The Catholic Church issues another statement about gay marriage

[Associate Justice PiT]

Another thought popped into my head here, which would apply to any religion that both believes that (1) gay sex and gay marriage is "sinful,"  and (2)  one should evangelize to spread the word. Suppose that if I converted pursuant to being evangelized,  mental health professionals having "examined" me, opined that the odds would then dramatically increase that  I would become desperately unhappy and a neurotic mess (say even materially more likely to commit suicide). Would it be a sin under Catholic theology, or whatever theology of another such religion, to evangelize me under such circumstances? Is there any concept at all, that a given theology is not for everyone given their situation?

     As someone who belongs to a different church that meets the criteria you outlined, our point of view is that everyone should be evangelized. We all bring different struggles to the table, and we may be happier in the short-term for satiating them, but our souls will benefit in the long-term if we abide in the spiritual life of the Church and fight temptation. There are many sinful tendencies in my own heart which I have had to deny. It's been hard, but as I have worked through it I've become a happier and more centered person as a result.

[Associate Justice PiT]

There are lots of cultural Catholics, and this has been going on long before the issue of gay rights was being debated.

Yes - the majority of Catholics worldwide are cultural Catholics. It is becoming a semi ethnic religion, like Judaism, which has more cultural implications than religious ones.

The issue is whether or not the children of cultural Catholics will still identify as Catholic in 50, or even 30 years.

     It is unlikely that they will, regardless of what the Catholic Church does. I grew up surrounded by cultural Catholic parents with atheist children, and the consistent theme in their children's unbelief was a reaction to the hypocrisy of the parents. If parents do not fulfill their duty to raise their children in the faith that they claim to be a part of, then there is little that the ministers of that faith can really do to counteract that failure.

[Associate Justice PiT]

There are lots of cultural Catholics, and this has been going on long before the issue of gay rights was being debated.

Yes - the majority of Catholics worldwide are cultural Catholics. It is becoming a semi ethnic religion, like Judaism, which has more cultural implications than religious ones.

The issue is whether or not the children of cultural Catholics will still identify as Catholic in 50, or even 30 years.

     It is unlikely that they will, regardless of what the Catholic Church does. I grew up surrounded by cultural Catholic parents with atheist children, and the consistent theme in their children's unbelief was a reaction to the hypocrisy of the parents. If parents do not fulfill their duty to raise their children in the faith that they claim to be a part of, then there is little that the ministers of that faith can really do to counteract that failure.

That's the polar opposite from my experience. The kids whose parents were super devout tended to be so disgusted by the teachings on issues like LGBT equality and most especially birth control that they left Christianity altogether for basic decency reasons, while the kids whose parents told them it was ok to just ignore the "official" policy on those issues generally still identify as Catholic.

Obviously, neither of those observations are 100%, but every atheist I know was raised in a hardline religious (either Catholic or Evangelical) household, not a casual one.

     Do they merely speak their views or do they live them too? Southern Evangelicals have historically had a major problem with antinomian soteriology, leading many to live in worldly fashions and still fancy themselves as being saved. Fortunately though in more recent years they also have had better teachers emerge who preach and emphasize the importance of walking in the ways of God and being at enmity with sin. Paul Washer in a sermon called the Southern United States the most spiritually dangerous place in the world. It's an exaggeration, but also the wake-up call that people need.

     If one lacks a good Christian witness of a life lived for Christ then one must be regarded as a cultural Christian, regardless of what one might say about theology. Faith is not something that can exist only as an opinion in one's head, but must also be realized in a fundamental movement of the spirit in response to the Holy Spirit.