Best catholic books according to Reddit
Reddit mentions of Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith
Sentiment score: 12
Reddit mentions: 17
We found 17 Reddit mentions of Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith. Here are the top ones.
- This model kit assembles into an articulated colored figure
- Easy to snap together and molded in separate colors so no glue required or paint required
- Runner x11, foil sticker x1, dry decal x1, instruction manual
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| Number of items | 1 |
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#9 of 1,434
You may find this book helpful: Eve Tushnet's Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith
I think he surrounding himself with all these homophobic information sources is just going to make it worse. Have you tried giving him a good book on being gay (or other information sources)?
I don't really have any to recommend unfortunately but you can probably find some good recommendations on one of the LGBT subs on reddit.
I think it would be good for him to have to other side properly explained to him.
EDIT: I've been trying to look up some good books. This one (God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines) seems pretty good so far. Building a Bridge by James Martin, Gay and Catholic by Eve Tushnet and Sexual Authenticity by Melinda Selmys also seem to be highly recommended pro-gay books on the catholic books part of amazon.
The sub r/GayChristians may also help
Like this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GayChristians/comments/8sp5lu/im_a_christian_boy_in_high_school_and_im_gay/
Oh boy...
Interestingly, the professor's daughter is a celibate lesbian Catholic. Eve Tushnet, author of Gay and Catholic
If you're looking for any reading on this question, I might recommend:
Side A: Changing Our Mind (David Gushee)
Side B: Gay And Catholic (Eve Tushnet), or Washed and Waiting (Wesley Hill).
Side X: I dont' really have anything for this. This is a super minority position.
I pray for the best in your questioning. The vast majority of Christians do not believe you are committing an offence by having gay preferences, so the vast majority would have no reason to reject you for that.
Assuming you don’t want your son to leave the Church you might want to start looking for LGBT Catholic resources.
USCCB has resources here. Including Courage , a Roman Catholic Apostolate and EnCourage I support program for families.
There are also books.
Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity
Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith
Why I Don't Call Myself Gay How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace
I don't think I'll be able to get my hands on it for a while, but I'll be sure to read that as soon as possible.
Just in case you would also like to do some research, this book is very popular in gay Catholic circles: https://www.amazon.ca/Gay-Catholic-Accepting-Sexuality-Community/dp/1594715424
Not directly answering your questions, but could suggest you have a look at "Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith" by Eve Tushnet.
Rather obviously from the title this is written from a Catholic standpoint, but I believe it examines some of the issues that you raise in your post and perhaps answers some of your question - and in doing so does not conflict with Church Teaching.
(In saying this I am not necessarily endorsing what Eve writes, but I think it is something that might be worth you thinking about as I think she specifically addresses your questions):
From the blurb:
"In this first book from an openly lesbian and celibate Catholic, widely published writer and blogger Eve Tushnet recounts her spiritual and intellectual journey from liberal atheism to faithful Catholicism and shows how gay Catholics can love and be loved while adhering to Church teaching.
Eve Tushnet was among the unlikeliest of converts. The only child of two atheist academics, Tushnet was a typical Yale undergraduate until the day she went out to poke fun at a gathering of philosophical debaters, who happened also to be Catholic. Instead of enjoying mocking what she termed the "zoo animals," she found herself engaged in intellectual conversation with them and, in a move that surprised even her, she soon converted to Catholicism. Already self-identifying as a lesbian, Tushnet searched for a third way in the seeming two-option system available to gay Catholics: reject Church teaching on homosexuality or reject the truth of your sexuality. Gay and Catholic is the fruit of Tushnet's searching: what she learned in studying Christian history and theology and her articulation of how gay Catholics can pour their love and need for connection into friendships, community, service, and artistic creation."
Apparently this woman has a book coming out next month:
Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith (Amazon link)
Hi. *big, tight virtual hug* . I'm bi. This was an important point for me too, it is totally very hard to go into something that requires you to give you such a powerful part of yourself. I imagine it is harder for you because you're gay so you don't really have another option. All I can do at this point is tell you my story as it relates to homosexuality and how I came into the Church despite being attracted to girls. I wish I could focus the spotlight more on you, but only you can do that since a back-and-forth convo is hard and time consuming on Reddit.
When I converted the only time I had been in love was with a girl. And I kind of wanted that again. Even writing about this makes me feel strange. I yelled at God (literally) for some hours about it, then I wrote what I was thinking down. It was more than the homosexuality but that was a part of it. At the end of it, somehow, I don't know how, I can't tell you how, I just accepted that if I'll do 'this' I'll have to give up things, many things. I don't know how I came to terms with it, how I found peace in that. I'm not saying the same thing will/should happen to you. I can tell you it defo happens. It may sound a bit authoritarian but it was like 'Either I'm gonna accept the claims of Jesus and the authority of His Church or not. I'm either in this 100% or I'm in this 0%.' and somehow '100%' seemed like the better option.
One thing that helped was that I did not feel condemned. This is an Eastern European country I'm talking about. People outside of church that I know often say things like 'Yeah I'm ok with gay people. I don't like the hate they get from the Church (they mean Orthodox in this case but you get the idea)' but from experience, when you come out to them, they treat you different and they do treat you worse. I believe they are well intentioned but to them it's a bit like being vegan, they're fine as long as you don't rub it in their face, and rubbing it in their face includes telling them about it. When I tell people I know from church it's a bit like 'Meh, so what? It's like you told me you are attracted to another man that isn't your husband. No biggie.'
Then I saw a person who was.... well... amazing. And she was gay. And she was... she was something by any standard. Believer or not. I mean I obvs knew other people who are gay and good people but she was something that is rare, in the general population, not just in those who are gay or straight or whatever. A saint you might say. That's how she seemed at least. To be honest I don't know much about her, maybe it was my attraction to her, I'm not trying to idealise this girl to create a story. The point is that she got me thinking about how different she is to how I was back when I was a 'practising' bisexual so to say.
And I felt like crying. What could I possibly tell this girl? How could I possibly help her? I firmly and vehemently know what sort of joy Jesus brings and how He guides people. This girl, if she were Catholic, would get canonised, it seemed to me at least. I believe that hierarchy in Heaven goes like this.
So I randomly wrote stuff down, something I do when I have intense emotions, and then I translated it. It isn't art, but it is how I respond to 'that sentiment' as you put it:
i had to translate this because i knew
That someday it might come in useful.
This is not poetry, just some poor musings
On a page. i have been, i am You, i hope
You understand what i’m implying. i know
What i’m asking is hard because on some level
i have felt what You are feeling. Sometimes
i still do. But there’s a difference, i assumed
You were the same, trapped in the same
Dark prison but clearly Your heart is not
Black like mine. Such is my nature, i have
Been born this way, such that tears run
Through my veins, my ventricles are made
Out of arrogance, selfishness, anger and hate
My lungs breathe lies. But You, You are not
The same. Though You don’t know it
Or might not admit it You have acceptedThe gifts of the Good Spirit much more
Than i. Oh jewel of creation, i honestly
See the beauty shine. Beautiful big heart
Please, grant my request, love Your
Strange pairing more. Love more! Yes
More! Because man has been made to love
Like you love and more! Yet know that
In loving more you will love differently.
You won’t get or see this yet
But bear a minute. Can’t You hear
A melody in the background? Is it
Not the most glorious symphony?
It is the song of Your soul. It was written
On You, not on society’s tablets.
And tell me sometimes though
When you listen can’t You
Hear the silence?
The song of Your conscience says
‘This is not love, it’s a parody of it.’
i have been You. i have heard it
At that spot too. i am sure it is harder
For You than it was for i. Yet, this music
Is Yours and You deserve to go
To the Wedding so much more than i.
Why did You rip the invitation in half?
Please ask the Groom for another one.
My Darling, my Love, i wish i knew You
So that i could give You whatever You
Would need, the comaradery , the joy
The consolation, the help, the dear
Friendship.
My Beloved, tell me, how can i talk
With this Person when i don’t know
A thing? i know nothing, sometimes it
Scares me. Oh the pain each one
Is feeling! i don’t know, i am clueless
What i know is dust and nought at all
But wait, i do know something
Oh veritas gaudium!
Oh lumen fidei!
