Originally Posted by KatzPajamas

Just concerned that Sharia Law does not come to a town near you/I anytime soon...or ever.

YES. It would be like getting lung cancer and then deciding to quit smoking. Well folks, I tell you here and now, PREVENTION IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CURE.
We tolerate and award LAZY in the name of Kindness and that is Wrong.

Please do not tolerate chipping away at this nations founding principles.

the chipping away has been progressing in recent years with the continuing progress eliminating GO from public buildings, etc.

My concern is the silent majority that becomes aware of it, views that it does not affect them and roll over and go back to watching their favorite television show......

remember the patience of those who would have the USA removed from it's current life status. It may take generations but when the newer generations come along and there is no public evidence of our basic, founding core values it will become easier and easier to suck in the subsequent generations until eventually.....they win!!.

We the people just can't be bothered it seems.

btk

Educate the young people as to the past. History will tell what will happen in the future

"Obama Admin Mandates Religious Employers Cover Contraception Cost, Catholic Bishops Furious" from theblaze.com


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obam...shops-furious/


“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” Dolan said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”


“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Interesting.

I love the comment about how they have a year to figure out how to violate their consciences.

I know two wrongs don't make a right but where were their consciences (and where are they today) when it comes to sheltering child rapists?

Their employees will be upset and *confused*?? Ok, I can understand, out on a limb a bit, being upset if their the ones paying the insurance premiums. But "confused"? Seems pretty straightforward to me.

Oh - but wait - according to a Reuters report I just looked up, 98% of sexually active American Catholics use artificial birth control. For what it's worth, it's one of the reasons I left the Catholic Church. At the time, John Paul II was pope - he went to Africa and still preached against birth control. Let that one sink in for a moment.

djplong~ are you a man of faith?

Originally Posted by djplong

Interesting. I know two wrongs don't make a right but where were their consciences (and where are they today) when it comes to sheltering child rapists?

Unrelated to the questions of this thread I would like to just comment on this never ending diatribe of yours. Albeit a very serious problem the church has had with factions of clergy, a point has to be made here.

A Catholic can never say anything positive about his faith on this thread without you regurgitating your obsession with the problem of pedophile priests.

Should Catholicism be outlawed, or what? What is the point of bringing this up every time a subject having something to do with the Catholic religion is raised?

Do you think the Catholics on this forum are part of the problem the church has had with pedophile priests?

Can we never have a discussion on this forum about a question about Catholic matters without you raising your hand (ooo, ooo, ooo), and asking about the problems the church has had with this?

Maybe I'm just sensitive, or maybe it's because I went to 12 years of parochial schooling where I had contact with priests almost every day of that time which were always positive experiences. The priests I'd encountered during that time being thoughtful teachers, advisors and mentors.

Originally Posted by RichieLion

Unrelated to the questions of this thread I would like to just comment on this never ending diatribe of yours. Albeit a very serious problem the church has had with factions of clergy, a point has to be made here.

A Catholic can never say anything positive about his faith on this thread without you regurgitating your obsession with the problem of pedophile priests.

Should Catholicism be outlawed, or what? What is the point of bringing this up every time a subject having something to do with the Catholic religion is raised?

Do you think the Catholics on this forum are part of the problem the church has had with pedophile priests?

Can we never have a discussion on this forum about a question about Catholic matters without you raising your hand (ooo, ooo, ooo), and asking about the problems the church has had with this?

Maybe I'm just sensitive, or maybe it's because I went to 12 years of parochial schooling where I had contact with priests almost every day of that time which were always positive experiences. The priests I'd encountered during that time being thoughtful teachers, advisors and mentors.

AMEN BROTHER! I am curious to know if djplong is a man of faith. I am not a Catholic, but I sent my kids through 50+ years of parochial schooling (k-12 and college) with nary a hint of impropriety! I am however a Christian, and like my Catholic brothers and sisters, my faith is in the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who being God in the flesh is PERFECT...NOT in His Church, which is made up of just plain imperfect human beings like djplong and me. Big difference.

To date, the police have been contacted about 1,021 priests with allegations of abuse, or 24% of our total. Nearly all of these reports have led to investigations, and 384 instances have led to criminal charges. Of those priests for whom information about dispositions is available, 252 were convicted and at least 100 of those served time in prison. Thus, 6% of all priests against whom allegations were made were convicted and about 2% received prison sentences to date.

Not sure how to take this, but read the entire report for yourself:

http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/P...useScandal.htm

Originally Posted by KatzPajamas

djplong~ are you a man of faith?

Define "man of faith" and I promise I will give you an honest answer. It's just that I can take that a couple of different ways and I'm not 100% sure what you meant.

You could mean do I simply believe in God or, perhaps, do I have 'faith' in anything, etc..

Originally Posted by RichieLion

Unrelated to the questions of this thread I would like to just comment on this never ending diatribe of yours. Albeit a very serious problem the church has had with factions of clergy, a point has to be made here.

A Catholic can never say anything positive about his faith on this thread without you regurgitating your obsession with the problem of pedophile priests.

Should Catholicism be outlawed, or what? What is the point of bringing this up every time a subject having something to do with the Catholic religion is raised?

Do you think the Catholics on this forum are part of the problem the church has had with pedophile priests?

Can we never have a discussion on this forum about a question about Catholic matters without you raising your hand (ooo, ooo, ooo), and asking about the problems the church has had with this?

Maybe I'm just sensitive, or maybe it's because I went to 12 years of parochial schooling where I had contact with priests almost every day of that time which were always positive experiences. The priests I'd encountered during that time being thoughtful teachers, advisors and mentors.

It's as I've always said here - the double standard.

Now did you read where I said I could understand some of the objection? It was the word "confusion" that I had trouble with.

