From the Extreme Ends

I find these little snippets interesting.

Bishop Martino
From Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino (via the Scranton Times; article reference here):

Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino accuses Sen. Bob Casey of “cooperating with … evil” by refusing to back legislation to block U.S. tax dollars from flowing to foreign family planning groups that refuse to renounce abortion.

In a Jan. 30 letter to the senator, the bishop also calls on Mr. Casey to live up to his Catholic faith and “oppose abortion and other clear evils, including contraception.”

Now I do understand the Bishop making the comment about abortion. My own abortion views aside, I really do "get it" as to why some folks are so strongly opposed to abortion on demand and view it as being evil. HOWEVER, I draw your attention to the comment about contraception. Show of hands: How many out there view contraception as being "evil"? In fact, I can probably make the case that most forms of contraception in fact prevent an "evil". Note that the Catholic Church views every form of contraception as being "evil" except for "natural" methods (which are, in essence, all forms of abstinence). Personally I think you need to judge for yourself, which is pretty much the opposite of what Bishop Martino wants.

Needless to say, while I have reservations about US taxpayer money being used to fund third world abortions, I fully support that money going towards providing effective contraception in those same third world countries. If you can prevent a pregnancy, it seems to me that "evil" is reduced. Hey, I'm no Bishop though. I also think that Bishop Martino needs to start applying Catholic teaching more consistently, especially when it comes to Capital Punishment (how many Republicans will he lecture to about the inherent "evil" of the death penalty...something which the late Pope John Paul II said can be morally applied in such rare instances that they are basically non-existent).


Homosexual "Rights"
From the Associate Press (article reference here): religious conservatives oppose an Obama Justice Department appointment...

"Ogden has been an activist in the support of a right to pornography, a right of abortion and the rights of homosexuals," said Patrick Trueman, a former Justice Department official during the first Bush presidency who is now in private practice.

You can read the full article for yourself, but when I saw it, I was immediately drawn to the phase "homosexual rights". Stop and ponder that for a moment. Is this person saying that homosexuals in effect shouldn't have any "rights"? I think you can read it that way. Now who among us does not deserve basic human rights? Again, read the exact words. Look, I fully get it relative to the whole marriage thing: there are some who believe that marriage, as a matter of religion and culture, is between consenting adults of different genders. Okay fine with me, but then let's call "it" something different as it applies to two consenting adults of the same gender. If two adults want to enter into legal relationship that involves all of the elements of a marriage, why would I personally care enough to oppose it? Seriously, you wonder what the hang-up really is. Call it a "Parriage" instead of a "Marriage", but regardless, things like property rights shouldn't be denied to a couple because of their sexuality.

Now what is the real issue? Look, this may be going out on a limb, but I think it's this: there are some who actually believe that homosexuality is somehow contagious. Yes, I really do believe that some folks believe that everything associated with homosexuality is somehow "evil" and must be stamped out, lest the "disease" of homosexuality spreads.

As for me, again, I don't really care what two consenting adults do with their lives, as long as they don't care what I do with mine. You will find no one more heterosexual than me, but yet if someone else wants to have relations with another male or female, that's fine with me. More power to them. It's hard enough in this life to find true happiness, so if someone can find it with another man...or woman...then good for them!