my birth started a rift in time and space similar to the one in Cardiff as per Torchwood. Nice to have the CC confirm it as they already consider me beyond dangerous due to having revived the Cybeline Religion they so ruthlessly attempted to completely erase from history for, as it turns out from our ongoing research a full 1200 years! We almost made it to the Enlightenment, missed it by a mere 20 years so it must have terrified them to see us again.

Lloyd Flack said...

I think the hardening attitudes of the Catholic Church comes from a couple of different sources.

One of the is reaction against the gains of homosexuals. They cannot use the law any longer as a means of expressing their disapproval of homosexuality. More of it is fear caused by the movement towards the recognition of homosexual marriage. (I refuse to use gay. It deprives the rest of us of the use of its original meaning.) The inter-sexed are harmed as a result of confusing them with homosexuals. This also applies to other churches.

But there is another thing that makes the Catholic Church uncomfortable about inter-sexed people. They are a threat to the Church's Epistemology. The Church likes to arrive at clear cut answers. They want certainty on moral issues. This is much easier if people are divided into categories. It fits their style of argument better. So they try to force the inter-sexed into categories whether their is a good fit or not. You could see it in their answers on Catholic Answers. They will not accept that not all people can be fitted into their categories.

And finally, their is the Catholic tendency to to make a virtue of suffering. They don't see the callousness of this.

Anonymous said...

"Contempt for Catholicism"

Well to be fair that is an accurate appraisal of your thesis. Whether or not you should be banned for posting is an issue of forum rules, moderators etc. (just as you have the power to block any comments to your blog).

Since no 'concrete proof' was offered by either party to substantite or rebutt your thesis, I don't think anything has been proven (or disproven). In summary: nothing happened which is indeed a shame.

CatherineCC said...

1-2 centuries? Maybe.
Sometimes I'm a bit too idealistic. I think to myself that they can't operate completely outside of the bounds of reality and that common sense will take over.

Stuff like this http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10061702.html
tends to correct that.