A Catholic Get’s It Right about His church

So, yesterday on “Meet the Press” there was an interesting discussion about the current fake blow up about religious discrimination, contraception, and the Catholic church.  This is the murky grey area when religion decides to go into business and expects to NOT have to play by the common rules.  It is one reason why I think “Churches” or “Religious Organizations” should have to pay taxes because that would make the tax code clearer, fair, and our nation a little more transparent  for all of us.  The Congressman in this round table discussion has it right about “his church” and business that is worth noting for anyone concerned about religious discrimination and business.   I  have some first hand experience with this as my companion’s employer, who thankfully provides medical insurance benefits, changed to a plan that is primarily welcomed at the Catholic hospital system in our town.  One of her co-workers, married though that should not matter, found out that birth control pills are not covered in the insurance policy like other medications are covered.  No contraception is covered.  The argument can be made that when “councils of men” were setting the Catholic church doctrine centuries ago that being able to out number the other religions of the world that one might have to fight for domination some where in the future, was probably the persuasive argument for the current Catholic dogma as any theological one made.  Sometimes it seems like some Christian zealots on the right are operating out of a similar conviction.

Romney, and Santorum both would support allowing states to outlaw contraception as if a larger population would drive down labor and drive down production costs.  Are they arguing for becoming China, Indonesia, India where “pro-growth” means allowing corporations to do in America what they are allowed to do in these countries?  What of human rights?  Would they support a state deciding the non-whites are 3/5ths of a human?  Is that their vision for America?  When I hear “pro-growth” I hear anti-worker and remember the coal wars and the robber barons of history.  I recall the day of Lords and Serfs which is what I hear all the white male candidates, with the exception of Rep. Paul, advocating.  Rep. Paul wants “liberty” but he cannot define what that means in community.  It’s easy to shout liberty, but harder to govern liberty for all.

Watch this episode of the “round table” from “Meet the Press.”

, 02/06/2012. Category: Culture, Theological Rant.

Sightings

Even Peggy Noonan is getting involved in the “defeat African American President” at all costs.  That is my observation of Martin Marty’s current Sightings.

Fluoridation
— Martin E. Marty

Sighting national debates over the religious and judicial implications having to do with fluoridation of water would draw little notice. Such was not always the case. At last mid-century, when the pile of letters to the editor of The Christian Century might thin out for a few weeks, we editors would play games. From our experience, we’d ask, what subjects that we might take up would draw numerous vehement Letters to the Editor to inform and entertain readers? The top two at that time were “antivivisection” and “fluoridation.”

We could have added any number of others that had to do with the collision of interests pitting “the common good” versus “individual freedom,” especially freedom of religion. Pasteurization of milk, vaccination, and chlorination of water were among them. Beyond the needs of the body but dealing with the body politic have been vast numbers of others: the military draft, Sabbath and Sunday laws, and compulsory flag-salutes were or are among them. Often small religious groups best raise conscience matters. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Scientist, Seventh-Day Adventists, Latter-Day Saints, the Amish. None of the issues could be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, so majorities of voters or legislatures or justices ruled. This means that they used “coercion against conscience,” driving some citizens to inconvenience and prison. There were often accommodations and compromises along the way. Somehow the republic survived.

Peggy Noonan in her Wall Street Journal column addressed this winter’s hot issue. In Washington “a bomb went off that not many in the political class heard, or understood.” She referred to the Health and Human Services ruling that “Catholic institutions—including charities, hospitals and schools” will be forced to cover with insurance some procedures with which their church and many or most members disagree. Why she turns sectarian and parochial and reduces this worthwhile and troubling controversy to Catholicism alone, it is hard to tell. Or maybe it isn’t, because Catholics vastly outnumber the religious groups mentioned above. They have clout and have to be noticed, and this Saturday’s column was an attempt to rally the troops.

More Noonan judgment: “In other words, the Catholic Church was told this week that its institutions can’t be Catholic anymore.” The columnist then cheers, for intra-church political reasons, since their need to react will unify Catholics, “long split left, right and center.” Why this HHS ruling? “There was no reason. . . none. Except ideology.” That also over-narrows the case. People on the other side, many of them Catholic, favored the ruling as an issue of justice. They may have been wrong, but they at least help make possible something better than a reduction to sectarian and ideological self-interest.

To turn this to something more positive: what if we agreed that this controversy is too important to waste by such reduction? We live in a republic where not all electoral outcomes, legislative acts, or judicial decisions will satisfy the consciences of all conscientious people and interests, religious or not. Recognizing that, citizens have taken many courses: non-violent or violent resistance, compromising, negotiating, living with a world not entirely of one’s own making or politicking. Seeking immediate and total political advantage is tempting; Ms. Noonan gleefully, if I read her right, argues that this single decision has determined the outcome of elections a year from now, and foresees new power for the 77.7 million Catholics in this land.

References
Peggy Noonan, “A Battle the President Can’t Win,” Wall Street Journal, February 3, 2012.
http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

, 02/06/2012. Category: Culture, Guest Column.
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