“By promoting … the Church teaching on
homosexuality, you become, in my opinion, an active agent of a vindictive
maintenance of a great social evil that is surely pro “culture-of-death”, since
it is seemingly linked to the high suicide rate among gay teens.”[1]
These words were
written by Dr. Couling, who is a regular commentator on the articles on website
of The Southern Cross, South Africa’s weekly Catholic newspaper. Dr. Couling opposes many of the Church’s teachings. I won’t bother listing them; it’s the usual
list! Dr. Couling’s pet project is to actively
promote gay marriage and get the Church to reverse the Church teaching on
homosexuality.
So getting back
to these words of Dr. Couling: Are you
as surprised by these words as I am?
Does Dr. Couling honestly believe that because I believe the Church’s
teaching on homosexuality and support it, that I am contributing to gay teen
suicide. Is he serious when he claims
that because I do, what all good Catholics must do, which is to promote Church
teaching, including the teaching on the subject of homosexuality, that I am a
contributor to the high suicide rates among gay teens.
The next natural
inference from this bizarre statement is that because it is the Church’s
teaching that I am promoting, it is actually the Church that is contributing to
the high suicide rate amongst gay teens.
All Catholics who support the Church’s teaching in this regard are
therefore Agents of this great social evil.
I decided to ask
Dr. Couling directly if this was what he was inferring. His reply to me was categorical: “Yes, Mark, in this instance it appears to be
precisely what the official Church might be doing, albeit unwittingly!”[2] Huh?
Dr. Couling is
not a stupid man. This is obvious when
one considers that he is one of the academic staff at the University of
Kwazulu-Natal and takes note of some of his research projects, such as the “Measurement of molecular polarisabilities and hyperpolarisabilities via the electro-optic Kerreffect, Rayleigh light-scattering and the Cotton Mouton effect”, amongst
others. This sounds very
impressive.
I am also
informed by a few sources, though I have personally been unable to verify it,
that Dr. Couling is also a Catechism teacher at one of the Catholic parishes in
Pietermaritzburg.
So what is the
lesson here?
It does not
matter how many qualifications a man or woman may have, neither does it matter
what position he or she holds, even if it is the position of a priest,
religious or theologian; if what they say contradicts or challenges the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, even slightly, they’re just plain wrong. Ignore them completely and, whatever you do,
make sure they aren’t your child’s Catechism teacher! If they are the Catechism teacher, write to the bishop immediately. Untold harm is being done to young Catholic minds!
[1] Vincent Couling, The
Southern Cross, extracted Oct 1, 2012: http://www.scross.co.za/2012/09/billings-has-had-100-success/comment-page-1/#comment-154416
[2] Vincent Couling, The
Southern Cross, extracted Oct 1, 2012: http://www.scross.co.za/2012/09/billings-has-had-100-success/comment-page-1/#comment-154427
Typical modernist. Some people just do not believe in right and wrong. Some people do not believe hell is real. Like Padre Pio said, "You will find out when you get there."
ReplyDeleteI hope you are wrong about this man being a Catechism teacher. I can't bear to think about the harm that's been done if he is.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, the Southern Cross, is to me an essential source of information to the Catholic Community in Southern Africa.
ReplyDeleteIt should be doing the work as an apostle, in explaining Church teaching in our modern world, yet as you quite rightly pointed out and eluded to in the past, there is something not quite right with this particular news outlet.
As you know I have asked publicly for the Editor to resign as I personally have no confidence in him.
Well that request was not off the cuff.
If any Bishop would like to know why there is no confidence in the Editor I will gladly reveal the reason why.
Just recently I have been one of many who have been blocked by the SC.
In a way there is great joy in that, admittedly my post are on the direct side.
Here is the recent post that has been blocked.
http://www.scross.co.za/2012/10/patriarchy/#comments
1Cor 12:2. You know that when you were heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led.
Just to get back to the topic, Sister Sue with her gross generalization and all, with her slavery and priestess thing that was common at the time, well we can include homosexuality, amongst other in that heathen world.
Christianity pierced that darkness, not Quakers as the delusional might think.
Anyway this last verse is interesting, "you went to dumb idols, according as you were led."
You can be lead in three ways, by your own spirit, by an evil Spirit, or by the Holy Spirit.
Now if you are in opposition, to the Gospel that would leave out the Holy Spirit.
If you are still lead to heathen dumb idols, a sort of retrogression to the past, that would also leave out the Holy Spirit.
That, leaves two spirits that are in opposition to the Gospel, which as can be seen is a progression, in a dark culture, that still is here, some would have us return to.
There is nothing new that these people are asking for, its old hat, the two spirits still ply their trade of darkness.
Why would the editor block your comment? It's not an offensive post and makes a valid point. I have heared the editor is an authoritarian that censors comments of certain individuals while allowing others, like Mr. Couling, to say offensive things about the Church without even a call to retract.
DeleteBefore I get to the reasons why, the editor has blocked my post and those others, let me state clearly the importance of a Catholic press in any country..
ReplyDeleteIf we are to examine, policies, events, injustices, as to morality, we need to do so, in the light of Church teaching, in order to formulate a truly Catholic opinion. This is a natural way of finding our moral compass.
The obvious way for us Catholics to do this, has been through a Catholic press, although in with new technology, blogs such Marks, will probably be the norm.
That is a progression, as to counter evil at various stages the Church has made use of various apostolate. The Catholic press one would hope should rank first.
Let’s look at our situation, if there were a need, for our leaders to speak up on social, moral issues, or policies that affect us all, the Catholic press would be the most effective way of doing this.
Catholics do expect much from the press, after all we purchase it, and so it can do its missionary work.
What we do not expect is a former CEO of Southern Cross, to troll, the web, lift material from known anti-Catholic websites, print an article as his own, then sell it to unsuspecting, Catholics in our parishes.
We do not expect our Church leaders to be unjustly attacked, by Sister Sue Rakoczy
http://www.scross.co.za/author/sue-rakoczy/
We do not expect Church Teaching to be attacked.
We do not expect the Fathers of our Church to be maligned.
We do not expect false innuendos about pope Pius Xll to be printed or the editor to reinforce those innuendo's.
We do not expect our Catholic press to be used as a platform for dissidents, to ply their trade of confusion.
There is good reason why the Southern Cross is seen with suspicion by many, some refuse to buy it, some priest would refuse to sell it.
Much is expected of the editor, just as much was expected from Pope Benedict’s butler.
Just as that situation was an intolerable situation and could not be allowed to continue. So is the one with The Southern Cross.
Now to the question why are our post blocked, well the editor knows the question to that, no doubt he has formulated his strategy, just as pope Benedict's butler did his. How else, could he have escaped detection?
Have to retract that my post have been blocked the Southern Cross.
ReplyDeleteThere are two email options on my computer, one does not register with the SC, the other does.
It is painful to make an apology to Gunther, it is a sincere one.
However there is no apology for anything else, other than that.