Just a Little Compromise Won’t Hurt, Will it? by Garrett D. Johnson

By Garrett D. Johnson, Crisis Magazine, Oct. 11, 2023

Garrett D. Johnson was first labeled gay at the age of seven. He resisted this labeling as long as he could but eventually gave in as the identity took hold. He lived a gay life for over 15 years and began using drugs and alcohol heavily to numb the pain of living this identity.

Exhaustion from battle is settling into many orthodox Catholics, leading them to wonder if they should compromise on same-sex issues.

When it comes to the Church’s teachings on human sexuality, especially related to LGBTQ+ issues, the Church and those of us who follow her teachings are getting smacked around. The smacking is coming from outside and inside the Church—and with increasing intensity. While being Catholic has never been easy, I’d say that the difficulty has been ratcheted up over the last ten years. Truths that have stood firm for thousands of years, despite many not following them, are now ignored by most and seen as hateful and ignorant. The spiritual weight of the apostasy can be burdensome and exhausting.

I recently began reading the book The Pope Benedict XVI Reader. The first few pages state that at the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Benedict was “weary of the endless sniping between Protestants and Catholics.” Some might argue that this weariness seems to have impacted how he approached the differences between Catholics and Protestants to the detriment of souls. I would say that the same exhaustion from battle is settling into many Catholics who have orthodox beliefs, and its impact has the potential to negatively impact just as many souls. …