Longtime readers will know that I’m no fan of Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt. In fact, I believe that Nienstedt has inserted himself more deeply into the battle over civil marriage in his state than perhaps any other Catholic bishop across the country. (And considering some of the competition, that’s quite the accomplishment!)
A two-year-old letter written by the archbishop has been making the social media rounds this weekend. According to the Star Tribune, the letter from May 2010 was a response “to a mother who pleaded for acceptance for her gay child” and apparently surfaced in the battle over a proposed marriage discrimination amendment to Minnesota’s constitution. I decided to share it with you because it shows just how deeply-held Nienstedt’s homophobic views are.
In my view, telling the parent of an LGBT child that they “ought not to participate in the sacramental life of the Church” unless they renounce their pro-equality views — and that their “eternal salvation may well depend upon” their ability to accept the Catholic Church’s anti-gay teachings — is spiritual bullying of the highest order, and nothing short of monstrous. As I’ve said just once before, this disgusts me on such a visceral level that if I hadn’t already left the Catholic Church before reading Nienstedt’s letter, I’d be walking out the door at this very moment.
I, too, received this letter after writing to Archbishop Neinstedt to reassure him that my and my husband’s 38-year marriage was not in danger. We believe that our GLBT friends & family members add so much to our lives! It is some of these same-sex unions that have given us more hope that 2 people can actually be committed to honor, cherish, and care for one another for an entire lifetime. This letter was devastating to read: I have done some things in my life that I’m not proud of but I never believed I was going to hell. Neindstedt is completely non-pastoral and I am sad that my church thinks he’s loving and wise enough to be an archbishop.
Ahhhh! The Ecumenical Catholic Communion, what a wonderful way to be Catholic!
Catherine: sounds like its time to consider switching to another church. Clearly the leadership of the one you are attending doesn’t share the same values you have.
I can’t help but believe that Nienstedt, like so many people who rage against any civil rights for LGBT people, is deep in the closet. In a sense, that is the tragedy of the whole situation. In his strident appeal to the antigay doctrines of the bishops of the RC Church and their interpretation of Natural Law, not only does he show no understanding of or care for LGBT people and their families; but he is fighting hard against himself as well. What a sad, pathetic path to take, demeaning love for the sake of some rigid loveless doctrines.
This kind of hogwash makes me feel ashamed to be a Catholic.
John Patrick: I have not doubt that this guy is a self-loathing, homosexual old queen who is fearful of losing the privileges he has worked a life time to attain as well as that shot at becoming a part of the inner sanctum of romanist political power in the Vatican. Despicable.
It’s really the height of insanity for a bunch of pedophiles to lecture others on morality
Of course, the “good” archbishop will conduct, or allow one of his subordinates to conduct, any funeral services for kids who can’t handle the “loving truth” that surrounds them. For a fee.
Or maybe not, do he and his ilk allow funerals for gay kids who kill themselves?
This person is NOT a Christian!
Does anyone know how EASY it is to kick religion out of their life once and for all? It’s difficult at first, but once done, it’s like the FREEDOM I felt when I came out of the closet. Like being let out of a prison.
As a happy Atheist, I don’t worry about “Salvation” since there is no god, or heaven or hell to be fearful of. And ESPECIALLY no hateful, mean-spirited priest or minister to scare the s–t out of me.
Come on folks. Tell these guys where they can go–straight to HELL–theirs, of course.
Join your local Atheist organization. There’s a good one in Minnesota.
Individuals like this asshat and the perversion called the Catechism of the Catholic Church are what drove me from organized religion 6 decades ago.
I truly cannot abide a “god” that demands people lie, cheat, steal and kill as ways to show they honor their god.
I truly loath the people who have taken it upon themselves to proclaim they are the voice of god, that they and they alone “know” what god wants.
I have not had a lobotomy so I don’t need you to tell me what god wants. I can make those choices by myself. I can also read and comprehend, so you don’t need to “tell me” what a 2000 year old book of myths has to say.
I won’t tell people they have to change their church or religio; I will say that I hope they think twice about giving money and allegiance to religions with leaders like this asshat.
I will point out that every tithe and offering they make to this church in some part goes to promote hatred and bigotry. Just look at the financial disclosures from the political “enemy” camps.
The Catholic Church, and many other churches, have donated MILLIONS to demonize gay Americans at the expense of poor and suffering children who have no homes, food, or clean clothing.
Are those the true values and actions you want from the church you support?
to Catherine Smegal, the first poster in this thread, and folks like her. Thank you for having a brain and a voice, and the willingness to use them.
I hope you speak to others that are not as “friendly” to your point of view as we are here on TWO.
It is hard to stand up to ‘tradition’ and the power of the church, but it is necessary.
Standing up is needed to begin the conversation; It is needed that strong leaders speak out so that others who also question this asshat’s words feel they are not alone in being repelled by his words and actions.
So please Catherine Smegal, keep speaking to those who agree with you and to those who blindly support the churches “tradition” and bigotry.
Actually, this is what the church has to say and that’s what they believe. The problem isn’t just this one man.
No, it’s not what they have to say. There are rules about when to deny communion and when not. And this isn’t such a case.
In reality, a huge amount of Catholics (at least 30%) don’t agree with the Church on fundamental doctrines. If they kicked out all of them, there wouldn’t be much of a church left. Which would actually be a good thing…
[...] you want to understand the reasons behind this trend, take a moment to read a disturbing letter that Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt sent to the mother of a gay son. In it, the [...]
Crap like this is why I will never return to the Catholic Church. What a pathetic asshat.
