The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has another attack on the Catholic Church this via former Saturday Night Live Star who played "Pat" and it relates to the HHS contraception mandate.
See Former SNL Star Calls Bishops ‘Real Threat to Freedom’ in Atheist Group’s New Anti-Catholic TV Spot
In the clip, Sweeney makes it clear that she‘s left the Catholic Church behind and that she doesn’t appreciate the Bishops’ treatment of the contraceptive issue.
“I’m a cultural Catholic. I’m no longer a believer…but I wanted you to know that, right now, Catholic Bishops are framing their opposition to contraceptive coverage as a religions freedom issue,” Sweeney proclaims.
“But the real threat to freedom is the Bishops who want to be free to force their dogma on people who don’t want it,” she continues.
The vid is at the link.
A few points. First I am amazed at how proud self proclaimed American " culural Catholics " live off the contributions of American Catholics and the Church as to religious liberty and don't seem to realize it.
Second is she really buying that the issue are just using religious liberty as an cover for an war on contraception?
The issue is not the Bishops forcing a dogma on people. Though "Pat" might have birth control on the brain she misses the real issues. The lawsuits in which the Church has filed do not, limit the ability of employees to purchase or use contraceptives, nor do they limit the ability of Congress or the Administration to employ another way -- besides making objecting religious employers bear the cost -- of subsidizing contraceptives for women who work at such institutions.
In other words with all the avenues the Federal Government has to increase access to contraception , an unprecedented precedent of redefining what is "religious" to achieve this aim is the true threat.
Many other faith communities , some that rarely speak on matters in the public square and think birth control is acceptable to boot, also agree. But to bring that up sort of causes the Bishopa Conspiracy charge to fall apart rather quickly.
Juilia Sweeney "Pat" looks at the issue and just see Birth Control pills.The Church and many in the legal academy see the long term consequences on many other matters.
It is not about birth control because most Catholics are already using birth control without any "mandate". I don't believe the 98% statistic which has been stated because not nearly that many Catholics are heterosexual. But the birth rates show that the vast majority of sexually active heterosexual Catholics use birth control just like all other Americans. All of this Catholic political activity which is being perpetrated against the American public is just utterly deceitful dishonest Republicanism, an effort to discredit the President of the United States, and an effort to avoid treating their many employees with fairness, equitity, and dignity in their employment like all other Republicans.
ReplyDeleteI think Julia Sweeney probably has as much gravitas to those people with who she disagrees as Victoria Jackson does.
ReplyDeleteWhether 99.9% of Catholics use birth control is of no matter. The Church is not defined by the beliefs of its members; it is not a democracy.
ReplyDelete99.9% of Catholics lie at some point, and lust after people at some point, and get angry at some point. That doesn't mean these are no longer sinful.
There is no deceit or dishonesty on the part of the Catholic Church. The only dishonesty is APOV and his ilk who claim that the Church is coming after everyone's condoms.
Of course, the Church isn't trying to make birth control illegal. The Church just doesn't want to have to pay for these things - which it considers intrinsically evil.
APOV
ReplyDeleteThe issue of the precedent being set is the issue really. Does one have to be a Republican to think this narrow defination of what is "religious" is a bad thing
Take this specific issue out of the picture. Leaving everything *else* the Catholic church does and advocates.
ReplyDeleteCould one then with any intellectual seriousness accuse the Catholic church of deceit, dishonest, "Republicanism", trying to discredit this President, and not wanting to treat their employees with "fairness", equity, and dignity?
And yet because the Catholic church decided to take a stand on *this* issue - suddenly we can accuse them of all these things and ignore the totality of everything else she says and does.
We just love us some good old Catholic social-justice. Until they have the temerity to complain about (1) this new redefinition of what is "religious" (the more significant issue) and (2) having to pay for other people to do something that is against your religious teachings (the presenting issue).
Not to mention the pure silliness of thinking birth control should be *free*. Dang - my wife's anti-epilepsy medication isn't free. There is however a logic underlying the rank inconsistency. Which is other medications don't involve the nature of personhood and of sin as the drive toward non-existence.
Anonymous @ 6:20pm, I did not say that the Catholic Church is coming after everyone's condoms. I said, to the contrary, that the Catholic Church is a branch of the Republican political party, and it is a big characteristic of Republicans that they exploit cheap labor, and the Catholics like other Republicans are out to avoid treating their employees with fairness, equity, and dignity, which is required by this legislation. The Catholics want their condoms and birth control supplies just like everybody else. They are just against providing fair and equal benefits to their employees because they are a branch of the Republican politcal party and they are into the oppression of laborers. They are using a bogus and utterly dishonest issue of religious liberty to try to get a Republican elected in the next election, even though he is from a different branch of the Republican Party, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But rest assured that I am not one who thinks that the Catholics even care about birth control, it is just a bogus dishonest issure they are using in their practice of Republican politics.
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