673 Comments

The fact that the ERA has not been fully ratified to date is testament to the patriarchal condemnation of women and our LGBTQ kin to second class citizenry.

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Totes, Rowshan. And the fact is that the Catholic bishops going apes*t right now about the possibility that ERA could actually be ratified should be a red flag.

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Not just a red flag, but also a disgrace to all of the Catholics who truly care about other people—all other people.

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In other words, all Catholics who actually try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Makes one wonder what Bible the bishops are reading.

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Dave There is only a vague random correlation between the teachings of Jesus Christ and the actions and beliefs of many bishops. The Gospels seldom relate to the dictums of the Vatican.

I taught the New Testament for nearly two decades. I suggest that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church read it and follow its guidelines.

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Keith and Dave, in my abbreviated experience with the Catholic church, I never heard any mention of the Bible. Their focus is on producing as many infants as possible, to grow up and fill their coffers. After all, someone has to pay for their infrastructure.

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In the 21st century we are still held hostage by a bunch of guys in dresses, who sell the idea that instead of thinking for themselves people ought to follow the "teachings" of a magical sky parent. (I don't care if they do wear dresses, but their opposition to women being given first class citizen status, while cross dressing is telling).

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Not just the infrastructure and huge property holdings in highly valuable areas of major cities around the world, the Archdiocese of Boston, a few years ago, contributed $750,000 to an anti-legalization campaign in MA that passed overwhelmingly. If they've got that kind of money to blow, mitigating poverty should be a piece of cake.

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WOW!!!

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Completely correct Keith. That's one of the reasons I used to be a Catholic Christian. The operative term, of course, is "used to be."

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They'e reading the version of the Bible they wrote for Catholics, and the Baltimore Catechism.

How do you think they're able to reconcile acting so antithetical to the words of the historical Jesus?

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The problem is that only one of those is Scripture and not even all of the Douay-Rheims Bible was inspired. Most of it is historical accounts, just like all the others.

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The "creation stories" of almost all of the world's faith traditions' sacred texts are, all by themselves, articles of faith that the "stories" told are even historical accounts. And all claim to have been "divinely inspired" in one form or another.

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Amen🌿

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The American Catholic bishops are anti-American. Before every election I get a communication telling me how to vote and asking for money. Not knowing how the Catholic bishops got my name and address and with the Declaration of Independence in mind, every year I write in the blanks that America has separation of Church and State. Then I stamp and mail it to PA, which is where it comes from. Republicans and Radicals of all “religious” stripes need to be reminded that the Founding Fathers would be unsurprised, but not pleased, by their behavior. It’s anti-American.

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Ten years ago, Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe wrote a column re: Cardinal O'Malley and his hypocrisy in boycotting a Boston College ceremony at which Ireland's prime minister was to receive an honorary degree and give the commencement speech (the prime minister had filed legislation allowing abortion to save the life of the mother). From his note responding to my thanking him for it:

"I'm done with them.

I will spiritually and financially support good priests and nuns.

But I'm done with the institutional church.

The Cardinal did me a favor by making me finally make a stand.

Feck them.

Judgmental, smug, arrogant, self righteous.

I'm done with them."

He closed with his father's deathbed quote, in which he referred to bishops as "a shower of arseholes".

I've never seen a more eloquent description.

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James, as of the '60s, when I was still taking Catechism classes--and I have no reason to think things have changed--the church still maintained a platonic vision of creation as a hierarchical structure. If memory serves, we had the triune God at the top, followed successively by the Blessed Virgin, saints and angels in their stratified ranks, the Pope, cardinals and bishops, priests, (maybe civil authorities in there somewhere under priests?) parents, and last and least, children. That last place for children was emphasized with the assertion that we, as children, had no right to question the higher levels of authority above us. I don't recall any discussion of unborn babies' place in all of this, perhaps because the obvious implication of sex was to be avoided. Or perhaps my memory is faulty. In any case, according to this paradigm, unborn babies should be at the bottom, but somehow they've been elevated to somewhere above parents. Call me cynical, but it seemed to me when I first noticed this that this elevation approximately arose in the wake of the pedophilia scandal. Again, memory is faulty, so there's always that.

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I follow a person on Facebook who has reported religious men who have been arrested for sexual crimes against children every day since December 2022 ....every single day ! How disgusting is that ! Yet repugnants states are banning drag shows as they are the groomers !! Where does it end ??

