Over at Burnt Orange Report there is a link to a story about Catholics that have come out against Proposition Two. The article outlines some personal viewpoints in response to the position that Catholic Bishops of Texas have taken on Proposition 2. It's definately worth a read, as it highlights that not all Catholics agree with the position the church in Texas has taken on this.
In reading the statement, it is sad to see that once again the bishops focus on the part (a) of the amendment, while failing to address part (b) of the amendment. If the bishops truly believed the “Church’s teaching about the human dignity of every human person, including homosexuals, is also clear and strong. Homosexual persons are to be treated with respect and compassion”, then they should have included a statement about how part (b) makes this part of their community second-class citizens.
This amendment is not about marriage … it never has been. As has been said many times, if the Texas legislators wanted to save marriage, they would have made marriage more difficult to get out of. Texas has a no-fault divorce law. Representative Chisum – the author of HJR 6 – even stated today on NPR (I'll put the link later) that if he could, he would “do away” with no-fault divorce. So, why didn't he? He mentions this after acknowledging that he knew that his marriage would not be affected if same-gender marriage was permitted. So if Chisum knows that his marriage is safe, and he didn't do anything to make marriage stronger – what is this amendment all about? Simply put, bigotry.
A while back someone posted lengthy post about what it means to be a bigot, with a reference to Dr. James Dobson, leader of Focus on the Family. I will have to find it, as it was a very well written piece that clearly identified Dobson as a bigot. The basis of that post was reviewing the actual definition of what a bigot is, and then comparing that definition with Dobson. It was just great! And it applies to people like Chisum, and now the Catholic Bishops of Texas.
So getting back to the Catholic Bishops of Texas. They have come out in favor of the proposition, joining with other organizations like the Klu Klux Klan, and bigots like Warren Chisum. Frankly speaking, if the bishops believed their own statement, they wouldn't be taking the position they have.
As I said, it's a sad day, but not an unexpected one.