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from Theological Issues
Notre Dame University Magazine
Showcases Gay Activist Causes
July 22, 2004 - The Summer, 2004, issue of Notre Dame magazine makes a
case for gay-activist causes at the longtime Catholic university campus.
With the exception of one article that describes classic Catholic theology on
the issue of homosexuality, the remaining articles in the magazine are written
by former gay alumni of Notre Dame; by the father of a gay man; and by an
activist nun who operates the Notre Dame Standing Committee for Gay and Lesbian
Student Needs.
In an introductory letter from the editors, they observe: "While this package
may not offer the definitive answer on the subject, it does provide some serious
challenges for all of us, some provocative accounts from people brave enough to
speak their minds. We believe it is the kind of treatment readers would expect
from a faith-filled and intellectually vigorous Catholic university."
The first feature in the magazine is titled, "God gave me a gay son: A father's
essay," by Tom Nelson. It describes the journey of a Notre Dame graduate who
loses his certitude about religion and morality when he learns that his son is
gay.
"Homosexuality is Inborn, Normal, and God-Given"
Nelson does research on homosexuality at a Detroit library and learns that
"...some 5 to 10 percent of the population is estimated to be homosexual.
Homosexuality is probably not the result of environmental conditions but more
likely genetic in origin. It is the general professional consensus that it
cannot be changed and that attempts to do so can be distinctly harmful. ...
homosexuality is a normal variant of the human condition and certainly not some
disorder that requires treatment."
He concludes by noting: "Yes, God gave me a gay son--a fact I celebrate today--a
son who has had a most profound effect in my life."
In "Notre Dame's point person," Sister Mary Louis Guide, CSC, describes her role
as chairman of the university's Standing Committee for Gay and Student Needs.
She observes that "so many Catholics don't get it, don't make the distinction
between homosexuality and sex. Many good Catholics think homosexuality is
co-terminus with sexual relations--that being gay is only about sex and that gays
think about sex all the time. But it's only part of who they are."
The Notre Dame magazine is available online.
Updated: 3 September 2008
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