For this morning’s coverage of New York’s same-sex marriage debate, I interviewed Sister Jennifer Votraw. (See the news page.)<\/p>\n
Sister Votraw has been a steady, thoughtful voice for the Diocese of Ogdensburg for years. She articulates well the Church’s view that gay marriage represents a violation of “natural law.”<\/p>\n
Natural law is a concept that dates back at least as far as Thomas Aquinas. <\/p>\n
It’s the notion that certain basic societal ideals — and religious doctrines — can be discerned from the structure of the natural world. <\/p>\n
Think of it as God’s fingerprint. <\/p>\n
In this case, it takes the union man and a woman to procreate; therefore it must stand to reason that “marriage” must be a sacrament limited to couples who can bear children.<\/p>\n
The problem with this argument isn’t that it’s illogical, or wrong. (Who am I to quibble with Aquinas?)<\/p>\n
The problem is that for more and more Americans, especially young people, homosexuality just feels, well, normal. (Dare I say, natural?) The topic is even kind of boring.<\/p>\n
Folks like Sister Votraw find themselves using a sacred argument to denounce a thing that a lot of people see as mundane.<\/p>\n
This is nothing new for Church leaders, who’ve struggled for years with “cafeteria Catholics” and with an American culture that has drifted toward modernism and secularism.<\/p>\n
So what do you think? The Roman Catholic Church will play a big role in New York’s political wrangling with same-sex marriage. <\/p>\n
Is that a good thing? What do you think of “natural law?” How does your faith shape your thinking about this issue? <\/p>\n
(As always, be civil and thoughtful. We’re into territory that mingles our most intimate convictions about love and God — so think twice before you hit Enter.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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