A Crisis: Catholic Latinos: Liberal on Gay Marriage

A Crisis: Catholic Latinos: Liberal on Gay Marriage
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Tuesday, August 3, 2010

This is a very important article written by Joseph M. Palacios. He is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the Center for Latin America Studies at Georgetown University. Dated 8/2/2010 http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/07/us_catholic_latinos_liberal

“The Public Research Institute’s July 21, 2010, report on “Religion and Same-Sex Marriage in California” found that Latino Catholics stand in sharp contrast to many sectors of American public, especially Latino Protestants, … Regarding Latino Catholics the report, based on June 2010 polling of 3,351 California adults with oversamples for Latinos, highlights these two social dynamics.

“57% of Latino Catholics would vote for the legalization of same-sex marriage compare to 22% of Latino Protestants. Latino Catholics “say they trust the parents of gay and lesbian children more than their own clergy, as a source of information about homosexuality.”…

“According to the Pew Forum an estimated 31% of California population is Catholic. And of that between 40-50% is Latino. This Latino trend helps pull Catholic social attitudes, already more liberal than Protestants, towards greater support gay rights. Why is this so? I suggest the following reasons.

“Family First: Latino Catholics orient their social lives around the family … 36% of all Latino Children in California live in single-parent households… Research study shows; see that parents learn about gay issues from their children. Their moral and ethical judgments are primarily made through this social reality rather than abstract pronouncements from their church leaders.

“Catholic Communal versus Protestant Individual Faith: Catholicism is the communal faith that highlights the life cycle process through the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, and marriage… Protestant Latinos, on the other hand, have a faith that is individually driven through faith conversion (“accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior”) that often separates a person from the Catholic sacramental life cycle process and the social fabric of the Catholic-based cultural celebrations. Fundamental Protestantism sees such Catholic cultural practices as contrary to a pure Christian faith. The study illustrates this communal-individual faith difference by noting that Latino Protestants (37%) lean toward a style of religious social engagement prioritizing “personal morality and faith” over a Catholic (59%) orientation that prioritizes “justice and action.”

“Latino Catholic Tolerance versus Protestant Fundamental Judgment: … Latino Catholics in the United States live in this social context that allows the free exercise of conscience rather than enforced scriptural fundamentalism or bishops’ and pastors’ exhortations in making decisions regarding homosexuality and gay rights … Further, as noted in the study, Catholic priests rarely mention homosexuality or gay issues in sermons except when forced by the bishops as happened during the Prop 8 campaign.

“Recently same-sex marriage and adoption rights were legally approved in the Catholic countries of Argentina, Spain, and Portugal, as well as Mexico City…” {Marriage is foundational not only to the Church but America.}

George H. Kubeck, We must change a negative into a positive. This applies not only to Latinos but all U.S. Catholics. We have the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Monthly sermons must be made a teaching tool.