Compassionate Catholicism?

[pointedview]

Prior to posting this, I'd like to state that I was baptized Catholic. My mother is Catholic, and was taught by nuns. My maternal grandparents were devout members of the Catholic Church, and helped build a local one before they died. Although I personally identify as Episcopalian (admittedly a lax one), I know several Catholics that I count among

Comments

[tagplazen]

I think the problem with the arguement of seperation between church and state is that the Catholic Church holds the view that people are Catholics first, denizens of seperate countries second, and as such our idea of the seperation between the two has no bearing. In history that's been the biggest arguement against Catholocism and the antagonism towards it, and why a lot of countries viewed Catholics with suspicion, England throughout most of it's history and America up until the 50's being almost text book examples of that sense of distrust (or you could just pick up some of those marvelous Chic comics to see why all papists are going to burn in hell, those are the best

[goodjoan]

You know, I can sort of see the church's position. You aren't supposed to take communion if you have sin in your heart, that rule hasn't changed though it's been bent a bit since you are no longer obligated to go to confession before Sunday Mass. I was once denied communion when the new priest of my church found out I wasn't married by a catholic priest (*shock horror!*) I had to have my vows blessed in the church to fix that. The same priest wouldn't allow an entire family communion because both the parents had been married before and had kids from other relationships. So, the rule's been there for a while. But what bugs me is that they are taking a political hotbutton and suddenly declaring the rule applicable to politicians while those same priests are still doling out communion wafers to filanderers, divorcees, women on birth control, men with vasectomies, disobedient kids who has a nasty thought about their next door neighbor and old ladies who curse at people in the crosswalks. If you are going to enforce the rule, enforce

[streamweaver]

.... but Death Penalty supporters, step up and get ya cracker!