God and science

In modern times, there has been a great separation of God from Science as if it is impossible for the two to coexist. which is funny since the greatest minds of science were either Christian or believed in the possibility of God.

Copernicus
Isaac Newton
Galileo
Kepler
Sir Francis Bacon

Even Einstein. Einstein was more agnostic than anything. He did not believe in a personal God, but he also did not like being "misrepresented" as atheist (those who don't believe in the existence of any higher power) and also believed a non-created universe (lacking intelligent design) was impossible.

In fact, there were (and are) many Catholic scientists.

As a Catholic, I firmly believe in science. As I type this on my computer, I'm using science... as science created the technology that allowed blogging to be possible. I was vaccinated using science. Scientists came up with cures for diseases that have all but been eradicated, and they continue to make advances.

I don't think the two contradict. God created this world, Got created man. Many use the intelligence and free will God endowed them with, to grow and learn, and utilize what he created on this earth to advance as a people. The earth God created provides many medicinal herbs that help with many ailments, and man's intelligence helps doctors and scientists learn about new ways to use them.

Science exists because God created the earth, then created man, gave man intelligence and free will, and let them go at it.

So science is not contradictory to religion.

And it's not just scientists that think the two can not coexist. There are some religious sects that reject science, and to me, that's rejecting a piece of God. I never understood the "God will heal me so I don't go to a doctor" argument. God made the doctor who wants to heal you, may have even nudged him in the direction of this career. He created the earth where all the resources that could save you comes from, God is in the work that doctor does, and the medicines he uses to treat.

It's like the story of a woman during a flood, a neighbor comes in his car to rescue her but she refuses saying God will deliver her from the flood. As the waters rise... a boat comes by, yet still she refuses help saying God will save her. Then a helicopter comes by as the water rise even higher, and still she rejects the help saying God is going to save her. When she drowns and goes to heaven, she asks God why he let her die when she had faith he'd save her... and God said, "What more could I have done? I sent your neighbor, someone with a boat and even a helicopter, but you refused all three."

I just never understood why you would reject life saving treatment, because "God". God is in that treatment. I personally believe in accepting the treatment that was made through that which God created and placed on this earth for our use, and then praying to God for the treatment to work. But that's me.

Anyway, I don't believe the two are separate and must be at constant odds... yet the scientific community search for ways to disprove the existence of God and find ways to say, "We've discredited the bible." (If only they'd spend so much time finding a cure for cancer with the God given intelligence and materials they have at their disposal.)

There was a recent article entitled: the Bible got it wrong: Ancient Canaanites survived and their DNA lives on in modern-day Lebanese.

the main purpose of the article was to discuss the remains of ancient bodies recently uncovered that were able to tie modern day Lebanese to ancestry with the Canaanites, which supposedly discredits the bible who stated the Canaanites were wiped out in a biblical event. If the DNA found links the Canaanites to those in modern times who come from Lebanon, the bible "obviously got it wrong".

Now, in science, there's a pesky little thing called "research". Research, research, research. It is important to almost any discovery, especially when making a sweeping claim like, "this discovery discredits" anything.

Research is such an important phase in the scientific process, because you wouldn't want to make a wide sweeping statement and claim it is factual, only to be humiliated when your glaring error is pointed out, and worse, pointed out by those who are not a part of the scientific community. That is what is happening with all of the articles on this topic. They are being left embarrassed by the comments section where they're basically getting schooled on how wrong they are and being shown evidence that they did not take due diligence to make sure their statements were accurate.

What is that evidence? Well, after the "destruction" of the Canaanites discussed in the book of Joshua... it's made very clear in the book of Judges that the Canaanites still existed and weren't, in fact, eradicated from the face of the earth. Their DNA still existed and thus could be passed on, which is why it was found in modern day Lebanese.

Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean with its towns or of Taanach with its towns. Nor did they dispossess the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, those of Ibleam and its towns, or those of Megiddo and its towns. The Canaanites continued to live in this district. When Israel grew stronger, they conscripted the Canaanites as laborers, but did not actually drive them out. Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, and so the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

- Judges 1:27-29

It's obvious, since the book of Judges take place AFTER this alleged "destruction", that this wasn't a full genocide of biblical proportions as the Canaanites were still alive when discussed in Judges, Chapter 1. While it may sound like a mass genocide in Joshua (possibly due to simplification of an ancient translation, or a misinterpretation)... Had these scientists researched the bible (since it is part of their hypothesis about their discovery) before making claims that their findings discredited it... they'd have saved themselves a little credibility.

