Seen on Salad is Slaughter: Catholic bishops will fight Obama on abortion. The best bit:
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, saying the church and religious freedom could be under attack in the new presidential administration.
Say that again? “Religious freedom”?
Yes, it’s that distortion again. Do these people even know what “freedom” means? When you’re deciding on something that affects mainly others, it’s not “freedom”, it’s power. The power over others, to dictate on what they can and cannot do.
“Religious freedom” is being able to have the religion you want – even if it’s “none”. It’s being able to act according to those beliefs, as long as it doesn’t infringe the rights of others. It’s not being persecuted (as in “jailed” or “fed to large felines”) for your beliefs. That’s it.
“Religious freedom” has nothing to do with being able to oppress others, force your beliefs on them, or dictate their actions by turning your religious commandments into the law of your country, affecting everyone – even those who don’t share your beliefs. All of those are a matter of power – of having power over other people.
If you don’t have that power – even if, historically, you are used to having it it – your “freedom” is never in question. You can still do what you want. But so can others… and that’s what you can’t accept, isn’t it?
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This is nothing new. Most Americans believe that the early religious settlers in New England came to the colonies for religious freedom and to escape religious oppression at home in England. It’s more accurate to say that they wanted to live where they could enforce their narrow views on everyone around them.
This makes me mad at the Cetholic Church.
For goodness sake, they need to get over it.
And I’m pretty sure it is illegal for them to actively campaign against abortion anyway. They’ll lose their tax exempt status, as they should.
Another great post! As an American its so frustrating to be constantly subjected to dialogue about freedom when people seem to have no clue what it means. Its always the religious right who believe their religious freedoms are under attack any time they aren’t allowed to push their so called freedoms on others. Drives me absolutely crazy.
I think, and I am not Catholic so I cannot say with certainty. That it may have to do with this: If you want to take MY money I will require that you use it in what I consider an ethical manner.
Abortions, legal or illegal, should not be paid for with the money of people who disagree with it.
That may or may not be my view, it is my guess as to what they are saying.