Religion, at its core, is an excellent form of community building and a fine place to gather and meet those in your community. It can give a sense of place -- especially in this hurried, hectic and generally fucked-up world. Then shit
like this happens.
President Obama was
invited by Notre Dame University - a Catholic university - to speak at their commencement ceremony later this month. Then today the bishop of the Winona (Minnesota) diocese berates both President Obama's policies and the choice of the officials at Notre Dame University. The Catholic church's hang-ups are the President's lifting of the ban on stem cell research and his pro-choice stance on the topic of abortion. In the eyes of hte Catholic church, pro-choice on the abortion topic means pregnant women having abortions because their mood changed on day. Sadly for the Catholic church, I have never met a woman who would make a choice like this on a whim. The majority of women, even if the pregnancy posed a risk to her own health and life, would endlessly agonize over a decision like that. A pro-choice stance coming from the President simply means that in those cases where abortion is the last choice for a pregnant woman, it will be done safely by someone who is medically trained. Not by someone in the back of a Chevy cargo van with a rusty pliers.
As for the stem cell debate, the stem cells in question come from fetuses who weren't used in the pregnancy procedures they were originally created for and would otherwise be medical waste. If you really want the argument dumbed down, scientists are acting like the area recycling truck in using something destined for a medical waste incinerator to potentially cure previously incurable diseases.
If the Catholic church - the church which I am a member of - wants to preach unity and spread their bullshit message of tolerance and acceptance they need to realize that their very denouncement of President's Obama's stance on abortion and stem cell research is further dividing the country at a time when such trivial issues aren't really an issue at all. It's time for the Catholic church to get off their high horse and realize that their cherry-picked issue of the week would play far better in the 15th century. Of course, what should I expect from a religion who still treats females as second class citizens by requiring nuns to take a vow of poverty while male priests are paid a living wage and receive retirement benefits after their careers in the priesthood ends? Then there's their intolerance of homosexuality. Days like this are when I truly question the entirety of the Catholic religion.
For a less divisive time, check out the stellar photos featured at
MinnPics. They will bring a smile to your face.
