How dare those small minded bishops tell me I despise Jesus Christ. From where I sit, they wouldn't know Jesus if they fell over Him. I reject the conservative Bishops puritanical beliefs that this world is a necessary evil we have to endure only in order to enjoy happiness in the next and I stress the progressive Catholic beliefs of making this world a better place and improving the human condition. I think it's about time for our Church and all religious leasers across the board to begin teaching that it is just as important to heal, comfort, and educate as it is to save souls. I am sure we can stay busy addressing issues around the world such as poverty, hunger, genocide, global warmi...

How dare those small minded bishops tell me I despise Jesus Christ. From where I sit, they wouldn't know Jesus if they fell over Him. I reject the conservative Bishops puritanical beliefs that this world is a necessary evil we have to endure only in order to enjoy happiness in the next and I stress the progressive Catholic beliefs of making this world a better place and improving the human condition. I think it's about time for our Church and all religious leasers across the board to begin teaching that it is just as important to heal, comfort, and educate as it is to save souls. I am sure we can stay busy addressing issues around the world such as poverty, hunger, genocide, global warming and AIDS. Americans have serious problems confronting us such as the lack of health insurance for millions, the declining quality of education in our public schools, and a monstrous federal deficit. Nevertheless, abortion is very convenient for conservative thinkers. It's a contradiction to oppose abortion yet also oppose contraception, condoms, or other forms of family planning that prevent pregnancy and make abortion less likely. And its a contradiction to protest "killing babies" yet oppose federal funding for prenatal care, postnatal care, early childhood education, health care, public, schools, food stamps, job training, and other programs designed to help children and families in need.
Life may or may not begin at conception, but it certainly does not end at birth.

@tanyamm

Doesn't it say in the Bible that God would judge people in the end times.

Apparently you haven't done much Bible reading:

Mt 16:18,19 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Mt 18:15-18 if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take wi...

@tanyamm

Doesn't it say in the Bible that God would judge people in the end times.

Apparently you haven't done much Bible reading:

Mt 16:18,19 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Mt 18:15-18 if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.

Jn 20:21 He said therefore to them (the Apostles) again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.

1 Tim 3:15 that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Why do the churches be they catholic or protestant think they can judge people now. When did God die and leave them in charge.

As is shown in the Bible, Jesus gave His authority to the Church.

Here is what I believe Efrain. Morality does not begin or end with sex. I do not believe the sperm's sole place is to be inserted into the female vagina for the purpose of uniting with an egg and anything that differs from, interferes with, or prevents that from happening is unacceptable, and that includes masturbation, contraception, condoms, coitus interruptus, oral sex, anal sex, sex between two men, or sex between two women. I do not believe that men know what is best for women and that men alone should decide from the pulpit what options a woman has when when get pregnant, which for Catholic conservatives means one option: having a baby. This is not to absolve the woman of all resp...

Here is what I believe Efrain. Morality does not begin or end with sex. I do not believe the sperm's sole place is to be inserted into the female vagina for the purpose of uniting with an egg and anything that differs from, interferes with, or prevents that from happening is unacceptable, and that includes masturbation, contraception, condoms, coitus interruptus, oral sex, anal sex, sex between two men, or sex between two women. I do not believe that men know what is best for women and that men alone should decide from the pulpit what options a woman has when when get pregnant, which for Catholic conservatives means one option: having a baby. This is not to absolve the woman of all responsibility. I think abortion is a serious matter. It should not be decided upon lightly. But in the end, it is her choice and should always remain her choice.

I'm one of those rascals who think that if you're going to 'read' a Bible, the first thing to do is decide how to go about it.
I find it hard to distinguish prayer from oral reflection and a belief in Jesus from an undertaking to make a special point to figure out what he was talking about.
Since story-telling is the name of the game and 'morality' an interest they are supposed to stimulate, I have taken the 'words of Jesus' to say pretty clearly I have a responsibility to use scripture only as a starting point and to reject any constraint upon my God-given common sense to figure out what is moral for myself to do in a given circumstance.
Religion then, as a set piece given answers for ...

I'm one of those rascals who think that if you're going to 'read' a Bible, the first thing to do is decide how to go about it.
I find it hard to distinguish prayer from oral reflection and a belief in Jesus from an undertaking to make a special point to figure out what he was talking about.
Since story-telling is the name of the game and 'morality' an interest they are supposed to stimulate, I have taken the 'words of Jesus' to say pretty clearly I have a responsibility to use scripture only as a starting point and to reject any constraint upon my God-given common sense to figure out what is moral for myself to do in a given circumstance.
Religion then, as a set piece given answers for Eternity, is conditional upon the lessons taught to you by life : and you have to remember the biggest problem is drawing the wrong lesson from experience and others' condemming ideas reflexively.
The abortion bugaboo is a mess. I find hypocrisy in the position that one should be more concerned about saving potential life while condoning war. Thou shalt not kill is straightforward, but has to be taken to mean real people, not what is not yet people.
Abortion is not going away. Women do it and doctors will not support any abrogation of the doctor-patient relationship by Doctrine, whether that of a Church or that of a State. The 'alternative' is that they will do it without help ( that's the record ) regardless of consequences.
I've seen the dramatizations too. As far as I can tell, they are meant to stampede people into obeying 'rules' about sex.
What's this about Freedom and Responsibility again ? I have no right to impose my 'take' on this situation on others. Neither do you. Nor do I accept the idea any relious 'authority' has the right to do so in another's name either.
They don't call us 'Protestants' for nothing.

@ oldphartte

The abortion bugaboo is a mess. I find hypocrisy in the position that one should be more concerned about saving potential life while condoning war. Thou shalt not kill is straightforward, but has to be taken to mean real people, not what is not yet people.

This is where you are mistaken. A fertilized ovum is not a "potential life" and not a "not yet person." Life begins at conception which can be proved scientifically, philosophically, and theologically.

Basic biology states that there is five characteristics of a living thing:

1. Living things are highly organized.

2. All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy.

3. All livi...

@ oldphartte

The abortion bugaboo is a mess. I find hypocrisy in the position that one should be more concerned about saving potential life while condoning war. Thou shalt not kill is straightforward, but has to be taken to mean real people, not what is not yet people.

This is where you are mistaken. A fertilized ovum is not a "potential life" and not a "not yet person." Life begins at conception which can be proved scientifically, philosophically, and theologically.

Basic biology states that there is five characteristics of a living thing:

1. Living things are highly organized.

2. All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy.

3. All living things have an ability to respond to their environment.

4. All living things have an ability to reproduce.

5. All living things have an ability to adapt.

Philosophically, the substance of a thing cannot partake the substance of another. A fertilized ovum or zygote cannot be anything other than human. The development of the zygote does not develop from a substance that is anything other than human. Therefore a human already.

Theologically, we see in the Psalms 139:13 You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.

If a child in the womb is yet to possess life, then in Lk 1:41 the child in the womb of Elizabeth would not have leaped for joy if the recently conceived baby Jesus was not yet living.

I use the word child as defined by Merriam-Webster:

child - 1 a: an unborn or recently born person

There is no hypocrisy holding the position against abortion when there are 4,000 innocent lives slaughtered in a single day in the U.S. alone.