After a quick look at the posts on the main page of the blog, it is obvious that the purpose of the blog is to support same-sex "marriage" by attacking those who oppose it. At the top of the home page, you'll see a menu link called "The People". Hover your mouse cursor over the link and a list of people who oppose same-sex "marriage" will be displayed. One of the people on the list is yours truly.
If you click on my name in "The People" list, you'll be taken to a post that features me (http://be4marriage.com/the-people/paul-schlenker). In the post, the author does his best to portray me as a hater of gays. He starts out the post by calling me an "anti-gay activist and online bully". The rest of the post consists of references to several tweets I made on Twitter regarding the same-sex marriage issue. The funny thing is that the author misquotes or distorts most of my tweets that he references, and then provides a link to the actual tweets that prove that he misquoted or distorted what I said. For example, the author accused me of saying that gay people harm society, but if you look at the actual tweet, you'll see that I said that "homosexual behavior" harms society. That's totally different than saying gay people harm society, but I'm sure the author knows that.
If you take the time to read the rest of the tweets that the author links to, it will become apparent that the author is twisting what I said in an attempt to incite hatred towards me among the gay community. While it's never enjoyable to be hated, I am willing to endure it because what I said is true, and I stand by it. No amount of hatred will force me to stop sharing the truth about same-sex "marriage" and other moral issues facing our society.
Thank you for your response, Annraoi. You can call me "anti-gay" and "homophobic" all you want. The fact remains that my beliefs are in line with the moral teachings of the Church that God founded in the person of Jesus Christ. That Church is none other than the Catholic Church, the Church that you proclaim on your Twitter profile to be a member of. As a Catholic, you should know that Jesus, when He founded the Church, promised it the Holy Spirit to guide it to the truth in all moral matters. If you believed, as I do, that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Catholic Church regarding matters of faith and morals, you would have to believe that homosexual behavior is immoral. If you agreed with the teachings of your Catholic faith regarding the immorality of homosexual behavior, you would have to oppose same-sex "marriage", because it legitimizes homosexual behavior.
ReplyDeleteWhen you and I stand before God on judgement day, we will be judged on how faithful we were to the law of God, as handed down to us by the Church He established, the Catholic Church. If I'm wrong about the issue of same-sex "marriage", I will be guilty of following the teachings of the Church that God Himself founded and promised the truth. If you're wrong about the same-sex "marriage" issue, you will be guilty of disregarding the teachings of God's Church, and following secular society instead of the law of God. Personally, I would rather err on the side of the Church Jesus founded and promised the truth.
Feel free to accuse me of blindly following the teachings of the Catholic Church. I'm sure you will, because you've done it before. I know in my heart I'm not. I study and pray about the teachings of the Catholic Church, and find them to be trustworthy. If there are any teachings I don't agree with, I seek deeper understanding, rather then disregarding the teaching, as you often do. By disregarding Catholic moral teaching, you're assuming that you know better than the Church Jesus founded. By doing so, you're walking a very slippery slope, my friend.
So, are you saying being homosexual is like being religious, Annraoi O'Diothaigh? I'm referring to your comment equating homosexuality with being Jewish. By that logic it appears, whether you mean to or not, that you are implying that Catholic behavior harms society. It seems you doing the very thing that you are accusing Paul Schlenker of doing. What if someone should declare you a bigot and put your face on a website defaming you. Would you like that? I don't think I would. Do unto others.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the be4marriage website is pretty accurate. You are an anti-gay activist. Reading your through your tweets, it appears to me that you go online just to argue with people which can easily be interpreted as a form of bullying by most people. The synopsis of your tweets with the links is pretty accurate as well, the Supreme Court has determined their is no difference between a homosexual behavior and being homosexual. Further, your tweet about homosexual sex is simply inaccurate, PROMISCUITY is bad for society, be it gay or straight. If you really wanted to help society (which you don't -more later), you would be supporting gay marriage in an effort to decrease their promiscuity. Instead, what you are doing is advocating for your personal opinions which appear to be based simply on prejudice against gay people.
