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Obviously, the only people who care what a Roman Catholic bishop has to say are from Rhode Island, since the state is still majority-Catholic. Last I checked, every other U.S. state is majority-Protestant and, therefore, the residents thereof could not care less about commentary made by a Roman Catholic bishop.
FYI, the United States is still a Protestant country.
Bert, I believe RI is considered a very gay-friendly state. Tons of people are calling for his resignation.
Why would you get mad that a Catholic is not supporting gay pride events?
Wouldn't you expect it?
I don't think it's the lack of support for gay pride events from a Catholic bishop that's upset people. It's the outward bigotry and the jarring irony in his message that got to people. You can "not support gay pride events" by simply not participating. Tweeting that Gay Pride events are "harmful to children" is so incredibly offensive and tone deaf it's not even funny. I mean really? Coming from the Catholic Church, owner of the never-ending child abuse scandal? That's rich. Allowing your kid to serve as an alter boy/girl is far more harmful than watching a parade.
What's more is that the Catholic Church has been softening its stance on LGBTQ+ issues since people are leaving the Church in droves - including many people in the LGBTQ+ community who are former Catholics and have found more welcoming church communities elsewhere. Apart from the deeper issues of bigotry and would-be-laughable-if-it-weren't-so-sad irony, blatantly targeting PRIDE on social media is an awful way to "maintain the flock."
Allowing your kid to serve as an alter boy/girl is far more harmful than watching a parade.
It is correct that Tobin's hands aren't exactly clean from how it looks to us (and I'm sure there is more blame to go around among church officials from that era who are still serving), but to make such an accusatory statement about the present day church is way out of bounds.
It is correct that Tobin's hands aren't exactly clean from how it looks to us (and I'm sure there is more blame to go around among church officials from that era who are still serving), but to make such an accusatory statement about the present day church is way out of bounds.
I stand by the statement. Even if you want to claim that the sexual abuse is "all in the past," (and given the scope of the scandal, the fact that cases are still surfacing, and the lengths the church went to to cover it all up, I'm not so ready to do that), can you really make the case that pride events are more harmful to children?
I don't think it's the lack of support for gay pride events from a Catholic bishop that's upset people. It's the outward bigotry and the jarring irony in his message that got to people. You can "not support gay pride events" by simplynot participating. Tweeting that Gay Pride events are "harmful to children" is so incredibly offensive and tone deaf it's not even funny. I mean really? Coming from the Catholic Church, owner of the never-ending child abuse scandal? That's rich. Allowing your kid to serve as an alter boy/girl is far more harmful than watching a parade.
What's more is that the Catholic Church has been softening its stance on LGBTQ+ issues since people are leaving the Church in droves - including many people in the LGBTQ+ community who are former Catholics and have found more welcoming church communities elsewhere. Apart from the deeper issues of bigotry and would-be-laughable-if-it-weren't-so-sad irony, blatantly targeting PRIDE on social media is an awful way to "maintain the flock."
You make excellent points. Tobin's lack of self-awareness is incredible. Why would he willfully invite the obvious moral comparison with the church's pedophilia scandal where thousands, perhaps millions of children were harmed?
It's important to note, some most ardent religious & political leaders, opposed to gay equality, have been discovered to have a duplicit, self-hating history. If you don't support LGBTQ equality, simply express your bigotry or disapproval by not attending Pride events.
Bert, I believe RI is considered a very gay-friendly state. Tons of people are calling for his resignation.
This is a national news story.
For the record, I am an openly gay male who grew up in Rhode Island around *REAL* Rhode Islanders.
Unfortunately, Bishop Tobin's recent tweet regarding LGBTQ Pride Month is representative of the bigotry I personally experienced during my childhood and adolescent years in Rhode Island.
Sorry, there is nothing "gay-friendly" about working-class, ethnic white, Roman Catholic people from Rhode Island (i.e., the demographic group that Bishop Tobin represents).
Remember, Roman Catholics are not free-thinking in the same respect as Protestants, since the Roman Catholic Church rejects the cardinal doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which asserts that all human beings have access to God through Christ and, thus, do not require a priestly mediator.
Therefore, in the Roman Catholic Church, only priests and other ordained clergy members are permitted to interpret Holy Scripture, which is why Roman Catholics do not typically read the Bible and/or engage in meaningful debate regarding matters of doctrine and faith.
Since free thought and self-interpretation of Holy Scripture are highly discouraged in the Roman Catholic Church, many adherents rely on the counsel of clergy members to interpret Holy Scripture, request forgiveness for sins from God through confession and penance, etc.
As a result, many Roman Catholics in Rhode Island view Bishop Tobin as the supreme regional authority on matters of doctrine and faith and will likely interpret his recent pontificate through Twitter as such.
Why do you think native-born Americans were so vehemently opposed to Roman Catholic immigration to America in the mid-nineteenth century?
I stand by the statement. Even if you want to claim that the sexual abuse is "all in the past," (and given the scope of the scandal, the fact that cases are still surfacing, and the lengths the church went to to cover it all up, I'm not so ready to do that), can you really make the case that pride events are more harmful to children?
IMO it's probably as safe a time as ever to let your kids be an alter boy, from what I know the aftermath of the scandal has resulted in precautions to satisfy the most paranoid helicopter parents out there. They are all CYA now. Boy Scouts, youth sports...same thing. When the stuff was actually going on, nobody could imagine that...now with the 24/7 news flashes and social media click bait our sense of incidents are through the roof even though in reality our children have probably less to fear than ever (from strangers anyway).
As for the pride events, IDK but some of them are pretty nasty based on photos and videos that have made their way around. Like stuff that would get you or I arrested. Definitely NOT family friendly.
For the record, I am an openly gay male who grew up in Rhode Island around *REAL* Rhode Islanders.
Unfortunately, Bishop Tobin's recent tweet regarding LGBTQ Pride Month is representative of the bigotry I personally experienced during my childhood and adolescent years in Rhode Island.
Sorry, there is nothing "gay-friendly" about working-class, ethnic white, Roman Catholic people from Rhode Island (i.e., the demographic group that Bishop Tobin represents).
Remember, Roman Catholics are not free-thinking in the same respect as Protestants, since the Roman Catholic Church rejects the cardinal doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which asserts that all human beings have access to God through Christ and, thus, do not require a priestly mediator.
Therefore, in the Roman Catholic Church, only priests and other ordained clergy members are permitted to interpret Holy Scripture, which is why Roman Catholics do not typically read the Bible and/or engage in meaningful debate regarding matters of doctrine and faith.
Since free thought and self-interpretation of Holy Scripture are highly discouraged in the Roman Catholic Church, many adherents rely on the counsel of clergy members to interpret Holy Scripture, request forgiveness for sins from God through confession and penance, etc.
As a result, many Roman Catholics in Rhode Island view Bishop Tobin as the supreme regional authority on matters of doctrine and faith and will likely interpret his recent pontificate through Twitter as such.
Why do you think native-born Americans were so vehemently opposed to Roman Catholic immigration to America in the mid-nineteenth century?
While I appreciate the accurate theology references of this post, I disagree a bit about the characterization of Rhode Island's "catholic" population. It isn't my experience. My take is that most Rhode Islanders are nominal catholics at best. Most young (under 50) and/or educated catholics ignore the church & especially its social positions. When they refer to Tobin at all, it is as a joke. What's left of catholic gay bigotry in this state is generally the province of the old & uneducated. Fundamentalist protestants, on the other hand are another matter.
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