Obama’s ‘war on the church’

MercatorNet ^ | 1/26/12 | Sheila Liaugminas

[EBH]

This was an extraordinary provocation.

On the day after Pope Benedict warned the church in America about unprecedented political and cultural threats to religious freedom, the Obama adminstration issued a mandate that will force religious institutions to comply with health care rules profoundly against their fundamental moral beliefs.

The ACLJ was already preparing briefs for the Supreme Court hearing on the Obama healthcare legislation, based on the individual mandate that required citizens to purchase something, by federal law, for the first time. Now, that mandate requires them to purchase something that violates their moral conscience.

Never before has an American president so openly and wantonly disregarded the religious civil liberties of so many.

Last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would make final the rule mandating that insurance policies provide for contraceptive services, including sterilization, and drugs with an abortifacient mechanism of action.

With this rule, hundreds of religious colleges and hospitals, for example, will now be required –in fact, coerced — into providing insurance coverage for practices they believe to be morally wrong and violative of their religious beliefs.

[EBH]

In one sweeping move, president Obama and his Catholic health secretary have succeeded in something no other groups or efforts or initatives or projects have been able to do: unite and galvanize Catholics on the right and left. It’s an amazing feat, really.

[SlargTarg]

unite and galvanize Catholics on the right and left

With ever more illegals voting, the percentage of Catholics voting for the statists will only increase.

Just like the black vote, the democrats know that they have them.

[DarthVader]

Yes and he is also going to bring the Lord’s severe chastisement upon himself and his administration.

[BipolarBob]

How can they require a doctor to perform a medical act for which they have no training for or qualifications to do? Simply say our doctors have no formal training in the murder of fetuses but the butchers down the road will be glad to snuff out the life inside you AND they take medicare.

[EBH]

Archbishop: Obama Wrong on Birth Control Mandate
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/January/NY-Archbishop-Obama-Wrong-on-Birth-Control-Mandate-/

A Roman Catholic leader says the Obama administration has become a serial violator of the Constitution.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, soon to be ordained by Pope Benedict as a cardinal, says the White House has been on the wrong side of the Constitution several times.

The most recent is the administration’s requirement that church-affiliated institutions cover free birth control for their employees.

When asked whether he disagreed with President Obama’s mandate, following a lecture in New York Tuesday night, Dolan said, ‘You bet we got a disagreement.’

“It’s not about contraception. It’s about the right of conscience,” he told reporters right before Obama gave his State of the Union Address.

“The government doesn’t have the right to butt into the internal governance and teachings of the church,” Dolan said. “This is not a Catholic issue, it’s an American issue. We’re strong on this issue of conscience, and that’s what’s at stake here.”

Dolan released a video urging Catholics to protest the requirement.

The church opposes contraception and considers morning after pills the equivalent of abortion.

Legal experts predict a court battle between the diocese and the government over the requirement.

[broken_arrow1]

When will Obama break out the Lions?

[SlargTarg]

A Roman Catholic leader says the Obama administration has become a serial violator of the Constitution.

Pot..Kettle...Black.

Timothy Dolan though it was fine that the federal government could strong arm us into buying health insurance on their terms......just so long as it didn't include abortion and contraception.

Sorry, a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away your religious freedoms.

A painful, but necessary lesson to be learned by the churches in the coming years.

[pitviper68]

CORRECT!! I’m a devout Catholic, but I remember VIVIDLY the Conference of Catholic Bishops espousing Universal Healthcare as a basic right. I was angry about it then, because I knew this is what would result. CINO’s gave us Obama, and the Bishops gave Obama cover for Obamacare.

Read carefully what the Conference of Bishops is asking the Faithful to do, to contact their representatives and ask them to support legislation for conscience protection!!!!!! NO, we need it repealed, or the next liberal administration will do it all over again!

[Salvation]

And the Bishops are speaking back.

Obama’s ‘war on the church’
‘We Will Not Comply’: Catholic Leaders Distribute Letter Slamming Obama Admin Contraceptive Mandate
‘We Will Not Comply’: Catholic Leaders Distribute Letter Slamming Obama Admin Contraceptive Mandate
Letter from Archbishop John G. Vlazny on the matter of freedom of conscience and decisions by HHS
Bishop Olmsted's Letter to Catholics [Catholic Caucus]
Liberty for the Amish & Quakers but not Catholics. . .
Contraception mandate prompts Peoria bishop to instate St. Michael Prayer (Catholic Caucus)
Phoenix bishop (Olmstead): defy feds on birth control
A letter from Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr concerning HHS edict

Speak honestly: abortion is ‘the killing of tiny human beings in the womb’ – Denver bishop
Bishop [Daniel Jenky] Blasts Secularist Intolerance, Calls For ‘Assertive Action’ to Defend Church
(Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik comments:) HHS delays rule on contraceptive coverage
Dolan: Natural law, not religious preference, dictates all life sacred
Religious leaders blast HHS over contraception mandate
Mandated Contraception, Sterilization: Caesar Demands Church Violate Conscience
OBAMA’S CONTEMPT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (mandates coverage of sterilization & contraception)
Implications of Obama Admin move to force Cath hospitals to provide contraception and sterilizations
Catholic doctors’ group launches petition against contraception mandate
Contraception mandate tramples religious freedom, US bishops say

[Salvation]

Why do you pick on only the Catholics when other denominations voted strongly for Obama?