ReplyDeletepaul_specific, would you please send me a link that backs up your claim that the Supreme Court has determined that there is no difference between homosexual behavior and being homosexual? Even if you can provide a link, do you actually believe it? I don't. A person can experience same-sex attraction without acting on it. Homosexuals who refrain from homosexual intercourse aren't sinning. They are committing an act of self-sacrifice, just like heterosexuals who refrain from adulterous affairs.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know how supporting gay "marriage" wouold decrease promiscuity. Studies have shown that people in same-sex partnerships are much less faithful to their partners than those in heterosexual relationships.
Homosexual sex is bad for society, paul_specific. Ask one of the millions of men who have been infected with HIV through homosexual contact.
The purpose of the be4marriage website is to fan the flames of hatred between homosexuals and heterosexuals. I think you know it, paul_specific, but you won't admit it. The intention of any person or website that refers to a person or group of people who oppose same-sex "marriage" as "anti-gay" is to incite hatred.
Much of the time I'm online is spent sharing the truths of our Catholic faith with others. Those who are receptive to these truths are grateful. Those who oppose these truths often call me a "bully" or accuse me of "forcing" my beliefs on them, or judging them. I've never had a person who agrees with the truths I share accuse me of "forcing" the truth on them. During the time I've been involved in social media I've discovered that there are people who support freedom of speech until someone says something they don't agree with or don't want to hear. Those people start pulling out the "bully", "judging", and "forcing" cards to try to derail me. You are that type of person, paul_specific.
I recently received a random tweet from be4marriage. Now that I see his name here, I understand why. It was the same day I defended you on the issue with Sarah. I didn't debate him on the issue, I just blocked and filtered him. People like him and Annroai? are only looking for people who disagree with them, so they can voice and spread their hatred toward people like you and me. Though I'm not Catholic (and I don't think Annroia is either), I am a traditional conservative Christian. I believe in the sanctity of marriage, between one man and one woman. Do I have gay friends? Yes! Would I want them to marry? No, because marriage is sanctioned by God, and no one will ever convince me He would sanction gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteThat being said Paul, if they're hating on you, your message must be getting to where it needs to be. Keep up the great work my friend!
Thank you for the kind words, Gwen.
ReplyDeletePaul, it's very kind of you to warn me that I'm on a slippery slope, and I thank you for your concern! Just to put your mind at ease, I am a Catholic and I have been one for 81 years. I currently live in a country where Catholicism is the major religion and where Catholic issues get debated frequently and in great depth. I have also lived in many other countries where other religions (and none) are dominant.
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you that in my four score years, I have never met a Catholic with views as strident or hurtful as you have shown on Twitter, nor have I met many non-Catholics with your degree of zealotry. To be fair, I haven't met you either as we have only conversed on Twitter, a medium not conducive to subtle or nuanced conversation. The chances are that if I met you in person, I might even find you quite an engaging guy. I might even allow you to buy me a beer. (Bishops Finger, perhaps?) Unfortunately, your @Beatidute persona on Twitter is a hateful and hurtful one, and your strict adherence to religious dogma is nothing short of bigoted zealotry.
On the subject of homosexuality, you won't find any passages in the Bible where Jesus condemns gays. Not a single one. And your belief that a bunch of elderly celibate males in the Vatican are capable of interpreting the Bible for the betterment of mankind is touching but terribly naive. Popes are humans, and fallible too (even if one of them decided in 1870 that their views on dogma were actually infallible). Indeed, several earlier Popes like Alexander VI engaged in fornication, nepotism and very possibly murder.
On the subject of contraception, a papal commission concluded in 1966 that there was nothing inherently wrong with birth control. The commission was a well- constituted group of people: 72 members from five continents including 16 theologians and 13 physicians, and they investigated the subject for three years. Why, it even had women, as well as more bishops than you could throw a stick at! Unfortunately, Paul VI didn't like the commission's recommendations and instead published his own paper Humanae Vitae, which is almost universally ignored today by Catholics. Catholics and non-Catholics today use contraception. In 'Catholic countries' like Ireland, Spain and Italy, there is no issue or discussion on the subject. Contraception is simply a part of life and an important component of good sex education. And before you say the Pope and the Vatican know better, consider the role the Vatican has played in the cover-up of clerical sexual abuse from the 1960s to the present day. Infallible, indeed!
Paul, you can continue to wallow in self-pity if you like. Or you can accept that most people, including most Catholics like myself, reject your views. We find it distasteful that if you were king and ruler of the universe, you would deny equal rights to homosexuals, ban contraceptives and even prevent your daughter taking the morning-after pill if she was raped. These are the hateful views you have espoused on Twitter. These are the hateful views that other Tweeps reject.
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned so much, and try to share this knowledge with as many people as I can. The homosexual lifestyle is clearly stated as an abomination in Leviticus 18:22 so why is there even debate over the issue? I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:
ReplyDeleteWhen I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
I know that men are allowed no contact with me while I am in my period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I go to my University classes if men are present? Should I not go out in public?
Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean, but may one still play football if he or she wear gloves?
I have a relative who owns a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Please, I hope you further clarify on the oh-so-wonderful teachings of the Bible.
It isn't possible for you to be only 81 years old, Annraoi. Nobody could get that cantankerous in only 81 years. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, your age means nothing to me. My mother is 80 years old, and she understands three Catholic concepts that you don't:
1. The relationship between Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
2. The difference between "infallibility" and "impeccability".
We've talked about these topics before on Twitter, so I don't need to go into them again here. If you're still unclear about them, do some research and learn about them. Remember: Google is your friend.
Thanks for the questions, Amanda. Before I answer them, I need to ask you a few questions of my own:
ReplyDelete1. By whose authority do you interpret sacred scripture?
2. How do you know you're interpreting the scriptures correctly?
3. Why do you think that all sacred scripture can be interpreted literally, like reading a science text book?
I look forward to your answers to these questions, so we can have a fruitful conversation.
First of all, I do not think you clearly understood what it is I am saying because I am not and will never be a Christian. Second, if you claim that scripture cannot be interpreted literally, then how do you know homosexuality is forbidden? You are just picking and choosing what is convenient and what is not. Third, since when do people need "authority" to interpret the Bible? You mean to tell me that humans are in charge of what the Bible is meant to tell you? Right...
ReplyDeleteWhat's the third Catholic concept that your mother knows? Better still, what's her phone number and I'll ask her myself :-) Annraoi.
ReplyDeletePS. Nice deflection of Amanda's questions!
I'm going to leave this here for you to think about what your homophobic words and actions do to people. http://youtu.be/TdkNn3Ei-Lg
ReplyDeleteBeatidude (i.e. Paul Schlenker), I have to say, I read your timeline after doing a search on twitter. I am appalled. It is indeed anti-gay and horribly offensive. I have to wonder if you have some sort of mental disorder to handicap if you can't see this. Do you?
ReplyDeleteJamie, you can say what you want about my Twitter posts. Any agenda-free, reasonable person who reads them can see that I'm none of the things you accuse me of being.
ReplyDeletePaul - So much for love, understanding, and compassion from the other side. Perhaps it's your penchant for telling the truth as you see it.
ReplyDeleteAmanda - How about we just drop all the rules of morality? Paul states that it is his belief that homosexual behavior is immoral. Why can't you just accept that as his belief? Men were made, either by God or by nature if you will, to be with women. It's a biological fit. It's the way it's supposed to be.
Jaime - Paul is my friend and I will be respectful on his blog.
"It is indeed anti-gay and horribly offensive." First, I personally don't care that you feel offended. Now, why would something written by a total stranger be offensive to you? Would you rather he just not voiced his opinions? Is silencing people you don't agree with what you really want? Just think about the hate that is spreading on your side. Do you really want to be a part of it?
Amanda has it right. You pick and choose what to believe, and you pick and choose to believe in hateful things. That makes you hateful. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteLearn to think for yourself. You are motivated by pure fear and selfishness. Fear of having a thought for yourself, and selfishness, because you only do "right and good" so as to achieve heaven or to avoid hell. You don't do any of it because you think it is the right thing to do--you can't because you are incapable of having a thought of your own. If the church tells you to jump, you ask how high.
