How to Offend A Catholic

1. Tell them you used to be a Catholic, but are no longer.

2. Explain to them why you are no longer a Catholic.

3. Explain to them why a full grown woman might have more rights than a zygote.\

4. Discuss why you might be reluctant to send children to schools with track records of protecting pedophiles.

5. Suggest that the Church's limits on debate in Catholic colleges are actually a stifling of intellectual freedom.

6. Point out how idiotic the idea of papal infallibility is.

7. Point out the Church's adaptation of pagan saints and rituals.

8. Discuss the Church's history of violent intolerance.

9. Discuss the Church's collaboration with Fascist leaders such as Mussolini and Francisco Franco.

10. Point out the Church's indirect responsibility for violence and intolerance against homosexuals.

11. Point out various revisions the Church has made to its own doctrine.

12. Note that Catholic charities are not the only way to help the poor.

13. Point out how Catholic schools are in many respects indoctrination centers meant to brainwash children.

14. Discuss how the American Catholic Church is increasingly dependent on immigrants to keep its numbers up.

15. Mention all the former Catholics you keep meeting at Unitarian Churches.

16. Counter their arguments about how the longevity of the Church proves it's right by noting that Buddhism is older.

17. Note how all the best Catholic politicians are not particularly devout Catholics.

18. Discuss how the majority Catholic countries in Europe are largely secular.

19. Mention the Church's genocidal policies on AIDS in Africa.

20. Laugh at them when they post absurdist YouTube videos comparing President Obama to Hitler.

Blessed Are the Intolerant Nitwits

The usual gang of idiots at The Lair of the Catholic Cavement apparently have a beef with surfers or people who like going to the beach. In a screed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, they complain about the diocese's effort to reach out to non-traditional religious communities among the surfer crowd, whom the blogger denounces as pagans and heretics.

This hostility from ultra-orthodox Catholics is apparently somewhat common. Another Catholic blog denounces the diocese for permitting Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, apparently taking issue with her positions on abortion and Obama's health care plan.

My Gut Reaction: This stupidity is what made me leave the Roman Catholic Church.

Analysis: I am no fan of the Catholic Church, but I feel that if members of the Church are willing to reach out to people with other religious and political viewpoints, that should be encouraged. More ecumenism, even from a church I stongly disagree with, is always to be encouraged.

To Hell with the Pope, Long Live Ted Kennedy

An article on Yahoo News documents the conspicuous lack of reaction from Pope Benedict XVI to the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, in spite of receiving a letter from the Senator via President Obama. The article implies this silence is a result of Kennedy's liberal stance on abortion, which one Vatican official commented was in defiance of the Church's Magisterium (teaching authority.)

My Gut Reaction: Senator Ted Kennedy, with all he's done for America and the working class, had more moral authority than the Church's vaunted Magisterium. Even considering Chappaquidick.

Analysis: Senator Ted Kennedy, in spite of scandal and assassinations of two of his brothers, devoted his life to public service. This does not mean he was a perfect man or a saint. However, when one considers the recent history of the Catholic Church (cough-child molestation-ahem)one could argue that Senator Kennedy held the moral high ground.

Letter in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I had a letter published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today attacking a recent article by the paper's religious columnist, Ann Rodgers. The article was a poorly thought out critique of the new movie Angels and Demons, accusing it of bigotary against Catholics. Rodgers haplessly attempts to portray the Catholic Church as benevolent and undeserving of suspicion.

Really, Ms. Rodgers, were you asleep during history class and, for that matter, the past ten years? Did you just happen to ignore the revelations of cover ups by the Church hierarchy of wide spread sexual abuse within Catholic-run schools? For that matter, did you know about the collaboration between the Catholic Church and Fascists such as Francisco Franco and Benito Mussolini during the early twentieth century? Hell, when I was attending Northeast Catholic High School in the year 2001, the teachers were still trying to whitewash Franco.

With all that in mind, it's not really difficult to see why the Catholic hierarchy might be viewed as an object of suspicion.

