…But antigay opportunists might not like this born-again Christian’s message.
From The Dallas Voice, Feb. 23, 2006 (I’m still behind in my e-mail):
For a while, he identified as bisexual.
“But when I leaned more towards trying to date a guy, it just didn’t click. When you’re in a relationship with somebody, it can’t just be a physical thing. You have to have an emotional-spiritual connection or it’s not going to work. And I never really found that I could have that connection with another guy,” he says.
Unlike many exgay activists, Katt (real name: David Papaleo, age 36) honestly addresses the difference between having had sex with the same gender and actually being romantically, physically and spiritually attracted to the same gender.
Papaleo left Catholicism at a young age after his mother was murdered by his stepfather. In 2003, he was drawn back to Christianity:
“I didn’t hit rock bottom, and I didn’t turn to a particular church. I just started praying. I prayed and asked God for help,” he says. “I asked him to help me with what my life was becoming, and what my life should become. He truthfully helped me in my heart and showed me that what I was doing wasn’t correct.”
But instead of joining a band of right-wing ideologues, Papaleo simply studied the Bible.
“I’ve been very unimpressed with a lot of churches. Many of them don’t study or teach the Bible in the depth that it should be taught. A lot of churches pull one or two verses out of the air and make up their own interpretations of it instead of really studying the book itself,” he says.
The debates over morality and sexuality identity have fueled his research.
“What I found is that so many people — including myself at one time — believe those crazy so-called Christians who say, if you’re gay or bi, God doesn’t want you. That’s a big piece of crap,” he says. “They are misconstruing and give twisted interpretations of Biblical scriptures. I’ve extensively studied the scriptures they try to base that on, and it’s just not true.”
Papaleo has more to say about gay monogamy and same-gender marriage; read the interview (if you didn’t two months ago).
Tom Katt (David Papaleo) is incredibly HOT! 😉 Anyway, I am very impressed with his turn about in his life and that he is searching for his connection with God and with his fellow beings. I am also very impressed with his approach to the Bible and Biblical studies in general, especially that he is studying the Biblical record on his own without influence from Evangelicals, Catholics or any religious leaders, etc.
A man like that who has been with so many guys sexually is probably going through a time in his life where he is searching for a much deeper understanding of himself and also other men. I have faith that he’ll find what he is looking for and be a powerful and spiritual voice in our community. He is a beautiful man!
David Papaleo represents a type of problem that many who seek out Christianity face. For him and many others, the answers to a spiritual dimension begin and end with the Bible, as if this tool written by, for, and within the Church could possibly be understood independent of the Church.
But the Bible is NOT what Christianity is about! For historic Christians, the Person of Jesus is what everything else points to. As Orthodox Christians observe, “the Bible is the book of spiritual perfection.” It’s the written redaction of others’ experience with the divine, culminating in the manifestation of Jesus as God Incarnate. It’s communion with the Incarnate God that historic Christians seek, not fidelity to every nuance written down over centuries in a Book of books.
Isn’t it remarkable that Christianity grew and thrived for 15 centuries before Guttenburg ever printed a single Bible? For the first few centuries after Jesus’s life on earth, no Christian scripture even existed. And the canonization of Scripture did not occur until the 15th C. How did Christianity prosper and grow without everyone having their own Bible?
The advent of biblical publishing and the protestant reformation changed the original dynamic of Christianity from encounter with the divine to reading God’s holy writ for obedience. Knowing the Bible became more important than participating in the divine life. Prior to preoccupation with “the literal and inerrant Word of God,” which is the central precept of fundamentalists, the central preoccupation of historical Christianity was caught in the prayer: “May we share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” That ejaculatory prayer expresses Christianity better than all the verses in the Bible. Being “born again,” or regenerated, was merely the first step on the road to holiness and perfection as manifested in Christ. The Bible’s narratives, myths, and stories were designed to show how God operates in human history. Claiming that the Bible is the literal and inerrant Word of God is some 15th C. axiom that is incredulous as it is absurd.
Rather than some existential experience, baptism, or regeneration, simply inaugurates a person into the New Covenant family of faith, and it is the whole family dynamic, not merely the individual believer, that, as “the people of God,” they collectively work out their salvation in fear and trembling. In historic Christianity, corporate identity as followers of Jesus was the paradigm, demonstrated weekly by sharing in the Pascha (or Christian Passover). Each week, the community (or Church) celebrates the Paschal mystery of faith: That an infinite God took finite human form, suffered as the perfect sacrifice of reconciliation to God, in order to redeem a broken humanity. The believer’s response is to become more and more Christ-like, “to put on Christ,” not to put every verse of the Bible into practice.
