While don’t like abortions, I do not feel that it it is the US Government’s place to regulate it — this is a religious moral not secular moral. Our forefathers believed in separation of church and state. Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1803 “to build a wall of separation between Church and State”. The first amendment does build this wall. Thomas Jefferson was very religious and believed this way. I am also very religious and believe in separation of Church and State. No bill should be introduced to put religious morals on the books and those that are on the books should be removed from the books — marriage laws fall in this category as these laws make it possible for religious tyranny on anybody that doesn’t believe the same as you do. Our forefathers where not the strong religious types as most people paint them to be most were either deist or agnostic. Those that who say otherwise are history revisionist. They came here to escape religious tyranny and were not a real part of any mainstream religion. Mainstream religion has tried to capitalize on our forefathers by saying that the were a part of Mainstream religion.

When you have one man that runs the entire church with supreme authority and with infallibility where the living person that is the “king” cannot easily undo what previous “kings” have done as it would show the actual fallibility of the previous “kings” therefore showing the fallibility of the current “king”. The incorrect dogma grows and grows with no stopping it as it would show how invalid the whole church is. The non-biblical dogma surrounding the Pope is enough for me not to become a Roman Catholic even though I like the liturgical service. I thank God everyday that there are other liturgical churches which don’t have this dogma.

OAB

You can make some claim to improper handling of the sexual abuse scandal. The Church has consistantly opposed the war in Iraq. Pope John Paul opposed it personally in messages and audiences with Bush.

Also, the Catholic Church is not one of the strongest proponents of economic social justice (and provider of services to the needy) in America today. Undocumented immigrants in the Southwest have their strongest ally in the Church both spirtually, and tangibly.

If you can find a Bishop in the Country who teaches that the economic structure of America is just and sound I’ll give you an internet arguement dollar.

I’m sorry the silence is deafening you, but I suspect the problem is not the Church.

Tom.