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One of the nice things about being a Catholic is there is a nice clear rule book. It's called the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you want to know the official Church position on something you can look it up here.

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

So let's see where it says gays are abominations.

Chastity and homosexuality

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Hmmm. Where is the hate? According to this everything except for sex inside a marriage without artificial contraception is the same sin.

Funny how the Catholic Church agrees with you on that:
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2111.htm

It is not even essential to believe this to be a Catholic. Many Catholic theologians do not.

Just to clarify, transubstantiation is a central doctrine of Catholicism: i.e. if you want to say you believe the Catholic Faith, you must believe this.

The Catholic Church specifically teaches that the form (accident), however, does not typically change in any physical way (there are reported miracles where this is believed to happen, but the Church never requires belief in them).

Thanks for posting this; I was hoping someone would. Relevant paragraph from the CCC:

159 Faith and science: "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."

If one ever seems to be in conflict with the other, than one must not be properly understood.

The Catholic catechism says that anyone who follows the laws of their God, believes Jesus is the begotten son of their God who died for the forgiveness of sins, undergoes Baptism, and worships their God to the best of their understanding will go to their Heaven and live forever with their God.

Catholic catechism: profession of faith

A more authoritative but less well marked-up page is to be found on the Vatican website. Search for "Wounds to Unity". The Catholic church for years has accepted all Christians as saved, although they tend to believe it's a saving through their splintered brotherhood in Christianity with the Catholics than through their own churches so much.

Armed resistance to oppression by political authority is not legitimate, unless all the following conditions are met:
1. there is certain, grave, and prolonged violation of fundamental rights;
2. all other means of redress have been exhausted;
3. such resistance will not provoke worse disorders;
4. there is well-founded hope of success; and
5. it is impossible reasonably to foresee any better solution.

Catholics have always believed that sex between a married hetrosexual couple was a holy, good act.

Yes, as long as the couple's intentions are correct. They must have goals of unity (of their love) and procreation in mind. See the catechism: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2360

2363 The spouses' union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family.

The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.

A sex act, even between married heterosexual couples is not necessarily a good holy act, unless by doing so they are expressing love and intending to have children. If they have in mind sex for pleasure's sake (hedonism) or their own desires, rather than love (selfishness), the act is NOT good, as the summary implies.

See another part of the catechism:

2351 Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.

So, yes, sex is encouraged, but only for particular goals. Any heterosexual married couple who engages in sex without the explicit intent to procreate is NOT engaging in a "holy, good act." That probably means most sex acts between married couples do not conform to your claim... hence apparently the need to encourage prayer, as stated in the summary. That's how it's news.

We must escape from the Culture of Death; to learn about alternatives to medical contraceptives and the contraceptive mentality, please visit the following sites where you can learn about the techniques and benefits of modern Natural Family Planning (NFP):

Couple to Couple League International

Billings Ovulation Method

One More Soul

Pope Paul VI Institute

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2351 Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes

2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.

2360 Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament.

2361 "Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death."

Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah, "Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety." So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying, "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers. . . . You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper and support. From the two of them the race of mankind has sprung. You said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.' I now am taking this kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that she and I may find mercy and that we may grow old together." And they both said, "Amen, Amen." Then they went to sleep for the night. (Tob 8:4-9)

2362 "The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude." Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure:

The Creator himself . . . established that in the [generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.

2363 The spouses' union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family.

The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.

2366 Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is "on the side of life," teaches that "it is necessary that each a

We may NOT do evil so that good may result from it . . .

DONUM VITAE
(translated "The Gift of Life")

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

INSTRUCTION ON RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE IN ITS ORIGIN AND ON THE DIGNITY OF PROCREATION

REPLIES TO CERTAIN QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

FOREWORD

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has been approached by various Episcopal Conferences or individual Bishops, by theologians, doctors and scientists, concerning biomedical techniques which make it possible to intervene in the initial phase of the life of a human being and in the very processes of procreation and their conformity with the principles of Catholic morality. The present Instruction, which is the result of wide consultation and in particular of a careful evaluation of the declarations made by Episcopates, does not intend to repeat all the Church's teaching on the dignity of human life as it originates and on procreation, but to offer, in the light of the previous teaching of the Magisterium, some specific replies to the main questions being asked in this regard. The exposition is arranged as follows: an introduction will recall the fundamental principles, of an anthropological and moral character, which are necessary for a proper evaluation of the problems and for working out replies to those questions; the first part will have as its subject respect for the human being from the first moment of his or her existence; the second part will deal with the moral questions raised by technical interventions on human procreation; the third part will offer some orientations on the relationships between moral law and civil law in terms of the respect due to human embryos and foetuses* and as regards the legitimacy of techniques of artificial procreation.

* The terms "zygote", "pre-embryo", "embryo" and "foetus" can indicate in the vocabulary of biology successive stages of the development of a human being. The present Instruction makes free use of these terms, attributing to them an identical ethical relevance, in order to designate the result (whether visible or not) of human generation, from the first moment of its existence until birth. The reason for this usage is clarified by the text (cf I, 1).

INTRODUCTION

1. BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH

The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it: this fundamental principle must be placed at the centre of one's reflection in order to clarify and solve the moral problems raised by artificial interventions on life as it originates and on the processes of procreation. Thanks to the progress of the biological and medical sciences, man has at his disposal ever more effective therapeutic resources; but he can also acquire new powers, with unforeseeable consequences, over human life at its very beginning and in its first stages. Various procedures now make it possible to intervene not only in order to assist but also to dominate the processes of procreation. These techniques can enable man to "take in hand his own destiny", but they also expose him "to the temptation to go beyond the limits of a reasonable dominion over nature".(1) They might constitute progress in the service of man, but they also involve serious risks. Many people are therefore expressing an urgent appeal that in interventions on procreation the values and rights of the human person be safeguarded. Requests for clarification and guidance are coming not only from the faithful

Sooo... a leader of the Catholic Church favors the teachings of the Bible over science?

Sooo... a leader of the Catholic Church favors the teachings of the Bible over science?

formally chronicled in writing 300 years after the facts

A number of the books of the bible were written within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses to the events, or even by the eyewitnesses. This site lists the dates of the entire New Testament as being within 40ish years of Jesus' ministry.

Neither the Catholic Church nor any of the major liberal Protestant denominations believe in inerrancy -- the idea that the Bible is perfectly and literally true.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."

"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s1c2a3.htm#II

I think that's mightly close to saying that the Bible is free from error.

I will celebrate with Borsht and Vodka, the two most holy Slavic sacraments!

Of course, in Catholic doctrine, there is no literal fire-and-brimstone. Hell is the absence of God. So maybe you're already there!

Of course, that's almost true but not quite.

In summary, for those Slashdottian Linkophobes, The Catholic Church presents hell as 'eternal fire', perhaps literal, perhaps not (it leaves itself somewhat agnostic on the matter). Regardless of the literalness of the fire part, Hell is certainly real. "The chief punishment of Hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs." (from the link above, Pgh. 1035.

Belloc