Bishop's ban ignites church-state debate

Cleveland Plain Dealer / AP ^ | 01/11/04 | Juliet Williams

[Brilliant]

What does this have to do with the church-state separation? Is the author suggesting that a Catholic can't have any political opinions, or that is an invasion of the church/state separation? If so, then isn't it an invasion of the church/state separation for a Catholic to either support or oppose abortion?

[MegaSilver]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

And since when is murder a religious issue?

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[paguch]

Who cares what a Jesuit scholar says, the Jesuit's left the Catholic Church years ago.

[fini]

If you don't believe in your domination's beliefs, change your domination. But some want it both ways.

[madison10]

This is not a Church-state issue. Actually abortion shouldn't even be a "state" issue. It is a moral issue & thus belongs to the church.

The Catholic church has the DUTY (per Paul's epistles) to tell their congregations how to behave as Catholic Christians.

[muawiyah]

Being a Catholic is very simple ~ in for a dime, in for a dollar.

Any wayward politician who doesn't like having the Bishop withhold Communion can quit. It's all a matter of private conscience, and if a politician is of a mind that the Catholic church is intolerable, he should keep that in his private life, check out and move on.

Even complaining about it in public is a violation of church/state theory. After all, who you gonna' call, the Speaker of the House, or maybe John Ashcroft, to go tell the Bishop to lay off?

These baby-eaters who want to stay in good stead with the Catholic church are a bunch of whiners who appear to have been taught the wrong lessons by the nuns.

[BikerNYC]

This is why many people did not want to vote for Kennedy; because the church would have such control.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

How are you representing people of all faiths by supporting abortion? You're following your own, narrow faith, not everyone else's.

[ArrogantBustard]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

Baloney. It's a matter of honesty, nothing more. If a politician is going to claim to be (Anglican|Buddhist|Catholic|...) he should act like it. The voters can decide whether that's what they want to elect.

[sinkspur]

This is why many people did not want to vote for Kennedy; because the church would have such control.

Yeah, the church has such "control" that half the Catholics in Congress support abortion.

This is not about control. If one wants to call himself a Catholic, he cannot do that if his public stances oppose Catholicism.

He is free to leave Catholicism or change his view.

[Zack Nguyen]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

Barry Lynn should keep quiet. There is no "debate" here, except in the minds of secular humanists. The Catholic Church has the right to enforce their laws. I am confident that God is not pleased with the pro-abortion stands of these politicians. This article makes it sound as if the Bishop has broken some Constitutional law.

The real battle in America in the 21st century is between secular humanists and Christians. This article gives a not-so-subtle hint about where the radical left wants to take this war - using force against churches that don't tow the PC line.

[judgeandjury]

What does this have to do with the church-state separation?

What does the "church-state separation" have to do with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

[Malesherbes]

Obey and the rest need instruction on how to change their church membership. Both Dean and Clark can offer advice on this subject.

[muawiyah]

We can spin this all too readily into noticing that Barry Lynn has asked John Ashcroft to suppress the Catholic church by imprisoning one of it's Bishops until he recants.

Hey, I didn't even have to spin that one!

[Tench_Coxe]

"Dictating public policy for people of all faiths by holding sacraments hostage from those who believe does not sound right," Erpenbach said.

And having public policy dictate the moral teachings of a religion is one of the reasons people came to the Americas from Europe in the first place, dips***.
Some of these CINO politicians will have to make a choice. Either they align their conscience with the moral teachings of the religion they belong to, or leave. They cannot have it both ways.

[DeweyCA]

Exactly right. This has nothing to do with the Constitution. It only has to do with politicians wanting to have the rights and privileges of a private organization (the Catholic Church). This is between the church and them. It has nothing to do with the Constitution. Dems want to have the political cover of being called a Catholic, without abiding by any of its rules. The Church, and any private organization, must have the right to enforce their own rules. The people are free to leave this voluntary organization (or any other one) at any time.

[Joe 6-pack]

"A Roman Catholic bishop who waded into politics..."

He didn't "wade." He kicked down the door. And it's about time.

[Zack Nguyen]

He said Burke had "crossed the line into unacceptable territory."

Does this sound ominous to anyone else? Almost as if the Congressman is warning the Bishop. The opening line of the article sounds as if the Bishop had entered territory he had no right to enter.

I'm telling you, within most of our lifetimes there will be a showdown between church and state. Not just the Catholic Church, but Protestants/evangelicals as well. Too many leftists in this country worship government power as God. And this God will brook no rivals. Be prayed up and ready.