​
Lala, overly idealistic and chessy but the idea is that yeah... it is freakin hard! I still don't know what to say**. 'I'm sorry. It sounds like having a family is deeply important to you, which is understandable. This is not an easy thing and you are admirable for contemplating doing it.'** It is the truth, I mean it, but what does it do? :(
​
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gay-Catholic-Accepting-Sexuality-Community/dp/1594715424 (a recommendation, but books don't really solve things)
​
Regardless of what you do or choose, lots of honest love from me and, as cliche as it may sound, from Jesus and His Bride (to death, and beyond, quite literally)
Hi! I'm a gay Catholic, and there is certainly room for you in the church! I think everyone else here has done a pretty thorough job of repeating the Church's teachings on same-sex attractions, so I won't bother getting in to them, but I will say that it is totally possible to live faithfully and happily as a Catholic while being LGBTQ+. (Also note that using those terms tends to incite some heated discussion simply over terminology for some reason, which I don't feel like getting in to right now.)
If you want some reading on the intersections of (Catholic) faith and sexuality, I highly recommend looking at:
Also, feel free to pm me or respond here any time if you have more questions or want to talk about it.
Good luck on your journey in faith, and I'll keep you in my prayers!
Eve Tushnet's Gay and Catholic is excellent! She also has a blog and great social media presence.
I found this article very hard to read. Not the subject matter, but just the style of writing. It jumps all over the place and kept confusing me.
The Amazon reviews are much more helpful.
What would Eve Tushnet say?
I suppose I should reply to you directly since I've referred to you several times in lower comments.
What you are suggesting is true; there are many examples of gay children driven to drugs or suicide on account of how their christian or catholic parents treated them. I apologize that some parents showed their kids rules before they showed them love. It appears that God made every difference - whether it be skin color, ability/disability, language/culture, etc., in order to give us challenges or obstacles to love. It is said that if you take one step to Jesus, He'll take 5 steps to you. Many gay catholics have come to know the peace of God and ways to live harmoniously with Him. If you google "gay and catholic", you'll find stories like this one. My point is that stories like those prove that it's possible to keep someone reminded of how they are loved while issues they may have are dealt with one step and day at a time. I don't know if your comment was about your own sexuality or someone else's. I do know that you would be welcome in my group if I was traveling like these happy seminarians. Your criticism is justified. You're talking to a catholic who wants to do better.
Here is the mobile version of your link
Yes! A GayCatholic, Eve Tushnet, even wrote a book about it.
http://www.amazon.com/Gay-Catholic-Accepting-Sexuality-Community/dp/1594715424
He's not wrong. The first week or two is the hardest part by far.
Urges never entirely disappear -- they are a part of being human, and indeed a healthy one in many ways! -- and, when they do arise, they can always be a challenge to fend off... but they become less frequent and (for the most part) less intense as you practice.
So keep practicing! Be patient! Can take years! Grace comes in time!
>How could I ask for God's forgiveness through confession if I'm unsure of my own chances of not sinning again, and further, would I have even been forgiven in the first place if I sin again?
Good God, man!
>Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy times seven times."
("Seventy times seven" is Bible-speak for "infinity times."
Confession is one of the great gifts Christ gave the Church. The whole point is that it gives us a chance to have our sins forgiven -- permanently, irrevocably -- despite our inability as human beings to ever be fully contrite for our sins, plus our notorious habit of committing the same sins over and over again. That ability to confess our sins even when our confessions aren't perfect is one of the best parts of being Catholic. Avail yourself of it, and never ever worry that your sins have not been forgiven! Unless you deliberately lie in the confessional, absolution is complete and covers all your sins (even forgotten ones) the moment the priest finishes saying the words.
tldr: GO TO CONFESSION!
>I'm pretty much plagued with homosexuality
You mention at the start that you are homosexual and trying to figure that out at the same time. That can be tricky! My sister is gay and Catholic (and living the Church's teaching of chastity), and figuring out what that means for her life and vocation has been very tough on her. Plus, for some reason, the gay Catholics I know tend to beat themselves up over sins a lot more. I don't know why that happens, but it seems you're no exception. But know that the Lord has prepared a place for every one in His house, gays included, so have some peace in that. Christ loves you and looks forward to spending eternal life with you.
And then maybe go buy yourself a copy of the wonderful book by celibate gay Catholic Eve Tushnet, aptly titled, Gay and Catholic.