This proves one thing. Science is not perfect because it is being advanced by humans, which are 100% fallible. All humans err. Even the smartest of us. That does not discredit science and scientific advances... but it's one reason TRUE scientists are open to the idea that a theory could be changed/built on or even wrong.

Everyone seems be believe science is infallible, "Science is based on facts, That is why it is more trust worthy than an imaginary friend in the sky." they say.

Science has been proven wrong on many occasions. Science often contradicts itself. Science told us that vaccines cause Autism. Yet, other scientists believe they have proven the autism link theory to be faulty and the math behind it manipulated.

A few decades ago, Scientists claimed that by 2016, we'd be underwater due to man-made global warming. It was a warning touted by Al Gore who became a billionaire off it. Of course, it's 2017 and we're still here. Now many scientists believe they have proved that Global warming is NOT greatly affected by man, that ice ages and global warmings are naturally occurring events that have happened without man's influence. Some scientists now believe it was a global warming after the first Ice Age that actually killed the last of the woolly Mammoths, and no carbon footprint offsets will make much of a difference.

Science was able to disprove the scientific theory of a static universe (A universe that neither contracts nor expands.) This was proven wrong by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which proved that the universe is unstable, and must either be expanding or contracting. The Redshift effect substantiated this theory.

So, as someone who loves science, lives in an age of science and utilizes sciences, I must say that scientific minds must be very careful about their wording. In this particular case, they made a factual statement about a discovery... only to find out they didn't do proper research before releasing the statements... and were, in fact, wrong. (Sadly, I have not seen one of the articles making that correction). So now one must wonder if it doesn't hurt the credibility of the field that they didn't do the proper research... nor will they correct the statement. Or perhaps science isn't as important as their vendetta against Christianity.

jumping to the "We did it! We discredited the bible!" (and Torah since this is the old Testament) celebration... makes them look foolish, makes them look like anti-religion bigots, and does not do anything to advance science.

This is how science works.

There is an idea

There are tests

There is a lot of research

There is trial and error

a Hypothesis is created

The hypothesis is put to the test

If it fails, it's reconsidered - if it passes it's tested again.

If it can be replicated more than once... it is run through the ringer by fellow scientists

If they agree with the results, it becomes a theory.

Theory - Noun: a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena.

It does not mean - undisputed fact that can never be challenged. Theories are reconsidered, disputed, and proven wrong all the time in the scientific field, which is why it's not the "Fact of Relativity" or the "Fact of static universe" - they are THEORIES. Meaning, "this is what is believed, this is what is accepted in the scientific community"... but it leaves it open for corrections, should someone one day come in and say, "no, this is wrong, the math doesn't add up and here's why."

So to generalize the discovery of Canaanite DNA as "Discrediting the bible", "Proving the bible wrong"... etc. without having done the proper research, and then acting as if it is factual and not a theory... that's not science. That's embarrassing.

Powerful statement

painting by Akiane Kramarik

This is a very wonderful discussion the deacon of my church wrote about the message of the readings and Gospel for 7/2/17 (the 13th Sunday of Ordinary time)

Jesus said to his Apostles

"Whoever Loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Those are very powerful words. Powerful words indeed. And difficult words too. Jesus is telling us that true Christianity comes at a cost.

Here's a cute story of two brothers, ages 9 and 5. They were arguing over who would get the last chocolate chip cookie. Their mother said to the boys not to fight. She told her sons, "Think of what Jesus would do. He would tell his brother, "here brother, you take the cookie". The nine year old thought for a moment then said to his 5 year old brother: "Mikey, you be Jesus".

