Focus on Christ rather than political fashion

Whoops, my cover has been blown. An e-mail is currently being sent around announcing that, “Michael Coren can no longer be considered a reliable source of Catholic opinion.” Golly, who knew? Actually, I’ve never claimed to be a reliable source of Catholic opinion, even though various cardinals and archbishops have affirmed and praised me, but I’m an excellent source of Michael Coren opinion. The line of accusation was originally posted on a particularly hysterical and angry web site by someone who, oddly enough, had me speak at a conference he’d organized a few months ago, at which I received a standing ovation. How quickly opinions can change!

The reason for the fellow’s epiphany, and for his Internet warrior friends to attack me behind my back in a profoundly un-biblical manner, was not because I doubt God, because I don’t; not because I no longer worship Jesus, because I do; not because I deny the real presence, because I don’t; not because I question Our Lady or the Virgin Birth, because I don’t; not because I question the crucifixion or Resurrection or salvation or Gospel, because I don’t. No, it’s because I refuse to hate.

I’ve written about this before in this column but at that time the blitz of bile had only just started, and now it’s entered the battle stage. Simply, I will not and do not call gay people sodomites, I do not compare gay activists to Nazis, I distinguish between radicals who want to silence Christians and ordinary gay people — the vast majority — who merely want to get on with their lives, I don’t obsess about homosexuality, I think that the message of Jesus is more about love and mercy than judgment and condemnation, and I would like to re-shape and improve the conversation between Catholics and the gay community.