[Odile]

Christ Jesus, the Way Shower, said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but render unto God the things that are God's."

The two ought NEVER to be mistaken for one another.

The Church cannot IMPOSE its laws in the general public -- or even its lay employees. The Church can ONLY teach by EXAMPLE.

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."

Any attempt to FORCE moral behavior by withholding privileges is NOT Christian. It is a form of BLACKMAIL and therefore contemptible in my opinion.

[Desdemona]

Read the article again. The bishops request exeption from this law as it violates Church practice.

[RobbyS]

In the book of Actsthe story is told of a couple who withheld their share of the common pot. They were "excommunicated" and soon died.

[Alberta's Child]

The Church cannot IMPOSE its laws in the general public -- or even its lay employees.

The Church can't impose its laws on the general public, but it sure as hell can impose them on its employees.

If you have any doubt about that, you should get a teaching job in a Catholic school and then announce that you're co-habitating with your boyfriend/girlfriend. The school can and will terminate you without any due process -- there's probably a clause in every Catholic employees' contract that says something to this effect.

[Campion]

The Church cannot IMPOSE its laws in the general public -- or even its lay employees.

It isn't -- they're perfectly free to purchase contraceptives on their own. The Church is being forced to violate its own laws by the State. Big difference.

[Gophack]

The Church cannot IMPOSE its laws in the general public

We are not trying to IMPOSE our laws on the general public, we simply believe that we shouldn't be forced, as a Catholic institution, to pay for something that we believe is morally wrong and a sin.

[muawiyah]

It's not a case of forcing moral behavior on others - this is a situation where the organs of the fascist state are forcing the Catholic church (and others) to participate in immoral behavior.

Any suggestion to the contrary is, in fact, morally unsound advice and will probably get you a trip straight to Oblivion or Outer Darkness, do not pass Go, lose your soul.