To be a true Christian means suffering is part and parcel to our lives, but no one really likes the idea of suffering, do we? Yet pain, sorrow and suffering are a part of who we are and part of our human existence. Think of it. Headaches, muscle aches and pains, worries, cares, the death of a loved one, stress, misery, trouble with our marriages, jobs, daily living, so on. All of these things point to the fact that we do have pain and suffering in our daily lives. We'd like to be free of them, but the fact is we can not, no matter how hard we wish or how hard we try. In the end, following Jesus is going to cost us something.

We've all heard the saying, "You get what you pay for". Well then, beware of cheap religions or any religion that comes across as soft and easy and accepting of everything. Beware religion where the cost of following Jesus Christ is never mentioned and where our consciences is never challenged or disturbed. Also be wary when we begin to think that living for Jesus Christ is SUPPOSE to be easy.

Cheap religion will only wrap us in tales of God's love. It will never tell us the truth. The Truth is that Jesus Christ DIED for us. Think of that. Jesus Christ died on a cross for you and me, and the whole human race. He suffered a painful, humiliating death. he willingly gave his life for us and he calls us to be willing to give something of ourselves in return.

There are too many people who only know one side of the story. The story of God's love. Learning and living in God's love is important, but there is much more to the story! that is the point of today's Gospel.

Jesus tells his Apostles and those who succeed them, that they must be prepared to undergo great sacrifices, even death itself, if called to do so. Even though they had only a very vague idea of what he meant, when the time came, they remembered his words and gladly suffered imprisonment, hardships, and finally Martyrdom for Jesus. This shows how the resurrection of Jesus, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, changed them from worldly weaklings to fearless heroes.

They had become convinced that Jesus was the Son of God who had come to Earth to bring all men to heaven. They came to realize how transitory and unimportant the few years of earthly life were, when compared with the eternal life to follow. It was not only the apostles who gave their lives gladly for Jesus. There are thousands of martyrs who, during the first three centuries of the church, not only accepted, but welcomed death for Christ's sake, because they were convinced it was the door to eternal life, the only life that mattered.

Down through the centuries, the followers of Jesus have been persecuted because of their belief in him, and many of us can be proud that we have among our ancestors, men and women who died for their faith. Today, too, there are still those who are suffering a lingering martyrdom, because they obey God rather than man.

All of us, at one point or another, or in one way or another, have had to bear crosses in life. By bearing our crosses, we can become more like Jesus. Why do some of us come out of our trials more miserable than before? And why do some of us become more Christ like? Well, it may be that the answer has to do with how we see Jesus and follow him.

Remember our Lord's words in today's first reading. he who will give hospitality and help to a prophet will have the reward of the prophet. He who helps those who are preaching and teaching the message of salvation, the good news of Jesus, at home and abroad, will himself share in that reward of these preachers and teachers.

When we get to heaven, one of the many pleasant surprises awaiting us will be the gratitude we will receive from the saints we've helped send to heaven, people we never knew or perhaps thought about. We helped those who thought about them and worked hard for their salvation, and thus we share in their rewards.

Remember this promise, even a cup of cold water will not go unrewarded, every little helping hand we give to bring our fellowmen to heaven will help us too, toward the same goal. Heaven is our real goal in life. It alone will satisfy all our desires and it alone will last forever.

Are we truly followers of him or are we only admirers? That is an important question we need to ask ourselves. Are we followers or admirers? If we are only admirers, then we will tend to see our faith and belief in Jesus as a crutch or a Band-Aid. If that happens, when trials and sufferings and sorrows come, we'll become bitter and hopeless people. Especially when things don't go the way we want them to go.

If on the other hand, we are true followers of Jesus we will realize that all of our trials and tribulations, no matter how awful they are, can and will bring us closer to God. Remember that we are called to learn about God. This doesn't mean that we figure out the Trinity or know word for word what the pope or Vatican has said or that we can read the new testament in original Greek. no we are called to learn about Jesus from our every day experiences and the joys and happiness of life, the struggles and pains, in our strengths and weaknesses of life too. We need to learn about God from Christ like people, people who pick up their crosses everyday and do their best to follow Jesus.

All of us can be Jesus to someone, someone who will remember what Jesus is like because they remember what we are like. They will know that we are true followers of Jesus, even in the midst of bearing our crosses. True followers and not just admirers only.

