Bishop says lack of belief in God has led to a rise in LGBT ‘identities’

(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau, Germany, has said a decline in belief in God has driven a rise in LGBT “identities” and expanded what he called the “scope of what is possible” around sex and gender.

In a homily on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Oster said that “the perceived absence or non-existence of God” has led to a “distancing” from the “biblical image of humanity.” According to the bishop, this lack of faith has “vastly expanded the scope of what is possible within the broader context surrounding the topic of sex and gender.”

He warned that “if we are becoming increasingly secular – that is, if faith is steadily fading or being called into question – if the influence of the Christian churches in our country is becoming less and less relevant – then the descriptive nature of the concept of human dignity gradually disappears.”

“What remains is its normative nature: the view that dignity must be protected. But at the same time, this goes hand in hand with a constant struggle to define what we actually mean by dignity. It can no longer be based on being created in God’s image. And secondly, we ask: Who, then, in the fullest sense, is this human being who is the bearer of this dignity and worthy of protection?”

“And now I’ll list some things that I assume the vast majority of the mothers and fathers of our Constitution hadn’t even remotely considered when they drafted the provision on inviolable dignity into the Basic Law: for example, the debate over abortion as a human right, which is also frequently discussed here.”

“Or take another example: In 2020, our German Constitutional Court emphasized the right to self-determined death, and as a result, it has since been possible here to turn assisted suicide into a business model,” Oster continued. “To me, this is a breaking of the dam – and a reversal of what we mean by human dignity, which is a gift from our God, who is also Lord over life and death.”

In a further example of societal departure from Christian principles, Oster noted: “An influential politician from a mainstream party votes against legalizing surrogacy in our country. And he does so at a time when he and his partner had already agreed to have a child through surrogacy abroad – and when the surrogate mother was already pregnant.”

READ: ‘Not for sale’: Bishop denounces gay German MP for using surrogate to get a child

He then addressed the LGBT “pride” parade known as Christopher Street Day. The “lifestyles, sexual preferences, and self-defined identities” displayed during the event show “just how fundamentally society has changed,” Oster lamented.

“And yes, it is an expression of human freedom that our democracy explicitly enables,” the German bishop continued. “At the same time, it becomes clear how difficult it is for us, as people of faith, to reconcile everything that is displayed or advocated there with our Christian view of humanity. In light of certain things, we ask ourselves honestly: Does this correspond to the dignity given to us by God – or does it contradict it? Is the writer Dostoevsky ultimately right when he says, ‘If God does not exist, everything is permitted?’”

While noting that, “without exception, all the people participating [in the LGBT parade] are beloved children of God with inalienable dignity,” Oster nevertheless argued that Catholics “must respect their freedom” to promote the LGBT agenda, but “without necessarily having to endorse what is displayed or advocated there.”

“I believe that the perceived absence or perceived nonexistence of God has massively expanded the scope of what is possible within the broader context surrounding the topic of sex and gender. And that most of this does not correspond to the biblical view of humanity,” the bishop of Passau stated.

“And then, looking at it from the other side politically: The same principle – the recognition of the dignity of every human being as a beloved child of God – also applies to respect for people who are fleeing, or for people from other cultures, ethnic groups, and faiths,” he added.

“Or for people on the margins of society, or for people with disabilities,” Oster stated. “Or for the elderly, or for women and children. It always applies. We are always called to respect every human being and, above all, never to resort to violence. We may and should clearly state what aligns with our understanding of what it means to be human and what does not, but we are also called to do so in love – a love that lives within us when we, too, live in union with Christ.”