Shorter DC Pedophiles: “Fags Are Bad!”
That’s what this threat from the Catholic Church boils down to:
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn’t change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.
Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.
“If the city requires this, we can’t do it,” Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. “The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that’s really a problem.”
Riiiiiight. The religious institution that protects pedophiles and child rapists has absolutely no standing to complain about rights granted to gay people by our secular government.
On the heels of the Stupak amendment, a pet project of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop, it’s clear that the Catholic Church has gone beyond its boundaries and is now actively writing legislation.
You know what I think? They should have their tax-exempt status stripped.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Brendan –
Stuff like this REALLY repulses me and I was raised Catholic. I am not a regular attendee of Mass, but I still pretty strongly self-identify as Catholic. Please view this comment as not a justification of the church’s position but an explanation as to how someone could do both.
I am 1 of 5 kids and went through 12 years of Catholic school; my graduating class is just over 500. Almost everyone I knew were from what are now considered large families, but 5 was midsize in the day. And almost every friend I had also had a sibling in at least 1 of my siblings grade. It was just this big interconnected universe, difficult for anyone to understand who didn’t do it.
We spent time here and there writing the letters they told us to write and doing things like celebrations of Mary in May and all that (and getting the occasional eraser thrown at us), but in addition to that, we did some things I consider pretty darned cool too. We spent time having Seders because that’s what Jesus did and doing so in the spirit of thanks to the Jews. We had a year with a teacher who had us learn liturgical dance – yes, very 70’s but very different. In fact, in spite of, or at least coexisting with, all the stereotypical garbage, I had one of the most liberal school experiences of people I know.
In fact, a religion teacher and a French teacher from high school were my 2 biggest liberal influences. The French teacher, Sister GP (yes, a nun), was a total pinko commie peace lover unilateral disarmament type and anyone in her classes or homeroom knew it, but at the same time, she didn’t demand we be. Beyond having us sing the Godspell songs in French, she really didn’t push an agenda as much as be a living example you can have one and be respectful about it.
The religion teacher, M, used to tell us things like “To be catholic, you need to believe there is a hell. However, you do NOT have to believe anyone is there”. I think she was the one who clued me in to the fact that America takes the pope much more seriously than Europe does (evidently Europe sees the pope as having as much meaning as QE to England’s rule). That to believe in Papal Infallibility is to only believe he is infallible when he invokes it directly – which is rare – only 1x concerning the Assumption of Mary into heaven Body & Soul (could you imagine GWB with an infallibility out?).
So, because of that background, I see Catholicism as a big family with plenty of ideas I don’t like blended with plenty I like and when everyone has to get together, I avoid the ones I don’t get along with and hang with those I do. Noone ever agrees with all of what you say, but many people agree with enough of what you say, and for any one concept you will have no problem finding brethren. I don’t think smaller religions have that comfort.
So – as much as these clowns piss me off – I can’t blame Catholicism for what these jerks do
PS – FWIW – my sister is involved in some Catholic charities w/ a social mission in the DC area, and if this ends up happening, I suspect she’ll disassociate with the charities. We are pretty similar in this view of Catholicism and I know she will not represent a charity that exchanges hate for social services. She’s a “they will know we are christians by our love” type, not “they will know we are christians by our zenophobia and bigotry”. Many Catholics do try to work from within despite this garbage and many also have lines in the sand where they will walk away if pushed into an hate agenda.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:13 am
PPS – oops – xenophobia. I apologize for my illiteracy.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
no worries ellen.
i wasn’t trying to blame catholicism as a whole but the hierarchy, for taking such a confrontational stance.
I have no problem with Catholics, or Catholicism as a whole.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Thanks – I feel like the pope/US Cardinals are not unlike an embarassing drunken uncle at times (and, as you’ve mentioned, sometimes a drunken pervy uncle).