But we must also be willing to put away our self-centeredness. If we do this and realize this, we'll gain a deeper appreciation of what pain and suffering can bring to our lives.

Jesus says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it." Let us lose ourselves then in Jesus, and lose ourselves in all that life gives us, in joy and sorrow, in happiness and pain, in all things good and bad, so that one day, we can find life eternal in Him.

Readings and Gospel for this statement:

2 kings 4:8-17

Romans 6:1-11

Matthew 10:37-42

Today, so many religions are all about acceptance, tolerance, inclusivity. They talk about how God loves everyone and accepts everyone, and who are we to judge anyone? That's for God alone.

They don't teach about hell. Hell's become either a non existent place made up to frighten children or a place that is merely a separation from God. (despite the biblical mentions of fire and brimstone and suffering.)

God, in many newer Christian religions, has become a magic fairy godmother and all we have to do is love, accept, tolerate, and not judge. Suffering isn't part of the deal. Avoiding sin isn't part of the deal. sacrifice isn't part of the deal.

They are leading people astray by reinterpreting the harsh language of the bible and making it about love and peace and equality.

They are missing the point. The saints suffered, Christ suffered, and so we too must suffer in this world, and offer our sufferings to Christ, so that we can gain eternal peace and joy with Christ and all the saints who went before us.

The Rite of Confession

One favorite thing for non Catholics (and some Catholics) to attack, is the need for confession. After all, "We should go straight to God himself for only he can forgive sins"


Right?

That is not how Jesus saw it.

On the first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed onto them and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:20-23)

Reread that last line. Jesus did not say, "Tell them to go unto God and confess their sins." He told them, Whose sins YOU forgive will be forgiven.

Obviously, God is the ultimate decider on the fate of our souls, but Jesus constantly calls upon his followers (The apostles, his disciples, and in turn... us) to forgive. It is even in the Lord's prayer. It does not say, "Forgive us our trespasses and we pray you forgive those who trespass against us." Jesus taught us to say, as WE forgive those who trespass against us. He calls on US to forgive. We are all imbued with the power to forgive through the Holy Spirit.

Forgive us our trespasses as WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us. - The Lord's Prayer

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, FORGIVE HIM. (Luke 17:3)

"Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:20-23)

Jesus never once preached that Forgiveness was out of our hands, he preached that we must be forgiving to those truly repentant.

So where does it say we need to go to a priest rather than directly to God?

Of course you can go directly to God. In fact, all the priest does is remind us of God's love and mercy and that if we're truly repentant we are forgiven... then he reminds us of what Jesus told the adulteress he saved from stoning. "Go and sin no more." then the priest will give penance to do to reflect on our sins, on God's forgiveness, and how we can make changes in our lives to be better.

Confession is not a get out of jail free card. You can't sin, go to confession and say "sorry", then go back to sinning knowing you'll just say sorry again the following week. Confession is about being repentant. You must be repentant and want to change your sinful ways. you must want to be a better person. We're weak, and confession gives us the chance to talk our sins out with someone who serves God, like the disciples, hear ideas on where we've gone wrong and how to fix it, and hear that God can forgive us if we are truly sorry. But it does not work if you're just there to ease your guilt.

But again you ask, why not just go straight to God? Why humiliate yourself to a priest and tell him your faults?

We should feel humiliated for our transgressions, and we need to humble ourselves to show we are truly sorry. 

In the Letter of James Chapter 5 verse 16... he says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another." It is about humbling ourselves and showing true humility and sorrow for the acts which hurt God. God already knows our sins. So to show humility and humbleness, we confess to a priest, who is a disciple of Jesus, who has dedicated all that he is, his life and soul to God.

We humble ourselves to this follower of Christ, and he, in the authority Jesus gave, offers forgiveness if he truly believes we are repentant... and as Jesus said... if he forgives our sins... then we are forgiven.

There is nothing wrong with praying directly to God, but there is something sacred in the rite of confession. We humble ourselves, the priest, who has studied the bible and theology and interpretations of Christ's words from the top apologists of our time and times past, will explain to us the ways we can get back onto the path of the righteous, we are given penance we must do to further heal the wounds the sin caused on our soul... and we are given a chance to start anew. There is nothing more powerful than to hear the words, "You are forgiven, go and sin no more".