The Eucharist, which is the central corporate action of historical Christianity, recalls Jesus’s Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection and, obeying Jesus’s command, celebrates Christ’s ever-present presence through succeeding generations (“where two or more are gathered in my name”). Historic Christians believe that Jesus becomes incarnate again through this sacred meal, and that participation in this sacred feast is a foretaste of eternal bliss, further reunion with God, and the experience of the living Christ literally in their midst. As Luke reminds readers after Jesus’s resurrection, “Christ made himself known in the breaking of the bread.” This theme permeates historical Christianity; Jesus continues to make himself known in the “breaking of bread.” This communion with God has both a “horizontal” and “vertical” dimension, wherein all share in Jesus’s divinity by virtue of their baptism and communion of eating and drinking Christ’s Body and Blood (which is “Life” itself), and all share in a common humanity that depends on reciprocal altruism for sustaining life.
Today’s bibliocentric Christianists seek their answer to life’s central questions in a book, rather than in the living dynamics of the believing community (i.e., the Church). Indeed, one of the biggest errors of today’s bibliocentric Christianists is to regard the whole Bible as equally important, versus the historic Christians, who regard the Gospel as primal, and which is the prism through which all other books must be perceived and received. Ritually, when the Gospel is proclaimed on Sundays, historic Christians stand to receive the spoken Christ in their midst the Person of Christ (e.g., where two or more are gathered). And thus, Jesus is made present by his words spoken to successive generations through the proclamation of the evangelists testimony.
Whereas bibliocentric Christianists believe every word of the Bible to be literally and inerrantly true, the historic Christian regards the Bible as the written Logos, a tool, by which the resurrected Christ is made flesh again in the presence of all who hear the good news and bear witness to it in their lives. Scanning and studying the Bible for a particular insight into God’s written word for a life plan may be the bibliocentric Christianists’ modus operandi, but for the historic Christian, s/he receives the Risen Person of Jesus as he lives and speaks the eternal words of the Gospel to the whole community. One encounters Jesus’s presence through the written word and the breaking of bread, the apostles’ fellowship (apostolic succession of bishops), the apostles’ teachings (as largely contained in the Bible), and the prayers (see, Acts 2:42), where the definite article “the” indicates ritual prayer.
So, fundamentalist Christianists and historic Christians could not be more dissimilar. The former culls every written word of the entire Bible, looking for spiritual significance or necessary obedience to “the letter,” while the latter seeks to encounter the living Person of Jesus everywhere in the world, yes, starting with mutual fellowship on Sunday, etc. and continuing with every person one meets throughout the week. While the fundamentalist Christianist devalues “good works” and extols “faith,” the historic Christian sees “the good works of faith” as transforming the world in order to advance Jesus’s kingdom. And what are those good works?
love one’s neighbor
clothe the naked
comfort the poor
visit the sick
bury the dead
reject materialism
comfort the sad
aid the troubled
feed the hungry
help the orphaned and widowed
As Jesus is reported to have said: “That which you do to the least of my brethren [and sisters], that you do to ME.” When the historic Christian beholds the world, s/he sees Jesus in everyone and everywhere. When the fundamentalist Christianist beholds the world, s/he sees the devil working his wiles. The two worldviews could not be more opposite. The former sees the world redeemed, the latter the world corrupt. Being “born again” is meaningless if it instills faith, but lacks works, for faith without works is a dead faith indeed (James).
One contemporary song writer put the two perspectives in high relief: “They will know us by our love.” Yes, indeed, by our love. The central theme and message of Jesus is that “God is love.” Jesus himself had a beloved disciple, in likely the same kind of love between David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi. And, anyone who claims to have faith, or of being “born again,” or of acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, or of being a disciple of Christ, etc., and does not act from love, is a charlattan. Faith, hope, and love, writes Saint Paul, and the greatest of these is love.
Papaleo’s story echoes my personal experience of exgays who are actually “ex” and not gay-men-who-now-have-sex-with-women. The ones who end up happy as exgays are those who were bisexual to begin with.
I’m really touched by papaleo’s story, he is the role model for those who are gay and are being condemmed. Like he said, GOD love us all the same and never less. HE’ve already send HIS begotten son to die for us so why HE would condemmed us. Although some may disagree with this statement that ‘GOD made me this way’, it might be true. Maybe GOD made us this way because HE has a better plan for us. I totally support Papaleo in his new found faith and truly happy for him ( although a little dissapointed cause’ all this while i was thinking he’s gay and because he’s so HOT !!!!! ) anyway, goodluck to him in whatever he’s doing at the moment and continue to live for HIM !!!!
4 HIS CAUSE!!!!!
I just admire David for being so brave and become public about his decision. Something that will only bring good things into his life.
I big HURRAH for him!
I grew up with Dave when he moved to MA from Atlanta in the mid 1970’s, and always knew that he would live an extrodinary life. He has! David, good luck to you and your wife as you continue to chart your path in life.
I’m sorry, but the whole “you can’t be gay or bisexual and christian” or the “straight is better than bisexual” tone of David Papaleo thought process is just plain disgusting. It really appears he wants to be the victim. Reading the Bible on a porn set — c’mon, he wants to be scorned and abused.
And some of the self-hating comments on this thread are just wrong.
I’ve decided long ago that adult porn stars were really screwed up mentally. You really have to be to do this type of work. They are all desperate for attention and approval. They aren’t the most honest of people and mostly are dealing with other things such as drug addiction, sexual abuse at a young age and other issues. Anyone listening to them on issues of sexuality would be like listening to an alcoholic for advice on drinking.
Having been raised in fundamentalism, I can relate to this guys quest for Biblical truth as opposed to cultural biases that abuse the Bible by taking things out of context.
He needs to check out the new men’s movement called g0ys (spelled with a zer0).
Not only does it address the flexibility he sees in sexuality — but it also challenges fundamentalist views & the entire modern GAY/BI/STRAIGHT way of thinking about sexuality.
If this guy wants to see the Bible used to create a solid theological view — then g0ys.org is where he should be looking.
Ummmmm…. anyone else find this g0y site bizarre? A confusing mix of homophobia and porn? I suspect this ‘movement’ is one guy with a very twisted perspective on being gay. But maybe I missed the point?!
I respect his choice but he still remains a very very hot guy. I really love him. Does anyone have some of his movies? It is quite impossible to find them all here in Italy… See you soon!
I, too, new Dave growing up. I just want to lend my voice in support of you, David, and wish you and your family happiness. Peace.
Dave is no the right path.
Same sex attracktion (ssa)is a wound though a chan of events in my like I found I had arrived with these feelings,I stress feelings because feelings can change if I find the root cause of my ssa.The main cause for me was lack of father son bond and identifing to much with my mother and sister.Because of this it’s been very hard to click with other guys,My work now is to go out(mainly church)and relate and identify=connect with other guys without having sex with them.This is Gods plan for me and I am so blessed to have Jesus by my side the whole way,in Him I have found the way.Jeremiah29:11.
I also did a mens weekend(new worrior training)mkp.org here I can have very deep relationships with other men(brothers)without having sex with
them.
Now God is my loving Father for ever.
I own all my words this works for me,I’m not sure if it will for you.
Mark
.
What a trnsformation. To hear that this guy, that comes from a world of hot men and sex, can change to live a life for Jesus. How is this possible? I have battled SSA my whole life, and to hear that this guy over came this battle is unbelievable. I don’t think the want has gone away. It’s just like any addiction. You crave it, but you avoid it because if you do it, the addiction becomes stronger. I don’t know if LOVE between to men is wrong. Maybe this is talking about pagans, idol worship, or the Roman life style: Lusting after men and having sexual oragies. I know the Bible and it’s verses, but the Bible can’t change a person. If someone follows every jot and title, it can consume the person to depravity. Thank God for his son. If we didn’t have him, we wouldn’t have a savior that knows are very feelings. It is only by his grace that we will be saved.
The decission that Dave did, is great and very self disciplined, but I don’t see that it is the only right answer. Only God knows. The Book teaches us. Just as it says:”such were many of you, but you have changed your ways to follow Jesus. May God’s grace abound.
“What a trnsformation. To hear that this guy, that comes from a world of hot men and sex, can change to live a life for Jesus. How is this possible?”
Well it is very easy if you happen to be straight to begin with. Porn actors do it for cash not for love or attraction.