50 percent of Catholics (Catholics make up about 22 percent of the U.S. population.) approve of his presidency, down from 67 percent in his first six months in office.

DOWN 17 POINTS

 

among non-Catholic Christians, who make up 55 percent of the U.S. population, had fallen from 58 percent to 43 percent.

DOWN 15 POINTS

 

Mormon respondents, who represent about two percent of U.S. adults, fell from 43 percent to 26 percent

DOWN 17 POINTS

 

About 78 percent of Muslim respondents approved of the Obama presidency, down eight percentage points from when the question was first asked.  (86)

DOWN 8 POINTS

 

atheists, agnostics, and members of other non-Christian religions, who comprise about 13 percent of the U.S. population -- While about 75 percent of these respondents approved of President Obama at the start of his term, their approval declined to about 64 percent.

DOWN 11 POINTS

 

Jews were the religious group third likeliest to approve of President Obama, giving him 61 percent approval. This too is a decline: in January-June 2009, their approval rating of the president was 77 percent.

DOWN 16 POINTS

 

Overall, 48 percent of Americans approve of President Obama’s job, down from 63 percent in the first months of his presidency. Gallup claims that its survey of over 276,000 adults claims an overall margin of error of plus or minus one percent.

DOWN 15 POINTS

 

 

 

 

[Salvation]

Has Obama Lost the Catholic Left?P> Obama won the overall religious vote, 52 percent to 46 percent, reversing President George W. Bush’s 51 percent to 48 percent “values voter” victory over Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry in 2004. Obama also won the Catholic vote, persuaded young evangelical voters to choose him and began to squeeze shut the so-called “God gap” yawning between religious Democrats and Republicans during the Bush era.

How will the roughly 9.1 million evangelical Christians who voted for Obama vote in the next election? Will Obama's actions compel the 31.2 million evangelicals who didn't vote in the 2008 election to vote next time?

Obama Receives 77% of Jewish Vote-- More Than Kerry
White US Catholics move toward GOP, Hispanic Catholics toward Democrats
Among Catholics, Obama job approval rating decreases to 50 percent

[SlargTarg]

Why do you pick on only the Catholics when other denominations voted strongly for Obama?

The liberal protestants seem to like Obama.

Its only the Catholics that vote for Obama and then whine when the party of tyranny forces abortion on them.

Its sort of like the child who kills his parents and then whines about being an orphan, you can help but respond to his complaints with the truth of the situation.

[Campion]

Its only the Catholics that vote for Obama and then whine when the party of tyranny forces abortion on them.

52% of self-identified "Catholics" voted for Zero. That's barely a majority. Of the self-identified "Catholics," barely 40% bother to darken the door of a Catholic church on a regular basis, meaning that 60%, in terms of what they actually do when the rubber meets the road, are no more Catholic than my neighbor's dog.

But those of us who are actually Catholics, who didn't vote for Obama*, are supposed to hang our heads in shame over what a few non-practicing Catholics did, and just take whatever the regime dishes out because "we've got it coming to us," according to a certain subset of FReepers?

"then they came for the Catholics, and I said nothing, because I wasn't a Catholic ..."

*I'm >50 years old, Catholic since the age of 6 weeks, held my nose and voted for McCain, have *never* voted for a Democrat for president, and I'm not sure I ever have for Congressman or Senator, either ... can you say the same???

[EBH]

You know I was thinking about this yesterday,

Obama White House ordered coverup of religious symbols for Georgetown speech
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-notre-dame-georgetown.html

They now want the mile.

And if the Church is serious about this, then they should issue an Ex-communication order on Sebelius.

[SlargTarg]

But those of us who are actually Catholics, who didn't vote for Obama*, are supposed to hang our heads in shame over what a few non-practicing Catholics did, and just take whatever the regime dishes out because "we've got it coming to us," according to a certain subset of FReepers?

I take no joy in seeing people crushed under the heal of big government.

My point is that what is happening now with regards to Obama and the church was entirely PREDICTABLE and could have been easily prevented if the Church's social policy didn't break the 8th and 10th commandments.

I spent years arguing with people about the dangers of increasing the power of the government. Quite a number of Catholics and other social justice type protestants I tried to warn instead turned it around and claimed that I was for the rich and wanted to rob food from the mouths of the poor.

Also I can't let you get away with trying to claim that the 50%+ who voted for Obama aren't practicing Catholics.

Our nation and civilization are at the precipice of catastrophe due to decades of stealing for the sake of the poor and the bloated corrupt government that comes with such social policies.

Last summer when the new Republican congress was feebly attempting to fight Obama over the debt ceiling the USCCB put out this statement: USCCB Report on the Debt Ceiling Debate: Little Concern for the Least Among Us

The money quotes:

But there is bad news: This legislation will require major cuts to discretionary programs, including and especially programs which serve those who are poor and vulnerable.

As is well known, there are no revenue increases of any kind, and the debates over tax and entitlement reforms were put off and referred to the special Congressional committee, which may simply reflect the continuing demands of special interests and Congressional factions.

They are standing in the way of entitlement reform and demanding more tax revenue increases (more stealing). They also demagogued against welfare reform passed by Newt's congress in the 90's

So who are the faithful catholic now? Those who want economic freedom or those who want to go on stealing for the poor? I can't really tell when the bishops put out statements like that.