Confession is biblical, we are all called to forgive, and confession to a priest is just. It is in keeping with the bible.

If he repents... forgive him.

Those whose sins you forgive, are forgiven them.

Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another.

Forgive us our sins, as WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us.

Thou Shalt Not Judge

You have to love "Christians" who spend as much time as they can bashing Catholics. I am frequently attacked by "Christians" as not a Christian because I am Catholic.

Idolater, Worshiping those outside of God, Not following the words of Christ... it's still frustrating because no matter how many times we explain it as eloquently as we can (the difference between veneration and worship, that asking for intercessions from saints in heaven is not the same as seeking the redemption that only comes from God, the difference between a Crucifix and the Golden Calf)... they literally refuse to get it. It is almost prideful in the way they point at me and say "I'm a better Christian than  you. I refuse to even identify you as a Christian".

I again admonish them, Catholics have been around CENTURIES longer than their "Christian" religions.

In fact, before Christians identified themselves with various sects... they were called Catholics. Catholic is a term that means "Universal", so when fellow believers in Christ spoke about one another, they called themselves Catholics. (All who believe in Christ) When the first two sects of Christianity came into being during the Easter/Western Schism, The Roman Catholics were the ones who remained more true to the dogma originally set by the earlier Christians.

It was from the Roman Catholic Church that the other sects of "Christians" came into existence. So Most religious Christian sects are nothing more than born from the arm of Catholicism. They are children who deny their parents.

However, when you point this out to them, "You are prideful, the sin that caused Lucifer to fall. You act as if you're superior when we're all followers of Christ and are equal in God's eyes."

They look and reply, "Who are you to judge? Don't you know you're bible? God says "Thou shalt not judge"." (Which makes me giggle considering they just spent the better part of the interaction saying I am not a Christian because I am a Catholic and baring false witness against my beliefs.)

But it brings me to my next blog. "Judgement."

Constantly I hear, "Who are you to judge?" when one rebukes something that is a sin.

I've seen "Christians" stand up for adultery, homosexuality, the breaking of marriage vows made to God, those who would commit abortion. There are many "non-judgmental" Christians who welcome all the above. After all, we are all sinners, so who are we to judge? Even our Catholic anti-pope who sounds more protestant by the day, asks this question. "Who am I to judge?" (No offense padre, but you're the freakin' pope, as one Catholic comedian once joked.)

Then of course there's the "Where did Jesus rebuke x, y and z (usually homosexuality)? It's only mentioned in the bible in the old testament. If you were to go by those laws, you are sinning by eating shellfish. So who are you to judge when you're sinning every time you eat Shrimp on a Friday during Lent?"

When Christ came, he came as the new Covenant with God. he made some new rules, but that didn't mean he changed all of the old. Not mentioning homosexuality does not mean Jesus didn't think it was a sin. In fact, if anything, the lack of mentioning certain sins is confirmation that the view on those sins were unchanged.

When a law from the old testament was made anew with this new Covenant in Christ, Jesus brought it up and explained how it had changed. Example:

"If you follow the old laws, then obviously eating Shellfish is a sin!"

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile a person; but things that come out from within are what defile. (Mark 7:15)

When he got home away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him on the parable. He said to them "Are you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since if it enters not your heart, but the stomach and passes to the latrine? But what comes out of a person is what defiles. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." (Mark 7:17-23)

So Christ specifically changed the rule about unclean foods. Nothing we eat can defile us because it does not enter our hearts. It's the evil that comes from within our hearts that defiles us. This was a law from the old testament that he felt was important to change under the new covenant.

Then about judgement? Look at the adulteress who was about to be stoned to death. Jesus told those who gathered, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." They all dropped their stones and left. He truly was without sin, So he could have fulfilled the old law where she'd be condemned, but he merely said to her... "Go, and sin no more." (In other words, no one is left to condemn you for your sin. Now is your chance to be redeemed. What you did IS a sin, but if you repent and stop the sin, you can find redemption rather than condemnation.)

