A priest’s view of Penn State
Original Post Date 11/16/2011
This priest has a pretty clear-eyed view of the comparison between church and Penn State.
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Catholics & Republicans Livid over HHS Decision to End Contract Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking
Original Post Date 11/16/2011
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded contracts for providing assistance to victims of human trafficking to three new groups, leaving the previous vendor, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, behind. Now, after complaints by the church and the USCCB more than 30 Republican lawmakers have charged that the HHS decision was religion-based discrimination.
Naturally, Rep. Dale Issa is threatening to subpoena HHS records.
The crux of the HHS decision is that the USCCB had refused to refer trafficking victims for contraception or abortion, two very legal health options for women. We see here another reason why faith-based initiatives are bad.
I can’t tell if the Catholics are mad on principle or if they’re mad about the money. Were they making a profit on the project?
Whatever is going on in their internal discussions, they are making it clear that they are not just offended, they’re livid.
The USCCB, like any religious entity in a similar bind, fails to see the irony in its position. While it sees no problem imposing its beliefs not just on those who are part of the faith, they are willing to insist on imposing them on humans who have suffered the worst side of mankind.
How could you possibly think it was a good thing to tell someone rescued from slavery that they have to maintain a pregnancy they didn’t want or keep them from methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy?
It’s such a simple conclusion from that position to say that Catholicism is NOT humanism.
It’s appalling that in this day and time the Catholic church still works to subjugate women to the effect of a sperm finding an egg. They can’t bear to stand the freedom of a woman to choose if and when she’s going to get pregnant and if, by accident, rape or other cause winds up pregnant against her will, demands she take second chair to an embryo.
This of course follows on the heels of the administration’s decision to no longer defend the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), leaving the Catholic community in a tizzy over the right of free association by persons who love each other to commit to a long term relationship to each other, but just happen to be the same gender. I dare suggest that the humanistic love emanating from a religion-free gay-parented household will produce a far better result for a child raised in that atmosphere than for a child raised in a dogmatic Catholic atmosphere.
“The principle of church teaching is that all sexual encounters be open to life.” This by a member of the Bishops Conference. “It’s not a minor matter; this is intrinsic to our Catholic beliefs.” What he’s telling you here is that they think they have the god-given right to tell you how to live your life. That’s fascism.
Obstetric care and reproductive choice is not a sin, it’s a human right. -
Sh*t My Fundie Dad Say
Original Post Date11/16/2011
My fundie Dad, who I love ever so much in spite of all the usual painful inflictions of God’s will upon my psyche and body, sent an email with this to me a couple days ago:
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ’ This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, “This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.” I noticed again how busy it was there.. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. “This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.” How is it that there is no work going on here? ’ I asked.
“So sad,” the angel sighed. “After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments”
“How does one acknowledge God’s blessings? ” I asked..
“Simple,” the angel answered. Just say, “Thank you, Lord. ”
“What blessings should they acknowledge?” I asked.
“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. ”
“And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.”
“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. ”
“If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.”
“If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.”
“If your parents are still alive and still married .you are very rare.”
“If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair…….”
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are
ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.
“Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it. ”
If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on ??? ? I thank God for everything, especially all my family and friends.
