Citation
Monday, 28. April 2008, 10:21:17
I'm reading "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons" for my last ever Catholic Ethics paper. Not last ever Catholic ethics paper in general, but last ever paper for that specific class. It was promulgated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in June of 2003, back when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was still called Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
I was inspired to blog not by any of the fun and interesting legal and theological issues it discusses, but by a matter of citation. At this point, I'm kind of burnt out on any phrase that starts with the word gay. This includes gay sex, gay marriage, gay adoption, gay rights, gay porn, gay abortions, gay unicorns, whatever. I feel like that's all I've been discussing or thinking about for at least half a semester and I would rather do something else. Like take a nap, or play with Mister Bones.
Yes, I am aware I signed up for a queer studies class. And I absolutely don't regret it (or the blogging about blogging). Queer ≠ Gay, so that's different. And the first half of the semester was fine, when that queer studies class was the only class which involved discussing phrases which start with gay.
This isn't supposed to be a homophobic rant. Because I don't have the energy to rant right now, and because I'm not homophobic. But I think maybe it was starting to sound like one to people who don't know me. The point is that I'm burned out on gay right now. Not queer though. Just gay.
Anyway, the passage that caught my attention, in No 4:
Nonetheless, according to the teaching of the Church, men and women with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”.(7)
Footnote (7) refers to "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons" which was created by the same Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October of 1986, also back when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was still called Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
Clearly, I'm not assuming that he was the only person responsible for writing these documents. But his is the prominent signature, and as the head of the CDF at that time, I think it is fair to assign him primary responsibility for documents promulgated under his supervision regardless of the degree of his direct involvement.
At any rate, this passage inspired the following two questions: 1- If you quote yourself, do you really need to cite yourself? And 2- If you want to reuse your own words, who says you have to quote yourself anyway?
I was inspired to blog not by any of the fun and interesting legal and theological issues it discusses, but by a matter of citation. At this point, I'm kind of burnt out on any phrase that starts with the word gay. This includes gay sex, gay marriage, gay adoption, gay rights, gay porn, gay abortions, gay unicorns, whatever. I feel like that's all I've been discussing or thinking about for at least half a semester and I would rather do something else. Like take a nap, or play with Mister Bones.
Yes, I am aware I signed up for a queer studies class. And I absolutely don't regret it (or the blogging about blogging). Queer ≠ Gay, so that's different. And the first half of the semester was fine, when that queer studies class was the only class which involved discussing phrases which start with gay.
This isn't supposed to be a homophobic rant. Because I don't have the energy to rant right now, and because I'm not homophobic. But I think maybe it was starting to sound like one to people who don't know me. The point is that I'm burned out on gay right now. Not queer though. Just gay.
Anyway, the passage that caught my attention, in No 4:
Nonetheless, according to the teaching of the Church, men and women with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”.(7)
Footnote (7) refers to "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons" which was created by the same Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October of 1986, also back when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was still called Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
Clearly, I'm not assuming that he was the only person responsible for writing these documents. But his is the prominent signature, and as the head of the CDF at that time, I think it is fair to assign him primary responsibility for documents promulgated under his supervision regardless of the degree of his direct involvement.
At any rate, this passage inspired the following two questions: 1- If you quote yourself, do you really need to cite yourself? And 2- If you want to reuse your own words, who says you have to quote yourself anyway?
