Fighting on the Enemy's Terms

Kudos to Caroline Farrow for entering the bear pit on BBC World Service. Catholic Voices faces an unenviable task in communicating the Church's position on same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom and in taking on the ire of the gay community and its huge political as well as financial muscle. No wonder you'll never see a Bishop on telly defending Catholic teaching in this area.

You will see, in Caroline's epic joust with a gentleman on the BBC on the issue of homophobia how those now in the ascendency can justly feel that victory is close, or even already theirs in the public debate on 'same-sex marriage'. I hope Caroline, since this is not a criticism of her, will not feel offended if I make a couple of suggestions for the Catholic Voices team.

Why we are losing the battle...

Firstly, we have a huge problem here that is based in the political gay lobby's previous victories in terms of public discourse. They are winning? Why, when truth is not on their side? The issue at stake here is 'same sex marriage', right? Or is it? Is the issue 'homophobia' or 'homophobia' and opposition to 'same-sex marriage' and the link between the two? Is it not obvious that the political gay lobby has opponents of SSM by the short and curlies now because opposition to it can be painted as 'homophobia'?

SSM arguments are based solely in emotive propaganda

In the heat of the battle it is all too easy to forget where we are and why we are losing. We are now discussing 'same-sex marriage' on the terms of the political gay community - that is - their turf, their language and built upon solid victories the lobby has already won in the public imagination, which means we have to apologise for the Church's stated position on homosexuality. This means that for 'media purposes' we have to propose a presentation of the Church's position on homosexuality which is inoffensive, when, in actual fact, it is deeply offensive to those who see nothing wrong with homosexuality either as a condition in the first instance that afflicts individuals or as a practice these individuals engage in.

How can this be, when the truth is not on their side? Because they have, through previous victories, convinced people, though certainly not all, that truth is on their side. What is their 'truth' so powerful that Catholics now fear causing offense to this community and to their powerful friends in high places? Their truth is founded upon a lie, repeated over and over and over again that becomes so emotive and powerful that opposition to it melts or crumbles. What is this lie? The lie is that such a thing as 'homophobia' should be the grounds upon which men and women lose the right to freedom of thought and speech.

Homophobia and Thoughtcrime

We are playing on the enemy's terms already conceding that they have won because Thoughtcrime and Speechcrime are now hallmarks of the 'liberal' society! The political gay lobby do not respect even intelligent and forthright Catholic speakers and apologists because we accept that 'homophobia' is intolerable. No previous society has accepted this 'fear of homosexuality' to be a crime or something to be punished. The opposite is in fact the case, because previously in British society, the practice of homosexuality was thought to be dangerous to that society. People still wonder whether the toleration of homosexuality is dangerous? Well, how wise they were, our forebears, since it is the acceptance of the criminalisation of the perfectly natural and ordinary thought of British men and women that has led directly to the year 2014 when marriage is to be redefined.

If Catholic Voices wants to effectively build a 'culture of encounter' or a 'dialogue' with the modern British man and woman, it has somehow to play on the Catholic Church's terms, not that of the World, otherwise there will be nothing for the World to clash with. If the truth is not released, there is no real battle. Of course, speaking the truth will make you hated, pilloried, or even arrested for speech or thoughtcrime, but if it is not released then there will be nothing for the World to clash against.

The Facts

Fact 1: There is no undeniable evidence that, outside of the metropolitan regions of the UK, everyone is 'okay' with homosexuality. What are we saying to these people who hold perfectly reasonable and natural prejudices against those who engage in homosexuality or who disagree with homosexuality in general? We are saying, 'you are wrong', when actually, even if they often lack charity towards homosexuals, they are right.

Fact 2: The Church's teaching states, categorically, that no unjust discrimination is to be shown to the homosexual, so we have nothing to apologise for, with regard to our moral position. We are not calling for homosexuals to be rounded up and shot and can never condone any violence or even unjust discrimination against homosexuals. We are calling active homosexuals to repentance.

Fact 3: The Church's teaching states, categorically, that homosexuality is an instrinsic moral disorder. Oh and we are so embarrassed about it. Why? Because we are afraid of offending people? Because the World will laugh at us? Because we are not sure we believe it? Every previous society but ours has seen it as being such, yet we accept that homosexuality is 'normal' and 'natural'? No. I'm sorry, but that is not the Church's position on paper. The Church's position on paper is that it is not normal and it is not natural. That might be deeply offensive, but you have to let the truth fly otherwise nobody - not even the nicest atheist will respect you because you refuse to hold onto your moral principles which fly in the face of the World's reasoning.

Fact 4: The homosexuals involved in the political gay lobby are only in a position of power and ascendency because they have won every public debate on the lie that 'homophobia' (a) objectively exists (it was a term created in the 1960s by psychologists who only years before deemed homosexuality to be a mental 'illness') and b) is evil. It would certainly be evil to discriminate against a homosexual person simply on the grounds of his condition for the vast majority of forms of employment. However, it is not 'evil' to assert that homosexuality and especially the practice of homosexuality endangers every society that tolerates it - and that is exactly why we are where we are now, in the year 2014, with advocates of 'same-sex marriage'.

Facing rejection and facing it without 'phobia'

I have no doubt that for speaking the truth unapologetically Catholic Voices and any Bishop, Cardinal, or Archbishop-Cardinal Elect would be roundly:

a) Laughed at
b) Jeered at
c) 'Crucified' by the media
d) Possibly arrested
e) Possibly fined
f) Dropped by all media companies
g) Be the cause of many complaints
h) Ridiculed
i) Despised

The list goes on and on. Well, so those who follow Jesus Christ should expect, since He promised those who followed Him and who spoke the Truth out of charity and in charity, would face exactly this. We now live under the assumption that we have to be incredibly careful what we say otherwise we could cause deep offense to people. Meanwhile, our enemies do not respect us since we are not a true rival and those who might be our friends never get to hear the full truth which may, if it were released, win their agreement because frankly, with the gay lobby, things have gone "far too far" and "enough is enough".

Simply by shielding people from the truth, we deprive the most vicious old queen from despising us and wanting to kill us and deprive those whose natural inclinations and natural beliefs are in agreement with ours, the opportunity to draw closer to the only institution on Earth that agrees with them on paper, for there exists outside of the metropolitan areas of the UK, vast swathes of British people who are indeed our natural 'constituency' and who, if you talk to them, 'don't really agree with that type of thing'.

Why remain silent when the silent majority is really on your side? Do we really think G.K Chesterton, or George Orwell indeed, would accept the charge of 'homophobia' if he vigorously disagreed with homosexuality, let alone the absurdity of 'gay marriage'? The gay lobby are winning because nobody dares to contradict their propaganda based not on logic, or reason but powerful emotive propaganda. The day someone does so convincingly will be the day they may not 'lose', but the day in which you challenge the entire ground upon which rests their shaky argument and British people respect you because you are sincere in telling the truth - a truth that many secretly agree with because they believe, at least in this respect, in the natural law.