Thou shalt not judge is often misused, especially by the "Catholics aren't Christian" Christians. They Judge judge judge Catholics... but then say "Thou shalt not judge, ever read your bible?" when it's aimed at them. Atheists also love to use the "Thou shalt not judge" argument against Christians.

Jesus reminds us several times in the bible that we are also sinners, and we should look hard within ourselves to be sure our judgement is righteous before casting it. Ours is to forgive, and show sinners the path of the righteous. Not to condemn. Condemnation of the soul is something for God alone. He is the final judge of us all.

But that does not mean, we accept sin and we do not judge it nor rebuke it.

We should love the sinner, rebuke their sin and we should pray for their redemption, we should show them the right path, just as we would hope other would pray for us, poor sinners in our own right. But that does not mean, "Who am I to judge?"

Stop Judging by appearances; but JUDGE JUSTLY (John 7:24)

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, REBUKE HIM; and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

Reprimand publicly those who do sin, so that the rest also will be afraid. (1 Timothy 5:20)

Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

So "Thou Shalt not judge lest ye be judge" is often misused and misinterpreted. We are told that we should reflect on ourselves and our sins... But it also says we should expose evil, rebuke sin and judge justly.

Back to homosexuality... Christ never actually used the words "homosexual" or "Homosexuality". However, a lack of mentioning homosexuality should not be looked at as acceptance. Sin is still sin. Just like adultery is still considered a sin. Promiscuity, thievery, lying, taking God's name in vain. They're all still sins.

What Jesus did when he saved the adulteress from being put to death, (and this act encompasses other sins he either didn't mention, or that he mentioned but didn't make the bible, as I'm sure there are things Christ said that were not added to the good book.) is he changed the laws about the punishment for those sins, and condemnation by fellow sinners for those sins, because he came to redeem and save. But he did not say those were no longer sinful. Those sins are still sins.

Basically, it is our job to rebuke the sin, but it is God's job to decide the fate of the sinner's soul should they continue to sin.

We are to lead all sinners back to the right path, forgive them IF they are repentant and leave them to God to judge if they are not.

Because we are sinners, we must make sure we are not being hypocrites when we judge a sin. For example: If I have taken the Lord's name in vain, I should not be pointing my finger at someone else in righteous indignation for the same sin. That does not mean I should turn a blind eye to the person committing the same sin, but to confess my own shortcomings and lead the way to forgiveness if they are willing to follow. We must rebuke sin, including our own.

Do you know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor boy prostitutes, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. that is what some of you use to be, but now you have had yourselves washed. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Fornicators, adulterers can encompass those who are married and have affairs, or the unmarried who are promiscuous without the benefit of marriage in the eyes of God. Boy Prostitutes and Sodomites is often translated to Homosexuals in some bibles. So even the apostle Paul states these acts are still considered sins, and God will revoke their inheritance to the kingdom of heaven. (He's basically judging these sins and giving them the fair warning of God's just judgement. He's not condemning, he's rebuking and warning.)

But like any sinner, they can be redeemed through Jesus Christ if they go forth and sin no more. That means if you are a single woman, you give your body and soul to Christ until such as the time of your union blessed by God. If you are unmarried, your body remains the temple of Christ. If you have homosexual tendencies, you should sacrifice yourself unto Christ and live for him without giving to sin. Seek forgiveness if you do fall into the sin, and turn away from that sin. If you are a thief, change your life, stop stealing, stop breaking the law, and devote your life to God.

Thou shall judge... but thou shall also get your own house in order. Love, Forgiveness, redemption, that is what Christ is about. That does not mean we turn a blind eye to the evil leading God's children off the right path. We must speak out against sin, yes... judge sin. If we accept sin, if we excuse it, if we hold up our hands and say 'Who are we to judge"? then we are culpable to that sin. We can not condemn, but we must expose the evils lurking in the dark, to the light.

Love the sinner, detest the sin. Pray for the conversion of sinners so they may find redemption in Christ. I will pray for you as I hope you will pray for me, a poor sinner, that God may forgive me my trespasses and help me be a better person each and every day.

And Pray that God may grant me the patience and love to deal with the constant judgement that "Catholics aren't Christian", that I deal with daily.

Further Reading

Judgement - A Christian's perspective

Judge not - The Truth