Another Example of Catholic Idiocy

If you want to see the embodiment of Catholic fanaticism and dogma, look no further than the YouTube channel RosaryFilms. This channel's videos, nearly 700 so far, are ranting endorsements of various Roman Catholic dogmas. Most prominent, and glaringly stupid, are the denunciations of abortion. For example, one video notes the percentage of prostitutes who are pro-choice:



That's right, folks. No actual argument, no attempt at reason, just a bald statistic. Wow, I'm won over.

What makes the efforts of RosaryFilms especially comic is that, in an effort to use items from the public domain, many of the films it releases are fifty year old public service announcements. This may in part stem from the dated viewpoints expounded by the channel. For instance, take a look at this video, which purports to show an accurate psychological view of homosexuality:



Am I the only one who noticed that this video is roughly forty to fifty years old? It might be me, but I prefer to get my data from a more up to date source. In response to a comment on this issue, RosaryFilms argues that it is compliant with not only up to date psychology, but also theology. Are we to go to priests for mental health analysis now?

Similarly dated is an old video about the effects of mothers going to work, posted below. What makes this video particularly ironic is that if you look on the sidelines, you see several videos about child abuse promoted. Perhaps, given the Church's recent history, Rosary Films should devote more attention to child abuse in the context of the clergy, rather than criticizing working mothers.

Tax 'Em

A Catholic priest in the Carolinas has told his parishioners that they should repent before receiving Communion if they voted for President Obama. If he wants to go that deep into politics and civil society, let him set aside a portion of his weekly collections for taxes to support said civil society.

Why I Am Not a Catholic (Political Issue)

A recent story on NPR's Morning Edition encapsulates many of my reasons for leaving the Roman Catholic Church. It is an oppressive, anti-progress religion whose hierarchy has a vested interest in suppressing social and spiritual development.

The story recounts the experiences of several anti-abortion Catholics who have experienced harrassment in various forms from their more fanatical brethren. For example, Rick Gebhard, a member of the Knights of Columbus who set up a pro-Obama website after the organization took out an anti-Obama advertisement in several major newspapers, has been threatened with expulsion from the organization and even legal action because of his stand. Similarly, Douglas Kmiec, a Pepperdine University law professor, has experienced harrassment from certain portions of the laity and public condemnation by a Bishop due to his pro-Obama stance.

Particularly disturbing to me is the hypocrisy displayed by some anti-Obama Catholics quoted in the article. For example, Catholic theologian George Weigel boasts that the Supreme Court is gradually chipping away at the right to abortion. Doesn't that contradict the usual conservative / pro-life argument that the Supreme Court shouldn't be making law?

What dissident Catholics need to realize is that the problem is not just a few fanatical right-wing Catholics. They are just one symptom, one outgrowth of a far larger problem within the Catholic Church-a stultifying hierarchy bent on imposing its will on all Catholics. The only solution is to make the leap to Protestantism, which at least has an emphasis on the free will of the believer. I, for one, have joined the Unitarian Universalists.

Quasi-Catholic Schools and Eminent Domain

Monica Yant Kinney's column in the Philadelphia Inquirer is a very poor treatment of the recent judical ruling allowing the city to seize someone's house so that a group of nuns can build a school there.

Never mind the ethical implications of seizing someone's house. Since the Supreme Court ruling Kelo vs. New London, which widely broadened the state's right to seize people's property for practically anything it wants, there have been greater and greater attacks on property rights. Reading Ms. Kinney's article, you wouldn't imagine someone was losing their home. She just calls it a "rundown rowhouse." I guess poor people don't have property rights in her view.

Doing this for members of the clergy is especially gauling. Ever heard of the separation of Church and state, Ms. Kinney? Sure, the nuns claim they won't try to convert the students, but we all know that is bull. The very fact that they are nuns shows they are religious fanatics, and not to be trusted.

If Ms. Kinney is that gullible, she shouldn't be a journalist.