To deliberately ignite debate over homosexuality using an individuals unfortunate death is not the brightest idea on the block.

Agreed.

And I find it funny that a church only wants saints.  It is clear he was not a practticing homosexual at this time.  Where better for a "sinner" to go but a church for repentance?  Or is that reserved for saints only?

As for the photo montage, they could have diplomatically told the family no, and gone on with the service.  There is no sin in acknowledging a homosexual.  There is not even sin in being one.  The sin (accoring to the ones so incllined to categorize it as such) is in the actions, not the definitions.  And dead men are short on actions.

The church was very much in its rights, but as Ock points out, they did it in the worst possible manner.

LW posts:

This is a good find, Gideon. Ezekiel rounds out the abominations by placing stress on avoiding of all things...idleness.

For those of you who might be interested V. 44-58 are an allegory of members of a family meant to draw a comparison between Jerusalem's conduct and that of Samaria (Israel) and Sodom, who in this text are depicted as 3 sisters. Samaria was invaded by Assyria in punishment for her idolatry 2Kings17:5, 17. and long before that, Sodom was engulfed by fire becasue of her perverse conduct (Gen.19:23-29). BUt Jerusalem has behaved far worse than her sisters and therefore must pay the price for her sins.

Ezekiel is using these allegories to make the point that Jerusalem's sins are particularly greivous becasue they are committed by the most beloved city of the Lord God.

V. 49 points to the root causes of Sodom's vices: an easy life of luxury, careless of the needs of others, led her onto worse sins yet. so , therefore, the ascetical tradition's stress on the avoidance of idleness as a means to preserve virtue.

This is the way to keep all aspects of the Sixth Commandment of GOd. "In the first place, we must flee from idleness, for, as Ezekiel wrote, it was through idleness that the people of Sodom succombed and fell into the shameful evil of consupiscence" 3, 7, 10.

Kingbee posts:

Yes, I'll acknowledge this as well....

but this is getting off the topic of the initial article.

I think He does. He condemned sexual immorality. Check out the Ten Commandments, specifically the Sixth, "You shalt not commit adultery". Here according to the Catechism of the CC, the Sixth Commandment condemns acts of lust, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitition, rape, incest, adultery, polygamy, divorce and homosexuality.

my opinion is that the church should have buried the man the way he wanted sense they said they would. and having learned from this not allow any more videos to be played again.