Now, sit down before you fall down when I tell you this.

I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic schools in NY and Boston. I was an altar boy for a while as well. My first marriage was in the Catholic Church.

*Every* *single* *priest* I *ever* met was the epitome of what I would expect of a positive view of the Catholic Church. I *never* had a clue about the abuses until the scandals broke.

I was in disbelief. I had priests who were intelligent, funny, thoughtful.. I'm telling you I can't think of enough good things to say about them.

My 'problem' is with the Generals, not the ground troops. My problem is with the Pope and sleazeballs like ironically named Cardinal Law of Boston. My problem is with those who enabled *for decades* this kind of abuse. My problem is with the Church's response when this all first broke. When the Cardinal's office said it never happened - and if it did the victims should shut up because they're giving the Church a bad name - and even if they DID have problems, they should see *A PRIEST* for counseling!

So now what happens? Yeah, this tarnishes, to some degree, the good memories I had. But we keep hearing more and more stories. And how does the Church solve the problem? By selling off assets at the local level that end up closing churches and protecting assets owned by the heirarchy. So the parishoners suffer and the higher-ups are protected (the land deals in Southern California are a testament to that).

In short. Priests go rogue. They're protected by their bosses. When found out, the bosses protect each other and make the parishoners pay the compensation.

So, yeah, it was them claiming that their people would be 'confused' by the new regs. Sounds to me like they had a full understanding of what was coming. Again, I can understand the objection (although 98% of sexually active Catholics use artificial birth control, so there's a statment of sorts right there) on principal - but to claim "confusion"?

Originally Posted by djplong

It's as I've always said here - the double standard.

Now did you read where I said I could understand some of the objection? It was the word "confusion" that I had trouble with.

Now, sit down before you fall down when I tell you this.

I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic schools in NY and Boston. I was an altar boy for a while as well. My first marriage was in the Catholic Church.

*Every* *single* *priest* I *ever* met was the epitome of what I would expect of a positive view of the Catholic Church. I *never* had a clue about the abuses until the scandals broke.

I was in disbelief. I had priests who were intelligent, funny, thoughtful.. I'm telling you I can't think of enough good things to say about them.

My 'problem' is with the Generals, not the ground troops. My problem is with the Pope and sleazeballs like ironically named Cardinal Law of Boston. My problem is with those who enabled *for decades* this kind of abuse. My problem is with the Church's response when this all first broke. When the Cardinal's office said it never happened - and if it did the victims should shut up because they're giving the Church a bad name - and even if they DID have problems, they should see *A PRIEST* for counseling!

So now what happens? Yeah, this tarnishes, to some degree, the good memories I had. But we keep hearing more and more stories. And how does the Church solve the problem? By selling off assets at the local level that end up closing churches and protecting assets owned by the heirarchy. So the parishoners suffer and the higher-ups are protected (the land deals in Southern California are a testament to that).

In short. Priests go rogue. They're protected by their bosses. When found out, the bosses protect each other and make the parishoners pay the compensation.

So, yeah, it was them claiming that their people would be 'confused' by the new regs. Sounds to me like they had a full understanding of what was coming. Again, I can understand the objection (although 98% of sexually active Catholics use artificial birth control, so there's a statment of sorts right there) on principal - but to claim "confusion"?

I don't disagree with anything your said. OK, I get it. Now, can you answer the question I asked because you ignored it again.

Can we ever have a discussion about religious or social matters concerning the subject of, or an aspect of, Catholicism where you don't feel it your obligation to drag out it's problem with pedophile priests again?

Just observing. To me it looks like djplong is saying the Church doesn't have a leg to stand on in the moral indignation department, because it continues to be in denial about all the repugnant clergy like Cardinal Law....who would still be in place if Bill O'Reilly had not laid bare this heinous mess in Prime Time TV and spoke for the decent priests in the archdiocese who had no other voice.

Parishioners had to stomach watching 80-90 of their beautiful churches, built with loving immigrant hands, sold off to the highest bidder for condominiums etc. They had to stomach seeing Law not defrocked, but given a nice, quiet parish church in Rome. Worse yet, this Spawn of Satan was allowed to set foot into the Sistine Chapel and participate in the conclave that chose the new pope.

As Dukakis so aptly said it between yawns, "The fish rots from the head down."

On the other hand, it seems to me that Richie is talking about the rottenness of the current Democrat administration and legislature in over-riding the constitutional right to free exercise of religion, by mandating that Catholic hospitals provide contraceptive and other coverages that are against the central tenets of the church.

Hope I'm seeing this right.

Originally Posted by RichieLion

I don't disagree with anything your said. OK, I get it. Now, can you answer the question I asked because you ignored it again.

Can we ever have a discussion about religious or social matters concerning the subject of, or an aspect of, Catholicism where you don't feel it your obligation to drag out it's problem with pedophile priests again?

Not when it's the Catholic heirarchy doing the complaining. Until the people who protected and facilitated the pedophile priests are put in jail, I will not forget.

If someone brings up commentary from a Catholic diocese or from the Vatican then their record is completely on-topic.

Originally Posted by ilovetv

On the other hand, it seems to me that Richie is talking about the rottenness of the current Democrat administration and legislature in over-riding the constitutional right to free exercise of religion, by mandating that Catholic hospitals provide contraceptive and other coverages that are against the central tenets of the church.

Hope I'm seeing this right.

Richie might not believe that I'm probably with him on today's Supreme Court ruling. It turned my stomach to read that the Obama administration and the rest of the Democrats WERE fully behind the idea of using GPS devices on people's cars without a warrant.

But, yes, you see it right. The Catholic Church could, in time, reclaim a lot of moral high ground if they didn't have the "do as I say, not as I do" attitude.