Obviously, Catholics under the dominion of this bishop have a hard burden to bear. The parent who received his letter is experiencing first hand the cruel and dark side of religion. Unfortunately today, that vicious side is virtually always on display. I agree with Jerry and Paul in part: you need to either dump religion altogether or, if you feel you need to have it in your life, find a church that isn’t so hateful. This need to constantly pray, beg, and plead with God to please forgive you and help you and bless you is a pain.
Why did God create man, give him a independent spirit, freedom of choice, a thinking brain to learn and do, and then require him to constantly beg forgiveness for being the creation of God himself? If God is all knowing, then he knew big time what he was making and how the creation would act. Is God so insecure that he constantly needs his heavenly ego fed with prayers and pleadings and adoration from his creatures? Those seem like very human qualities to me. Ditch it is my advice.
[...] Truth Wins Out describes Nienstedt’s ultimatum as “spiritual bullying of the highest order.” The impacts of family rejection include increased risks of suicide and homelessness, yet the Church is forcing people to choose their faith over the lives of their loved ones. Despite claims made by the campaign to support the marriage inequality constitutional amendment, this is not a group of people that cares about the well-being of children. [...]
Nienstedt and Cordileone are interested only in a red hat and they both know that the path to that hat is through extreme anti-gay and anti-woman bigotry. They are simply trying to outdo one another. It’s Cordileone’s move.
I’d like Nienstedt to find a single passage in any one of the gospels where Jesus even mentions gay people.
[...] this week, I reported on a 2010 letter written by Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt to the mother of a gay [...]
I just recently read Luana Reach Torres’s latest novel, “I Heard the Pastor’s Daughter Is Gay,” and until then I didn’t realize how emotional this topic is for parent/child.
http://www.luanareachtorres.com/
[...] Truth Wins Out and Think Progress have circulated a 2010 letter written by Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt on social networking websites. The two-year-old letter is a response to a woman’s letter where she asks for acceptance for her gay child. But the bishop says that she might go to Hell if she comes to terms with her child’s sexual orientation. [...]
WOW!!! Paragraphs 2357, 2358 AND 2359???? Tone deaf casuistry. And the Romans claim to be Christian???
I’ll just leave this here for the Archbishop:
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1778.htm
n.b. there are those who argue that primacy of conscience is aused as a Carte-Blanche rule to just ‘disregard whatever parts you don’t like and still consider yourself “Catholic.” The logical counterpoint to this argument is the number of policy changes that have occurred over the centuries due to pressure. Back then the same argument against Primacy of Conscience could have been used, but here we are, with a changed church as a result of these people who acted on what they felt was right based on reasoning rather than what a book said.
I would love to see the verses that jesus said he doesn’t like gays….I would really love to see that…o wait it doesn’t exist…-_-
Jesus’ teachings? The only New Testament anti-gay statement comes from Paul, dude.
No Steve, it is what the church says. The Catholic Church is an anti-gay organization. This is what they believe–not the members, but this is what the church as an organization preaches.
@Erik. I would add to your post the following reflection on the primacy of conscience made by a Catholic theologian in 1968: “Above the Pope as an expression of the binding claim of church authority stands one’s own conscience, which has to be obeyed first of all, if need be against the demands of church authority.” Oh, the theologian? One Josef Ratzinger.
the only reason the catholic church is anti gay is that they dont want the competition
Just wanted to second Jerry’s post (10). Getting free of religion is as easy as saying, “I do not believe.” All freedom begins with freedom from religion. There are great atheist associations here in Texas, so I assume you can find one anywhere.
Imagine you had a good friend, maybe one you’d known all your life.
Imagine that one day you find your friend making horrible racist remarks towards someone else you care about.
You protest, saying that’s not a decent way to act, and they tell you that if you don’t hate black people, you shouldn’t consider them your friend.
Now that’s a lot of things, and none of them nice in the least… but it’s not bullying.
Your friend can’t bully you, because he has renounced all his leverage over you. If he’s that committed to racial hatred, then his friendship is *already* worth precisely nothing.
Like the old joke says, we’ve already established what you are, now we’re just dickering over the price.
“Support my racist assholery, or I won’t let you be the friend of a racist a*****e!”
“Ooh gee, that’s such a hard choice, I’m going to need to take some time to think this over, not. Now get the hell out of my life.”
With this statement, the catholic church has renounced its moral authority over just about anyone at all.
Now personally I’d have said it did so long *long* before, by its obscene wealth in the face of poverty, by its enabling and support of paedophiles, by the Magdalene laundries, hell, even by the Spanish inquisition, but I digress.
It’s shown its true ugliness in a way that finally clicks with you. And it’s shown that it values that ugliness over you, and over whatever good it was meant to be doing you.
IT HAS NOTHING OF VALUE TO TAKE FROM YOU. It is worthless at best. You don’t need or want anything it has to give.
Damn right you ought not be a member of the catholic church – and you should be PROUD of that fact.
If anything, you should thank them for opening your eyes.
[...] [...]
[...] Archbishop John Nienstedt believes that Jesus taught that a mother should reject her gay son or she’s no longer a [...]
Seems there’s lots of so-called Christians nowadays telling parents they should reject their gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender children. I believe the 10 Commandments originally came from God, including the duty to honor one’s parents, but there’s a necessarily implied reciprocal commitment of parents to their children. When a parent rejects a child for being LGBT, that parent forever forfeits all rights under that Commandment — and the child is forever relieved of all obligations to that parent under that Commandment.
[...] Niensted’s reply, a copy of which you can see here, he [...]
[...] their extremist rhetoric puts them in the company of notorious anti-gay extremists like Archbishop John Nienstedt, Australian Salvation Army Major Andrew Craibe, and the Westboro Baptist [...]