**This episode was recorded on March 25, a week before the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against the Colorado law banning therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors
Paul, I really appreciated this conversation, because it seems far more honest (in the sense of following the truth wherever it leads) than many discussions of this issue in what I would call "popular theology" or "popular apologetics." A couple of follow-up questions and thoughts occurred to me after listening to the whole conversation:
1. The popular Catholic view which favors conversion therapy seems similar to other movements in politics which define themselves by what they are against. The attitude seems similar to: "We are against the secular view of human sexuality. When they tell us that conversion therapy is harmful, they are simply trying to push their secular views onto us. We need to resist this!" This approach prioritizes resisting the perceived attack of a hostile ideology (perceived as a monolith) rather than seeking the truth. And in so doing, it steamrolls over real people and what they actually need. It reminds me of Pope Francis's point that "realities are greater than ideas" (Evangelii Gaudium 231)
2. I wonder how much the Theology of the Body (or more likely the popular distillations of it from speakers like Christopher West, Jason Evert, and others) contribute to the popular Catholic attitude toward sexuality which Julia suggested is similar to prosperity gospel preaching in protestant circles. The popular accounts of the Theology of the Body tend to portray a very high, idealized, spiritualized view of sexuality. On the one hand, this is a helpful corrective to the animalistic, gnostic-like approach to sexuality which comes across in secular culture, but it also inevitably leads to difficulty and disillusionment because it doesn't always jive with the messiness of daily human life. It can lead to scrupulosity or blaming oneself for not experiencing the ideal.
Paul, I really appreciated this conversation, because it seems far more honest (in the sense of following the truth wherever it leads) than many discussions of this issue in what I would call "popular theology" or "popular apologetics." A couple of follow-up questions and thoughts occurred to me after listening to the whole conversation:
1. The popular Catholic view which favors conversion therapy seems similar to other movements in politics which define themselves by what they are against. The attitude seems similar to: "We are against the secular view of human sexuality. When they tell us that conversion therapy is harmful, they are simply trying to push their secular views onto us. We need to resist this!" This approach prioritizes resisting the perceived attack of a hostile ideology (perceived as a monolith) rather than seeking the truth. And in so doing, it steamrolls over real people and what they actually need. It reminds me of Pope Francis's point that "realities are greater than ideas" (Evangelii Gaudium 231)
2. I wonder how much the Theology of the Body (or more likely the popular distillations of it from speakers like Christopher West, Jason Evert, and others) contribute to the popular Catholic attitude toward sexuality which Julia suggested is similar to prosperity gospel preaching in protestant circles. The popular accounts of the Theology of the Body tend to portray a very high, idealized, spiritualized view of sexuality. On the one hand, this is a helpful corrective to the animalistic, gnostic-like approach to sexuality which comes across in secular culture, but it also inevitably leads to difficulty and disillusionment because it doesn't always jive with the messiness of daily human life. It can lead to scrupulosity or blaming oneself for not experiencing the ideal.