"We degrade faith by talking about religion” - Bob Dylan

I wonder what the Vatican thinks of this guy and his stance on the Komen Foundation.

Toledo Catholic Bishop Leonard Blair has banned parishes and parochial schools from raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, citing concerns that the global anti-cancer giant may someday fund embryonic stem-cell research.

I already know how how Jebus feels about him...

We must end all breast cancer research, now, because if a cure isn't found using traditional methods, science will turn it's cold, secular gaze upon our poor defenseless blastocysts, shredding their tiny trophoblasts and greedily ripping the genetic material from the their cute little blastocoeles. It's far better that children lose their mothers, that lovers lose their partners, that parents lose their daughters, that women suffer long, painful journeys to Heaven.

It's what makes God happy.

(Title quote from a May, 2007 Rolling Stone interview, via Gus.)

Right Wing Watch

Tidbits from the Right Wing as the week came to a close:

1. Oh, but the world is coming to an end because gay people in Iowa can get married! At least, that's what you'd gather if you were hanging out with the freepers or other right wingers yesterday (my favorite comment in the response to the response: "It seems God turns a blind eye to the high straight divorce rate, pedophile priests, straight criminals etc. I didn't know that homosexuals such as myself were so powerful and could bring about Armageddon but if we are responsible it will be fabulously well run and organized. Oh what to wear?").

2. Pope condoms are selling well in France.

3. Look who is finally leaving New York (don't let the door hit you in the ginormous ass, Rush!)! UPDATE: Rush forgets.

4. And lastly, is Glenn Beck unraveling before our eyes?

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Again with the infallibility problem!

This has to be the worst pope in modern history.

On the way to sub-Saharan Africa, the most AIDS-ravaged place on the planet, the Pope is telling people that condom use increases the spread of AIDS. How many of Africa's 130 million Catholics will die because of this Pope?

Infallible? Pffft.

When is the Catholic world going to stand up and call this stuff coming out of the Vatician what it is? It's bullshit.

As Pam puts it:

When it's not a 24/7 homo hate blast coming out of the Vatican, or another story about enabling pedophile priests on the loose, it's about underscoring the second-class citizenship of women.

Here's the latest Vatican story in a nutshell: 1. A twisted pervert rapes his 9-year old step-daughter. 2. Mom, who is concerned that the twins her 9-year old daughter is carrying as a result of this rape might endanger her daughter's health, takes her daughter to a doctor. 3. Doctor agrees that the daughter's life in in danger and performs an abortion.

And what does the Catholic Church do? It excommunicates the girl's mother and the doctor, but not the pervert who raped a little girl, setting this entire, horrible chain of events in motion. I am not kidding. Read it and weep.

The Catholic Church, the Vatican and the Pope are simply wrong on this (to pick just one) issue. Where is the outrage? Until people in the Church start speaking out, the slow drain of Catholics will continue leaking from the Church, despite the baubles, breathtaking naves, and promises of absolution. How can people stay in the face of such speciousness?

And don't even get me started on the consistent hypocrisy of the Catholic hierarchy...

Sincerely, A former Catholic

It's Sunday and I'm not in church...

Why? Here's one reason.

I just don't understand the Catholic Church. I've tried. I was once a member. But I just can't wrap my head around this apparent alternate universe that the pope inhabits. We're still reeling from the news that the church aided and abetted men who were molesting and raping our children and the church follows that up with a message to women that despite anything else we might do, the bottom line is that we're still just a bunch of wombs???

Ouch.