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I remember back in the old days, shilling for political issues or candidates would cost a church its tax exemption. Not anymore.

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That is a shame and should still be happening!

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Do you know WHY that stopped?

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Don't forget how the same Bishops rode Obama into the ground for the ACA, because of its inclusions of women's health. Let's expose these smug old guys with antedeluvian biases in their cassocks!

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My cousins that are Catholic quit going to mass when the priest began talking about supporting "tfg". That happened in our other area Christian churches too!

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Unfortunately, 80% of white evangelicals voted for Trump. Both times. If the percentage decent human beings among white evangelicals were as high as it is among Catholics (excluding American bishops of course, below which it’s hard to go), Trump would have been defeated.

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Republicans supported by the religious right clearly don’t believe in the separation of Church and State. The US Supreme Court seems to be following suit by requiring public funds to be used for one parochial school in New England as well as allowing businesses and individuals to discriminate on the basis of religion. Look next for the religious right, followed by the US Supreme Court, to determine that there is no such prohibition as the separation of church and state since it is based on the first clause in the bill of rights, i.e the First Amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” Such a narrow interpretation flies in the face of its intent and historical understanding.,

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What is the word for turning a phrase so that it's new meaning is the opposite of the original? Parsing is the one that comes to mind, but there are others.

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The Catholic church, as well as all of the money-grubbing Evangelicals, should have had their tax-exempt status rescinded years ago. If that happened, we wouldn't be in this mess!

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Our moral compass is spinning as it searches for a North Star. We have truly entered the world of upside down when the word of Jesus Christ does not equate with social justice and “Fuck You” is considered acceptable speech in the halls of Congress.

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What has Jesus Christ to do with conduct when in Congress? And are nonbelievers unacceptable there? What are you saying?

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Your comment gave me a thought: why do we have a chaplains in the House and Senate? Seems to me there should be no connecton to any religion in the halls of Congress. If separation of church and state is not complete, then there should be rabbis, imams, et alii to guarantee equal representation.

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MANKIND has reached the Point OF Being "Under The BARREL !!

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Does this mean the catholic church does not want women to be equal to men ?? Same bullshit! Same bigotry still ! There should be separation between church and state for obvious reasons!! I'm sure these catholic and Christian national people wouldn't mind paying the taxes on their churches!

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Of course the catholic church doesn't want women to be equal-as exemplified by their absolute REFUSAL to allow women priests.

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The bishops' reactions to the ERA belies their political agenda...

They obviously missed their calling...

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Perhaps churches should have their “non profit” status revoked. You shouldn’t be allowed to have it both ways. That is, the church is taking a political stand against women, and they are seeking to influence our government to deny equal rights to women. All the while, sitting on vast wealth that could support their congregation and then lobbying people in congress.

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Linda The image of the castle of pedophiles (Vatican) being concerned about women rights in ERA leaves me gobsmacked.

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The catholic bishops? WTF?

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There's no question about it!

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In the year 2023, America hasn't legally enshrined equal rights for women. Because of Republicans. That says all we need to know.

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Of course— after reading the wonderful Wilkerson book , I deeply understand that we women are simply in the caste of woman. Always have been and probably always will be no matter what our achievements.

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March 2, 2023
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I think you mean all the population.

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March 2, 2023
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Separation of church and state: one must respect the law of the land, and keep ones religion to ones self.

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I have NEVER understood the need for religions to proselytize. If you've got a good "product" people should be flocking to you. This isn't exactly what you've addressed here, but it is one of my personal "I don't get it" things.

What I see with the religious "community" isn't so much keeping one's religion to themselves, it it the need to shout it out and shove it down everyone's throat that theirs is the "one, true way" and that their belief should transcend everything else.

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It's interesting to contemplate the prehistoric roots of religion. Before a certain time, many early communities were built upon egalitarian care of each other without interpersonal violence or designation of master-to-slave hierarchies. (cf: The Dawn of Everything)

Something changed. The warrior/administrator evolved. He gave himself special qualities for the sake of keeping power and gathering wealth. He demanded a fancy funeral with promises of returning after life in order to continue the same. Ergo, the concept of god. Then he sent others to battle while he directed from behind. He called himself king.

With very few exceptions, this person was an adult male who repressed his own people as well as warring with other tribes. I tell myself nothing much has changed.

There is, of course, spirituality which is integral to most of us. It defines our place in the universe and our relationship with all creation. A truly spiritual person is at ease with being a temporary, small cog in the midst of wonder. It is not the same thing as religion at all.

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Excellent observations, Hope!

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HOPE ! You are! SO Close! to HIS Truth !! " A Truly Spiritual Person IS AT Ease, with Being a TEMPORARY Small Cog in THE HANDS, of a WONDERFULL, LOVING GOD! ETERNITY! Awaits US!

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Ally (you are mine!) Years ago I had a friend (pastor) who obtained a PhD in divinity writing his dissertation on “Marketing Christianity.” He related this to the task of marketing Protestantism and the distinctions between Presbyterianism, Methods, Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans (evangelicals were not in his marketing play book).

He seemed more focused on money than the moral teachings of Jesus Christ.

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Hmm… the story about your friend reminded me of my moment of epiphany when I was about 12. Being raised Catholic by a very religious Catholic mother, I had been attending an all-girls Catholic school ran by Maryknoll sisters who indoctrinated students about humility and compassion, yet lived a luxurious lifestyle AND discriminated against those of us who, not as wealthy as their favorite pupils, couldn’t contribute regularly to their repetitive fundraising causes. I thought they were Capitalist Christians—yes, an oxymoron, but an accurate description of their agendas. And how can we forget the genocidal conquests that were carried out in the “New World” under the guise of evangelization by order of the Catholic rulers of Spain? Six centuries later, a similar genocide is being fostered by contemporary Catholic rulers who haven’t changed one bit since the Middle Ages and are now vowing to make a dime by allying themselves with righteous politicians. Shameful!!!

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Rose. CC=Capitalist Christians & Catholic Church (or am I repeating myself?) Francis, who preached poverty, was saintified, while, after his death, two of his principal followers were harshly treated for espousing poverty. Later one could purchase indulgences forgiving you for future sins, as the new St. Peter’s was being financed.

Witzil doing this in Martin Luther’s parish prmpted Luther to post the 95 theses and establish the Protestant church. (Soon thereafterLther married a former nun)

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This is interesting! The distinction among Christians that has long intrigued me is the one between denominations that emphasize hierarchy and those where congregations are more autonomous. This was a big driver of the Reformation, with the Catholic Church on the "most hierarchical" end and eventually the various Protestant denominations strung out on a continuum, with the Episcopalians/Anglicans not all that far from the Catholics and maybe the Friends at the other end. (I don't know much about the Orthodox tradition(s), but from the outside they seem to combine hierarchy with autonomy -- one of these days I'll learn more about how that works.)

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Susanna During my lifetime on various occasions I found comfort at Quaker meetings, where love and silence echoed through the services.

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The religions that proselytize (not all of them do) seem to think that they're doing unbelievers a favor by giving them the key to eternal life or heaven or a similar great reward. That's the theory, anyway. In practice? A quick review of the proselytizers' actions over the centuries, both with and without the sword, should give one pause.

I should add, though, that individual missionaries may be guided by genuinely altruistic motives and may improve the lives of those they attempt to convert. But I can't say the same for the institutions behind them.

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It's evolution in action. Just like biological organisms, the religions that reproduce the most are the types that dominate.

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One of the very first concerns of any biological organism is to replicate and reproduce. Without replication, they die out. Some factions of Christianity, just like some other religions one could name, resemble a cult, and one of the first things a cult has to do is self-preservation, just like a replicating organism, so that means make lots of babies and proselytize like mad. There's safety in numbers. They then keep their members in line and gain new ones by convincing them all these dire things will happen to them if they don't follow the rules, plus convincing them all these wonderful rewards await them in somewhere the sky. Rule by fear and promise them pie. All these religions are convinced THEY posses the "truth", so they then slaughter each other (and anyone else who doesn't believe as they do) to prove it, and whoever is left, wins. Welcome to the human race.

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We have a fairly devout cult here; a Mormon offshoot called "General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn". They are very male dominated and anti medicine. I personally handled two death investigations of preventable origin: an infected wound that went untreated (of an adult), and appendicitis (of a 15 year old boy). Ironically, the adult was the father of the son, whose mother had remarried a man who lost his wife in childbirth (preventable, had there been medical intervention). The latter ended up as a criminal investigation that netted a conviction of Criminally Negligent Homicide for the parents.

I am a HUGE proponent of the separation of church and state. The 15 year old was a very difficult investigation for me, personally. It boils down to protecting children.

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A good example about a religious organism dying out was the Shakers-they didn't marry/have children. They took in outsiders or orphan children who would live with them for periods of time by the individual's choice or grown up. But boy, were they great craftsmen, believed in laborsaving devices for workers, and entrepreneurs. (What we consider the standard flat corn broom was invented by them.) They came up with the concept of packaging seeds for sale, which still exists today. (a tidbit about the Shaker chairs-the cross bar slats were so the chairs could be hung on the walls to make sweeping easier.) (Yes, I've been to two or three Shaker villages.)

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Mind-bogglingly self centered and arrogant.

Huh. Describes quite a few folks LFAA “students “ discuss here.

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Could you be more specific about what or whom you consider "mind-bogglingly self centered and arrogant"? The way threading works in Substack, it's sometimes hard to tell what comments are replying to.

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Apparently not...

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Just a non-theist's perspective.

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Mike,

I find the Catholic Bishops statement in opposition to both the ERA and the codification of women's equality to be nothing short of disgraceful.

Yet your defamatory comment about the Bishops as a whole is way out of line. Let's not use MTG-esque language here to assign the ugly abuses by some to all.

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Daniel, it might be hyperbolic but it’s not defamatory. The bishops’ behavior is un-Christian at a minimum.

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It is actually very "Christian." Eve is the cause of all sin in the world.

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Old Testament stuff. New Testament does not condemn or blame women as the generators of sin--except for Paul, that judgmental misogynist--indeed, Jesus considered Mary as one of the Apostles, although the Roman Catholic (male) hierarchy has done it's best to obscure that nugget.

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Yes, I know this. Never have been a fan of Paul. Early church fathers spent too much time sitting on pillars in the desert or having fun and then renouncing the riotous life. The presence of women causes so much trouble.

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Adam and Eve is an allegorical story. Look behind the literal interpretation and you may better understand the allegory and what it was meant to convey.

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George The other version of creation in the Old Testament did not mention Adam and Eve. How could this be the ‘literal’ word of God?

Of course the ‘Book of Moses’ was written about 400 years after Moses’ death, so it might not be totally accurate.

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I understand that. And I understand the allegory.

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Everything was paradise until we knew there were gender differences and we had knowledge of you know what.

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Michele I grew up on a property with 30 apple trees. Whatever the theological implications, I found the apples damned good.

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Hi Mike,

The Bishops take on the ERA is undoubtedly un Christian. Yet, without dragging this on unduly, to accuse an entire group of engaging in criminal acts when the entire group did not commit them is pretty much defamation per se

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Just a gentle reminder to you both that Joseph Robinette Biden is Catholic. Without putting too fine a point on it, our President is who he is because of his faith - not despite it. President Biden is, without a doubt, one of the best examples of a President acting in a truly Christian manner but also in a way that respects the separation of Church and State in my lifetime. I know you can see that as well as I do.

I grew up in a deeply Catholic household. I left the Church long ago for reasons you both understand. But I am also a daily witness to many ordinary Catholics who live in ways that are faithful, respectful and loving - including my younger brother’s work running a 150 bed treatment center for homeless alcoholics. His faith is unshakeable. Thank heavens for that.

If examples like Patrick made the daily news, your opinions of Catholics might tick up a bit, MikeS. They don’t. Please remember that Bishops don’t represent the majority of their flocks any more than Republicans opinions represent the opinions of the majority of Americans. The governing structure of the Catholic Church is terribly corrupt. The damage they have done to women and children and young men all over the world unfathomable. But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just watch what Biden DOES, rather than what the bishops think he should do.

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Your comments leave me with gratitude that I did not leave a comment sooner. Your comments were good reminders. They burrow deep into the heart and memory, overriding the deeply felt outrage fueled by those coverups. Yet the anger towards that minority, a well heeled, well oiled, self righteous army determined to impose their will on the majority, still fuels a continued resentment and distrust.

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"including my younger brother’s work running a 150 bed treatment center for homeless alcoholics. "

Sounds like a good hearted, generous and hard working brother to me Sheila.

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Thanks, K, and Sheila, you both said it beautifully. In a similar vein, I would add the example of former President Jimmy Carter in his approach to leading being similar to Biden's. Both are men of strong faith, but both as elected leaders of the people knew their task was to rule in the way the people elected them to lead. Their job was NOT to force a populace to believe what they believe. I think that's what the founders of this country intended: lead the people, but leave your personal faith outside of that. And then, in his post-Presidential work, Carter has really shone his true colours: commitment to helping others. You wanna be like Jesus? Then serve your fellow man, and do it quietly, under the radar, without calling attention to yourself. Jesus exhorted us to do that very thing. Help only for the sake of helping, not to show how wonderful you are. There ARE many many Christians who do just that, and they are the ones you never hear about, which is as it should be. Yes, I believe the RCC is, in its leadership, one of the most corrupt entities around, but in spite of that, there are many of its members who follow Christ's example anyway. Personally, I could never be Catholic myself because of its tenets--so I'm Anglican: all of the theatrical pageantry, none of the guilt!--but I have many Catholic friends who I know ARE good Christians and who are not supportive of much of their leadership hierarchy. In that regard I feel kinda sorry for them (actually, sometimes the leaders in my denomination aren't perfect either...), but we carry on anyway.

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This is why I refuse to paint every believer with the same brush. Yes, some are hypocrites, but a lot of people are motivated by their faith to become active in helping others as you, Sheila, point out with your brother.

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That was a most lovely post, Sheila. I thank you for your clarity, and both you and your brother for the love you give.

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Shiela, thanks so much for this-you spoke my heart. Thank you.

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Thank you, Shelia. You are an inspiration and now I learn of your brother,Patrick.Great genes think alike:)

I am watching, with awe, what President Biden does as opposed to what my “devout” Florida Governor does…

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Sheila, thank you for reminding us that there ARE good Catholics and, by extension, good Christians. Indeed, Biden is an excellent example! I think that the criticisms expressed here chastise the institutionalized, organized Catholic Church leadership that speaks on behalf of all Catholics and endorses propositions that politicize the religion and in essence are unchristian.

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Nancy Pelosi is also Catholic.

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Sheila, very well expressed. Please see my comment at the end of this thread.

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Daniel,

I am not arguing that it was or was not defamation.

However, I would say that the overall Catholic leadership culture, possibly for centuries, has, in fact, fully supported and condoned and perhaps even encouraged "criminal acts" given the massive number of priests and Bishops that have been removed, and charged with crimes, all across America.

It is not like two or three guys got caught out. Half the priests in Boston alone were relieved of duty.

So, yes, I am sure there were some priests NOT engaging in criminal behavior but the way the Catholic church hid and condoned the widespread criminal behavior, probably for hundreds of years?

C'mon. Is it really "defamation" to write the truth in a way that that captures reality in an eyes wide open manner?

As noted: The comment has been removed out of respect for your feedback.

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“Catholic leaders culture for centuries, has, in fact, fully supported and condoned and perhaps even encouraged ‘criminal acts’.” So true, Mike! During the Crusades, Pope Urban II offered papal indulgences (which technically reduced or eliminated the prescribed punishment for committing sins) to any soldier who participated in these religious, “just” wars. In fact, indulgences were promised even in advance of the commission of the sins (perhaps as an incentive to recruit troops), and some indulgences were even sold! The Conquest of the Americas saw a prolongation of this Capitalist system that profiteered from the sale of religious commodities.

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I somewhat disagree with your statement about bishops who didn’t directly commit crimes not being responsible for the crimes the priests committed in their dioceses. The bishop’s office is the Catholic HR, and there wasn’t a single complaint or accusation that didn’t go through their office. BISHOPS protected predatory priests by using their standing to shame a family out of reporting any incidents. BISHOPS moved those priests from parish to parish instead of defrocking sexual predators, each time giving them fresh meat to gnaw on.

Cardinal Whuerl even tried to expose the problem in the early 2000s when he was the Bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese, but his true function was to act contrite and get NDAs from the families in exchange for money. The bishops cannot extricate themselves form a problem they perpetuated.

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I understand, and join in the condemnation down the line of those bishops who hid, obfuscated and transferred the predator priests, as well as downplaying the problem.

YET, the point remains that one cannot fairly or accurately cast the condemnatory net over the entirety of the Catholic bishops.

Beyond that, the glaringly out of touch error of the bishops' position on the ERA stands on its own, without the need to color the margins with inappropriate references to the abuse scandals.

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Daniel,

Thank you for the feedback. Comment removed.

I am not a huge fan of a culture that preys on the weak and unprotected as you can tell.

But, I recognize there might be a diversity of perspective on that culture.

Again, thanks for the polite feedback.

I would argue, however, that my post was much better English language usage than that of MTG. Hence, its effectiveness.

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Gosh, Mike, you did not tell everyone to FO. This tells me that Gangrene and her staff do not have an answer, so they resort to four letter words to avoid saying anything that actually answers the reporter's question and that she and her staff know she made a fool of herself...again.

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I have no doubt that Empty's staff are rather sick of having to field constant questions from the press when Empty shoots off her mouth and spills out one of her inflammatory but utterly senseless little "gems".

It should be noted that her overt disrespect for anybody or anything other than her little far-right allies and groupies has clearly rubbed off on her staff and they treat media folk like shyte. that may not be to her long-term advantage although it's obvious her little red fanboys and girls think it proves how "strong-minded and defiant of the elite establishment" she is. Ugh. Her ego would gag a gator.

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LOL...gag a gator. Excellent.

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I suggest reading White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones.

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Just put it on hold at the library. Surprisingly, it was there.

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Mike, I support your view on the corruption and criminality of the leadership of the Catholic Church. Despite a dire shortage of priests, the hierarchy refuses to allow women priests. The egregious child abuse was atrocious enough but the revealed cover up piled suffering upon suffering of innocent people. It happened in my own back yard, bringing with it suicides, broken families and fractured lives. The main perpetrator never spent a minute in jail. Now the arrogance of Catholic bishops sending damning letters to our government leaders warning of the “damage” perpetrated by ratification of the ERA is enough to make this woman wonder how in literally God’s name does one support a religion that blatantly hurts its most vulnerable, denies acceptance of the LGBT community and fights to place women in second class citizenry. It sickens my soul that I was Catholic until age 50. The good people of this religion need to stand up to this ongoing atrocity within their leadership. Stand up for Jesus’s tenets of loving one another, protecting the poor and bringing fairness and justice to all mankind.

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When I was 10 or 11 yrs old my mother told me that Jesus said the most important commandment was Love. Nothing more, nothing less, simply Love. Basically saying all the others could be disregarded as acting with Love encompassed them.

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I can only guess at the "sickness in your soul" as a result of your religious background. Thank you for sharing your story here.

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The good Catholic people with the wisdom and gumption to stand up against the church's trashing of Jesus' tenets left it decades ago.

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I would hope, Mike, that you live in an area where the wing nuts are not trying to "cleanse" the public library.

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I am the President of the Friends of my library.

I wish the would be nut my best wishes.

😊

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Ditto.

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I have. It was VERY interesting. In fact, I think I've recommended it here before.

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How did that work the the survivors of child abuse by parish priests for years? The Catholic Church and their administration including Bishops STILL has a lot to answer for.

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Indeed, it certainly does still have a lot to answer for. Part of the overall answer would be to allow women priests, of course.

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My Uncle Bobby is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He is mostly deaf. He was, remarkably, not checked for deafness until he was exiting high school. By that point everyone had taken for granted that he was simply unintelligent, considering he always did so poorly in school and frequently couldn't follow instructions. Turns out he never could hear what anyone was saying if their back was turned. By that point it was clear he was not on track to go to college. He worked for decades making an honest living at a pizza parlor, and was liked by absolutely everyone.

Oh, he is also diabetic. That should be unimportant, considering how many people are. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. All it took was for him to hurt his leg, get a cast, and have that cast not fit just right. There goes the infection. There goes the leg. There goes the job at the pizza parlor. There goes that meager salary. There goes the social life, too. Here comes living in a tiny room, with nothing to fill the day, and no way of getting around. Here comes the slide into barely concealed alcoholism. Here comes the after-effects of all that beer and immobility on a 60 year old diabetic body. There goes the other leg. Here comes the nursing home.

Funny thing about the nursing home, now that he is a ward of the state he actually gets the excellent care that could have prevented him from landing in the nursing home.

Oh, and this was right before the pandemic. So there goes being able to see your family for a few years. And here comes getting Covid. Twice. And fighting it off. Twice. And another infection. In your skull. And fighting that off too. And managing somehow to get out of your chair. And putting on your leg braces. And walking down the whole long hallway, just leaning on a walker, pure upper body strength and determination, captured on a shaky phone camera, probably by one of the nurses you are currently in love with, because you fall in love with all your nurses, because you've never had a real girlfriend, not once, and because they are kind and bring you coffee and take care of you, and you've never had anyone to take care of you, other than your sister Dianne, who even though she is only 11 months older still was assigned to walk you to school because she was so mature and you were so simple, and that is who you are sending this to right now, because she'll be proud of you and send back a message of nothing but heart emojis and candy canes, even though Cristmas is over, because you both love Christmas THAT MUCH.

This is a strong person I just described. Also a dependent person. Don't get it twisted, they can be both. This person would have been dead many times over, year after year, if it wasn't for a very easily manufactured medicine.

Eli Lilly can afford to cut their costs by 70% and still make money. What were they making before? Too much. And now, still, too much. The correct amount would be zero dollars. No one should make so much money on something so many others cannot afford to be without.

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Will, thank you for standing up here to represent Bobby so well. It hits one in the heart.

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Will,

I hereby title your short story:

"Untold Stories of the Real America".

I look forward to more of these.

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Will, in my career, I worked in the lab of a major medical center in Chicago. As I ran hundreds of blood tests each day, I'd look at the diagnoses that the ER entered in the computer. They sometimes put a direct quote of what the patient told them. A number of times I saw, "ran out of" or "can't afford" insulin. Who knows if these people had insurance, but I would see the astronomical glucose levels and figure that they weren't going home that day. The lack of affordable medicine lead to EXACTLY the type of situations you talked about! Which in the long run, increased costs for ALL of us.

I might also mention that diabetes often leads to renal failure. Renal failure leads to dialysis---I believe (someone help me here?) that is one of the biggest expenses to Medicare/Medicaid. Also, big business, as John Oliver had a segment a few years back about the dialysis industry which was eye opening.

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A former co-worker of mine was borderline diabetic for most of his career. He retired from the SO and went to work for one of the casinos managing their security team. He ended up having to retire from that when he (due to diabetic neuropathy) could no longer walk. His ultimate "last walk" went from digital amputation on one foot, followed in short order by amputation below, then above the knee, then a double amputation above the knee, and a very difficult recovery due to both renal and heart issues and ultimately resulted in his death from a heart attack at age 60. He could never afford the treatments he was offered as the more "preventative" ones were not covered by insurance.

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And generally dialysis, yes, for renal failure, is poorly tolerated by diabetic individuals, which makes prevention by proper early treatment true life extension, and it's far less expensive than the treatments needed for all the complications detailed in your and Wil's notes. But if companies only see their bottom line and ignore everything else, and if half crazed lunatics in our House of Representatives only see political advantage, things would never change. We must stay woke. For woke means awakened to injustice.

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Not only does long-standing, poorly controlled diabetes cause renal failure, it puts you at high risk for infection, metabolic syndrome (heart disease/stroke/diabetes), heart failure (CV disease), retinopathy (vision damage), puts you at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, foot complications due to neuropathy as stated below and depression! I am a nurse practitioner who works on a critical care unit and see the devastating effects of on a daily basis. We need physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, who work in primary care to be trained in 'lifestyle medicine' to educate these sick folks about the 6 domains (see below) to healthier living in order to reverse or at least tame this disease, to use health coaches

(make sure insurance companies cover coaching) and YES, provide insulin at little to no cost! We must address this problem holistically (whole food plant-based diet, physical activity, restorative sleep, avoiding risky substances and promoting positive social connections.

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Don't know where you are but your nursing philosophy is spot on. It's why I spoke to a large conference of NP's about 25 years ago and told them that I believed, as a primary care internist, that eventually there would be few primary care docs and most primary care would be done by nurse practitioners. Of course, I had special education as I was and still am married to a now retired ARNP.

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Thank you for dedicating your career to primary care, we need more of you! My dear friend is also a primary care internist in rural PA (my home state) and he would agree with