It's odd that even within your own beliefs and your own bible, Jesus never said one word about homosexuals. I wonder why that is if the gay lifestyle is so abhorrent. It must be because he loved people and never judged people for their love. You do, though, when it comes to same sex love (the only explanation must be the orifices bother you--what else could it be?). If Jesus walked the earth today, he would most certainly be a liberal, and you would be chastising and lambasting him for it, because your church would be telling you to do so. You wouldn't think twice about it, because you don't do any of your own thinking. Learn to love, and to have critical thinking capabilities of your own, and then maybe you will become a loving human being and can break away from the stultifying dogma you cling to. Right now you are simply a hypocrite with simple authoritarian thoughts. It's too bad.
rstlssboat8 - Thank you for the lengthy response. If you had a heart condition and needed to learn what needed to be done to treat your condition, which course of action would you take:
ReplyDelete1. Consult a cardiologist who is an expert in the treatment of heart conditions.
or
2. Use your own logic and reason to determine how to treat your condition.
If you would choose option #1, I'd like to know why you think I'm not thinking for myself when I refer to the Catholic Church in regards to matters of faith and morals? You may not think it is, but the Catholic Church is an authority in regards to matters of faith and morals. Unless you can prove that it isn't, saying that I don't think for myself by deferring to the Catholic Church on moral issues is purely your opinion. You have a right to voice your opinion, but please don't try to make it sound like your opinion is fact.
Thanks for your response.
DeleteThe problem with your unthinking analogy is, homosexuality is not a disease. The fact that you put it that way comes straight from your own particular religious dogma, not from any critical thinking on your part. You choose not to believe, or even examine, any experts outside of your church. You choose the ugly analogy. These are your choices, and you choose them because you don't want to have to put in the energy to think for yourself. You follow only the trails of dogma, not independent thought, and you follow hateful notions willingly. What does that make you?
I look to people's actions, not to the excuses in which they choose to couch their actions--yours is religion. It frees you from having a thought of your own. People have used religion for ugly purposes down through all ages. It's ugly, and you choose it. Therefore, that makes you ugly. QED. Just be honest, at least.
And you avoided my Jesus comments, probably because that would lead you to an area that confounds you. You do not like to face the uncertainty of your beliefs, so you simply ignore the inconsistencies, without a thought in the world (because that is the easy way you wish to live). You have a mind, and you choose not to use it. It's easier to live the hateful life, like you do. Probably not a good way to get into heaven. Strive to be more Jesus-like, and you won't be so hateful in your actions. You might want to start thinking on your own before your dogma makes it too late for you. Free yourself, and become a good, caring, loving, and thoughtful person, just for the sake of being a good person, without all the sticks and carrots that keep you on road of your rigid dogma.
Opinion isn't fact, but confusing faith and fact shuts the brain down, and you will never discover any real truth in life that way. You can have faith, but to pin all your thoughts on some authoritarian dogma reveals the weakness in your life. It might be a good way to keep people in line, but it is never a good way to discover the truth, or to live an enlightened, caring, loving life. Give up the ugliness, and you'll be fine.
restless1novel - Thanks for the response. Why do you think that I blindly follow the teachings of my religion? Because my beliefs conflict with yours? You have no idea how much I've studied my faith. I make no assumptions about what you believe. Please don't make assumptions about what I believe.
ReplyDeleteEven without in-depth knowledge of the same-sex marriage issue, anyone who reads your comment should be able to tell that your position is wrong. Why? Because your comment is laced with hatred and anger. If you were at peace with your beliefs, you wouldn't be so angry. With knowledge of the truth comes inner peace.
How did you come to the conclusion that same-sex marriage is good for society? In your response, you didn't provide any reasons for your beliefs. All you did was attack mine. I'd like to continue this discussion with you, but if all you can do is attack my beliefs, our discussion has no where to go. The ball is in your court now.
You're missing the point entirely. What people are trying to tell you is, your beliefs on this issue (and maybe others) are hateful and ugly. They are beliefs that aim to deprive individuals who love each other of their rights. My additional point is your dogma prevents you from critical thinking. Your posts continue to demonstrate this.
ReplyDeleteYou continue to ignore my question about Jesus, and how he behaved and spoke about love when he walked the earth. He did not talk about homosexuality, and there is a good reason for that, it wasn't important to him to separate out people who love each other, based on race, on sex, on anything. He just loved. You should quit being a hater and try loving. Your comments are cold, dogmatic, and loveless. If that attitude fits into your religious belief system, then it's a religion that doesn't have much to offer humanity. And, in fact, It's a religion with beliefs that are divisive and destructive. And I make all of these points not being even remotely gay. I do know a lot of gay people, though, and they love each other just like you and I love our heterosexual partners. They should not be denigrated by you, or anyone. It's a civil rights issue, no matter how you try to couch it in some other obfuscation. We heard some of the same dogmatic religious arguments about black people back during the civil rights movement in the 60s, by those who didn’t want “colored people” to share the same bathrooms with whites, or to eat in the same restaurants as whites, or to be able to marry whites. It was disgusting then, and your arguments are disgusting now. Some religions are always trying to divide people and throw hate their way. I see yours as one of those, from reading your posts.
And my point about your lack of critical thinking is valid, because you acccept dogma without any thought. Your primary thinking centers around how to dig yourself into the dogma deeper. I call it hiding. You can call it faith, but when the ideas coming out of that dogma are ugly, and you choose to follow them in an unthinking manner, then that makes you ugly. You are trashing the rights of gay people, so I am trashing you for your hateful ideas. It’s perfectly fair. You can whine about it, wag your finger at me, and try telling us how kind and loving you are, but it falls on deaf ears, because your position is perfectly hypocritical. There’s no love in your beliefs about gay people. You are simply not being honest with yourself, and this comes through clearly in every single one of your posts.
Despite our differences, and perhaps because of them, I am hoping you will try my blog at www.restlesswaters1novel.wordpress.com (BTW, the novel upon which the blog is based is titled Restless Waters, and in case you were wondering how I came to comment on your blog of the same name, I found it when I was searching out various political blogs, and I just had to weigh in when I stumbled across yours). In my blog, I am hoping to have a whole different kind of discussion about other issues (it isn’t necessary to read the novel). You are welcome to comment there, anytime. I’ve dealt with hateful ideas all my life in politics and religion, and I have never shied away from taking them on.
restlesswaters1novel - I haven't ignored your question about Jesus. I just don't have as much time to respond to comments as I'd like. Just because Jesus didn't specifically mention the word homosexuality or same-sex marriage in the Bible doesn't mean he condoned it. He spoke several times of marriage between a man and a woman. He never mentioned marriage between two men or two women. Jesus also never mentioned things like human cloning, artificial contraception, or in-vitro fertilization, but they're wrong, too. When Jesus ascended to heaven He left behind a Church to carry on His ministry in this world. He gave His Church the authority to decide what is moral and what isn't. Contrary to what you believe, I have studied the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, and have found them totally reasonable. You can say that I lack critical thinking all you want. I know differently.
ReplyDeleteComparing same-sex marriage to the black civil rights movement in the 60's is like comparing apples and oranges. Black people have every right to the same liberties that white people enjoy. The only difference between blacks and whites is the color of their skin. Just because same-sex couples may love each other that doesn't mean they have the right to be married. Marriage is a priviledge, not a right. The primary purpose of marriage is for the procreation and raising of children, for the good of society. Same-sex couples are unable to procreate, and don't need to be married to love each other. The bad thing about same-sex marriage is when same-sex couples adopt children, because it denies those children to their right to be raised by a mother and a father.
Disagree with me all you want. Just know that you aren't only disagreeing with me. You're disagreeing with the Church that Jesus Christ founded and promised the Holy Spirit to guide it to the truth for all time. My nickname is Beatidude, because I want people who see my nickname to think of the Beatitudes, especially Beatitude # 8 which states:
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Persecute me all you want. It just makes my faith stronger.
By the way, I checked out your blog. The best part about it is the photo on the main page. It reminds me of a lake in Michigan that I spent a lot of time on as a child.