ITA re: manipulation. I think using wedge "moral" issues to justify oppression and even violence is in itself immoral (or at least unethical). Cynical political manipulation at its best.

More Catholic dissent links on equal marriage rights:

http://rcfm.org/petition/start.php?id=1

(link in sig)

Can you tell I live in Massachusetts and have issues with hardly new but still revolting mix of religion and politics?

Too bad Lopez's faith doesn't provide her the introspection to reflect on her closely held beliefs in light of the fact that several elderly women who have chosen to spend their entire lives in service to the teachings of Christ, wished to vote for Democrats.

Still. Treatment towards the GLBT community is appalling in Canada sometimes (though generally better than in America). I don't think that Church leaders really are more mild in Canada, it's just that they can't discriminate to overtly because it's less socially acceptable in Canada.

Canadian blogger who focuses on the topic:

http://www.slapupsidethehead.com/

The rare thoughtful discussion of Catholicism in American politics. I frequent Catholic websites, and listen to Catholic radio, but in the end often end up irritated that many Catholics automatically equate Catholicism with right wing politics. I am strongly pro-life, and this puts me at odds with liberals from time to time, but I cannot see why a Catholic should be forced to buy the garbage the Bush administration ladles out about the war.

I also fail to see why a person has to be in favor of tax cuts for the rich, or against strong environmental policy, to be Catholic.

Yes, Obama is pro-abortion. But we have had a pro-life president for 8 years, and in the 80s and 90s we had one for 12 years straight, and abortion is still legal. The GOP has had its chance to do something about abortion. All it does is whine and use abortion as a wedge issue. I'd rather be on the side of the party that is honest and will admit it intends to do nothing about abortion, but will do something about the war, climate change, and poverty, than be on the side of a pack of liars who say they intend to do something about abortion but never really will.

I don't think the GOP can afford to do something about the abortion issue. They get too much mileage out of griping about it.

I agree 100% with the thrust of the column. Opposing abortion, while supporting an UNJUST war just drips with heavy hypocrisy. It's funny how easily the enemy du jour of the Church and conservative catholics shifted from Communism to "Islamo-facism." Despite the Pope's efforts to distance himself from the warmongerers among Conservatives here, he has engaged in enough sabre-rattling antics toward Islam to belie the Church's true position.

I come from a strong catholic family, and attended Catholic school from 1st to 12th grade. I have been exposed to this nonsense all my life. Happily, I started to wake up from the confused haze of catholic doctrine in my late teens, and am a free man now!

What eventually became apparent to me was how readily Catholics could accept conservative doctrines that were totally opposite to what they should adopt in their own self-interest. I mean, these people were initially despised in Protestant America; their spiritual leader, the Pope, was seen as the Anti-christ. They themselves were certainly not wealthy or established, yet they willingly bought into all the nonsense about gov't social programs, family planning, social welfare, (things they NEEDED to get established in a foreign country) as being evil attempts by the satanic communists to establish "control."

ANY sort of secular social authority was linked to COMMUNISM. Now, without regard to the merits of communism as an economic system (I don't think there are any), few (if any) of my relatives were able to see beyond this to the truth of the matter: Communism was evil solely because it threatened the existing material wealth of the Church and the Upper Classes it served. And conveniently, anything that threatened the ECONOMIC well-being of the Church was COMMUNIST!

How the Pope must've shuddered when the Berlin wall fell...

Fortunately, they were saved by 9/11. These days, the enemy of the faithful is "Islamo-facism," the 21st century version of Christianity's old foe from the Crusading days. They've had to take a couple small pains to keep from encouraging violence against Muslim Americans, but it's been easy to keep the focus away from our relatively peaceful neighbors, and on to relatively peaceful people far enough away that we can support killing them without suffering a crisis of conscience...

Therefore, it's no small wonder when you read such propagandist garbage by Conservative Catholic authors as Harry Crocker and note how they relish re-writing history, and holding up the Crusades as some sort of moral victory that defended "Civilization" from the privations of the evil Muslims.

Just the enemy du jour. No logic or reason behind it, other than the fact that "the faithful" need some sort of persecution to feel motivated. Could you imagine willingly spending your Sunday morning sitting on an uncomfortable wooden bench, listening to illogical ramblings of a lonely single man, listening to a tone-deaf audience belt out inane songs, eating a wafer of stale unleavened bread, and drinking wine from a communal cup harboring all sorts of contagious bacteria and viruses...? NO THANKS!!

and I seem to recall that they were mostly 80 - 90 years old.

Shouldn't it have occurred to K-Lo that with perhaps twice as much living to their credit, the nuns may have more of a long view on what is really important? Particularly, on the Compassion front.

KP... I was already an adult, and no longer a practicing Catholic, when I moved to the Philadelphia area, but I have a lot of Catholic friends and acquaintances, both in the city and suburbs. My impression is that the Philadelphia Diocese is pretty conservative when it comes to Catholic dogma. Would you agree?

Fair enough, I was really only speaking about my experiences which of course are rather limited (Southern Ontario, Eastern Townships Quebec, and coastal Newfoundland vs. MA, NY and FL)...I should've been clearer on that I guess

;)

but I still suspect that the American brand is more politicized, if only because of it's environment...but again, it's only a hunch