I love Leah Libresco…

Last updated on: December 30, 2014 at 2:48 am by Mark Shea

I love Leah Libresco… 2014-12-30T02:48:35-07:00 Mark Shea

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

…even when she’s wrong. Here she is, being wrong about civil unions.

Why do I think she’s wrong? Well, when the Pope’s agin it, the bishops are agin it, and the logic of what the word “marriage” means is agin, I’m agin it. For me, the insuperable question is “What is marriage?” and the answer given by advocates of gay “marriage” eventually boils down to “Marriage is whatever we say it is.” Draining the word “marriage” of all meaning seems to me to empty gay “marriage” of all meaning too. What it comes down to is not mutual self-donating love resulting in union and fruitfulness (which is what “marriage” means) but “Everybody has to affirm our relationship”. It stops being about giving and starts being about a narcissistic demand for affirmation. And very soon (beginning with things like military chaplaincies and soon rippling out to the rest of the culture) it’s going to be about legal punishments for failing to join this charade. It’s well-meaning, as such things usually are. But it’s going to be a classic “What could it hurt?/How was I supposed to know?” two step.

“So I bet you feel like a real fool thinking Leah Libresco is a Real Catholic now, doncha Shea?”

Well, actually, I’ve known that Leah thought this since forever, just as I’ve known that Leah did not magically get rid of her bisexual orientation when she came to faith in Christ. Indeed, we spoke about it at the time and I warned her that the Combox Inquisitors would be out in force looking for blood and asking “What? How come you are still bisexual and have problems with some of the Church’s teaching after you’ve been baptized? CINO! Fifth columnist? Infiltrator! Subversive! Celebrity convertses! We hates it forever!”

Here’s the thing: baptism is grace, not magic. Things that trouble us about the Church’s teaching before baptism can still trouble us about the Church’s teaching after baptism. For me, it was the Mary stuff, which took me a long time to sort out. For Leah, it’s some of the Church’sexual ethos (as it is for a gazillion other people). The way to approach such things is, as far as I can see, to hash it out, think it through and work through one’s difficulties, not to accuse somebody of bad faith when it’s really pretty obvious they are somebody of good faith who are trying to think with the Church but having trouble doing it.

I think Terry Nelson over at Abbey Roads has the best approach to this

She’s not making laws or changing Church teaching.

She personally thinks civil unions are okay. Did she say marriage? Civil marriage maybe, but she differentiates from sacramental marriage. That’s kind of big for a new Catholic. There are bishops and priests who think the same way. People make mistakes.

I’m against it. The Church is against it. The Pope is against it. When head of the CDF, the Pope wrote against it.
Leah Libresco has a personal opinion on a popular social issue, a POV, contrary to what the CDF teaches. So?

***

So anyway, a former atheist chick naively states she thinks secular civil unions might work for gay couples. She’s 23 years old. So what? She’s not formulating Catholic teaching. She’s not even teaching.

The young lady is a new convert/new Catholic… sort of unequally yoked. Though they were wrong to make a celebrity out of her, a little celebrity goes a long way…

Wait and see where it ends up.

Leah is a good person, trying to think with the Church on a matter she finds difficult, all while on a unicycle on a high wire, with people shouting at her and calling her both a fool for ever becoming Catholic in the first place and a traitor for not buying it all instantly. I’m with Terry. She’s a new convert thinking things through. Instead of reading her out of the Church for expressing an opinion she may yet change, perhaps a little kindness might be a good thing? Prayer and reasoned argument, rather than bulls of excommunication seem to be a sensible approach. Particularly since since state involvement in marriage at all is a fairly recent development and the relationship of civil marriage to sacramental marriage is fraught with complexities. Such figures as Tom Woods and George Weigel have argued that the Church should disassociate itself from civil unions altogether. That’s not too far from Leah’s position. So it seems reasonable to me that somebody as bright as Leah should want to puzzle the matter out. I think her wrong (so far). But I think her obviously honorable too.

Uncategorized

Doings on Other Blogs

Marriage and Family

Previous Post

January 29, 2013

Prayer Request

Next Post

January 29, 2013 Fortress Catholicism vs. the New Evangelization

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 September 2006 June 2006 July 2005 April 2005 May 2002 April 2002 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz