So Goes The GOP, So Go The Bishops

Since the bishops continue to strongly mix politics and religion on the abortion issue, like denying communion to Catholics with the “wrong” position of life issues, read only abortion, I would say that like the GOP the bishops are making themselves more irrelevant.

This is what Kos had to say on the blog DailyKos.com this morning.

So what's left? How can a regressive, reactionary party continue to function as a national going concern when its message appeals to a shrinking and aging base, and when the nation's youngest voters reject it by a margin of over 30 points?
Well, it can't, not when its base (unlike ours) is dead-set on keeping its party outside of the American mainstream.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/28/724998/_The_GOPs_base_problem

Well the bishops will probably glory in the fact that they are being irrelevant, sort of a Jesus thing or martyr thing. Nevertheless, they are irrelevant. And I don’t think Jesus is irrelevant.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4466/destoniocommuniondr1.jpg

I Love This, I Absolutely Love This

God's Holy and Humble People

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

A Response to Enlightened Catholicsim

My response to:

http://enlightenedcatholicism-colkoch.blogspot.com/2009/04/vatican-men-enter-uppity-liberal.html

I think Benedict stepped in a pile of it with his Prada loafers when he lifted the excommunication of Bishop Williamson, the holocaust denying, Lefeberite bishop. Now the Vatican is using the investigation of American Women’s Religious orders to try to help wipe the stuff off.
Recall that back about November the Vatican was on the fast track to excommunicate Father Roy Bourgeios, M.M., the Maryknoll priest who faced death squads in Bolivia and is the founder of the School of Americas Watch. Father Roy refused to recant his support for the ordination of women and reminded the Vatican he is and has been a faithful Roman Catholic priest for thirty-six years.
Fr. Roy’s mistake in the eyes of the Vatican, was to appear at the ordination of a woman priest in Pittsburgh last August. Notice that number #1 on Lavada’s list of grievances against the LCWR and women’s religious orders is the matter of the ordination of women.
Well, it is now April and Fr. Bourgeios has not been excommunicated. He received a lot of support from these same women’s religious orders that are now being investigated. Benedict and the Vatican would look rather foolish lifting the excommunication of a holocaust denying, Lefeberite bishop and then excommunicating a faithful missionary priest and advocate for peace and justice.
At the time it made me want to say: "Excommunicate me, too" "Excommunicate me, too!" This all makes Benedict and Vatican’s weapon of excommunication look foolish as well as toothless. And Benedict has dirty Pradas.
I think the LCWR and women’s religious orders are smart enough and wise enough not to be used by the Vatican to clean up the pope’s mess.

Maybe It Is Time For Gays To Abandon The Sense Of Victimization

I tend to see value in this article from April 12th. in the Washington Post by James Kirchick titled: "Are Gays To Wedded To The Cause?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041001983.html?sub=AR

The following is one paragraph from the article. The wisdom here is for the gay community to move beyond a perpetual state of victimization. And the truth is the gay community is so much more.

"Mission accomplished" is one of the most difficult things to say when your organization depends on working toward a cause, but Love Makes a Family did it. And other gay groups may soon need to follow suit. If the gay community truly wants to achieve equality, it will have to overcome a victim mindset that is slowly becoming obsolete.

Walking Out Of Holy Thusday Mass

I am posting this from Daily Kos. I have already commented on this person's diary. My comment is below the link to the diary.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/9/718438/-I-just-walked-out-of-the-Holy-Thursday-Mass

Thank You For Writing This Diary
This kind of abuse of the liturgy and the pulpit needs to be exposed. I totally agree with what you have said. True there are some good pastors and preachers around in the Catholic Church. Those pastors and especially preachers are few and far between these days. I find nothing of the Good News in what you say Fr. Larry was preaching. People like him need to be banned from the pulpit. Then you might need to ban a few bishops from there, too. So many shepherds have lost their way.

I agree with this from Enlightened Catholicism

"I am getting so tired of legal solutions for pastoral problems. Please bishops, stop testifying in front of legislatures and cameras, and start being pastoral. Catholics don't need the state to enforce Catholic dogma, they need pastoral workers to help them through their moral choices. Is this really so difficult to understand? Using the state to enforce doctrine your sheep don't necessarily agree to is abrogating your pastoral responsibility. Maybe it's time you actually listened to the bleating of the sheep."