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AIDS, Gays, And the American Catholic Church
Offering a balanced and penetrating analysis of how the gay community and the church have responded to AIDS--and to each other--Smith seeks to bridge the chasm between the gay community and the American Catholic church by proposing that the two sides reason together. Both cultures offer rich resources for enabling all Americans to better confront, and better understand, the AIDS crisis.
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1994
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September 24, 2024
A RARE BOOK ON A SUBJECT NOT COMMONLY ADDRESSED SYMPATHETICALLY
At the time this book was published in 1994, Richard L. Smith was adjunct professor of the religious studies program at San Jose State University.
He wrote in the Introduction, "In these pages, I want to offer a critical examination of the American Catholic construction of AIDS. Like any other meaning ascribed to AIDS, the American Catholic construction must be rigorously scrutinized to identify and ferret out elements that may be oppressive or harmful. I want to identify those oppressive and harmful elements. Yet I will also claim that American Catholicism does indeed have abundant resources to help us make sense out of this crisis.
"These resources, I believe, are to be found especially within the American Catholic understanding of human community, its strong tradition of social justice, and its rich response of myths, rituals, and symbols that give meaning to human suffering and death... I am going to assume throughout this book that constructions of AIDS---whether by ACT UP or by Cardinal O'Connor---...emerge out of various cultures from the social interactions of human beings." (Pg. 4-5)
He suggests, "Within the culture of the American bishops... the condom is a tool for sexual deviance. It is a form of birth control, and in the case of gay men, a means of facilitating their immoral sexual activity. In a more extreme view... a condom is an 'intrinsic moral evil' that can never be used for a legitimate moral purpose. When the bishops condemn the use of condoms in this fashion, they are making a MORAL claim, but one that governs their apprehension of the technical fats regarding the efficacy of condoms." (Pg. 69)
He concludes, "The AIDS epidemic is a moment when the gay community and the Catholic church come together in the face of immense human pain. We can hope that, without abdicating their respective identities and values, these two cultures can nevertheless find a common ground on which to meet. In this tragic moment, may the structure of war give way to the structure of dialogue. May extravagant compassion be extended, profound truths be shared, rich stories be told, and amazing discoveries be made about the vastness of love and life." (Pg. 135)
This book will be of interest to both gays and Catholics who are interested in the religious response to the AIDS crisis.
At the time this book was published in 1994, Richard L. Smith was adjunct professor of the religious studies program at San Jose State University.
He wrote in the Introduction, "In these pages, I want to offer a critical examination of the American Catholic construction of AIDS. Like any other meaning ascribed to AIDS, the American Catholic construction must be rigorously scrutinized to identify and ferret out elements that may be oppressive or harmful. I want to identify those oppressive and harmful elements. Yet I will also claim that American Catholicism does indeed have abundant resources to help us make sense out of this crisis.
"These resources, I believe, are to be found especially within the American Catholic understanding of human community, its strong tradition of social justice, and its rich response of myths, rituals, and symbols that give meaning to human suffering and death... I am going to assume throughout this book that constructions of AIDS---whether by ACT UP or by Cardinal O'Connor---...emerge out of various cultures from the social interactions of human beings." (Pg. 4-5)
He suggests, "Within the culture of the American bishops... the condom is a tool for sexual deviance. It is a form of birth control, and in the case of gay men, a means of facilitating their immoral sexual activity. In a more extreme view... a condom is an 'intrinsic moral evil' that can never be used for a legitimate moral purpose. When the bishops condemn the use of condoms in this fashion, they are making a MORAL claim, but one that governs their apprehension of the technical fats regarding the efficacy of condoms." (Pg. 69)
He concludes, "The AIDS epidemic is a moment when the gay community and the Catholic church come together in the face of immense human pain. We can hope that, without abdicating their respective identities and values, these two cultures can nevertheless find a common ground on which to meet. In this tragic moment, may the structure of war give way to the structure of dialogue. May extravagant compassion be extended, profound truths be shared, rich stories be told, and amazing discoveries be made about the vastness of love and life." (Pg. 135)
This book will be of interest to both gays and Catholics who are interested in the religious response to the AIDS crisis.
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