Posted on 07/22/2014 5:58:17 AM PDT by Teófilo
Brethren: Peace be with you.
I wanted to share with you this press release issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):
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| "'Freedom of conscience'? What's that?" |
WASHINGTON–The bishop-Chairmen of two USCCB Committees responded with great concern to President Obama’s July 21 executive order to prohibit federal government contractors from what the Administration deems “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” discrimination and to forbid “gender identity” discrimination in the employment of federal employees. The problems the bishops identify in the order relate both to the flaws in its core prohibitions, and to its lack of religious freedom protection.
Two USCCB Chairmen – Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty and Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, Chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth – together issued the following statement.
Today’s executive order is unprecedented and extreme and should be opposed.Commentary. Brothers and sisters: President Obama's arrogance and abuse of power knows no limits. Personally, I am not against discrimination on the job for any reasons, for everyone deserves to eat and therefore, everyone deserves to work. Yet, this latest Presidential diktat is not only unnecessary in my view, but also another frontal attack against our First Amendment liberty, ostensibly under the guise of achieving a relative "good."
In the name of forbidding discrimination, this order implements discrimination. With the stroke of a pen, it lends the economic power of the federal government to a deeply flawed understanding of human sexuality, to which faithful Catholics and many other people of faith will not assent. As a result, the order will exclude federal contractors precisely on the basis of their religious beliefs.
More specifically, the Church strongly opposes both unjust discrimination against those who experience a homosexual inclination and sexual conduct outside of marriage, which is the union of one man and one woman. But the executive order, as it regards federal government contractors, ignores the inclination/conduct distinction in the undefined term “sexual orientation.” As a result, even contractors that disregard sexual inclination in employment face the possibility of exclusion from federal contracting if their employment policies or practices reflect religious or moral objections to extramarital sexual conduct.
The executive order prohibits “gender identity” discrimination, a prohibition that is previously unknown at the federal level, and that is predicated on the false idea that “gender” is nothing more than a social construct or psychological reality that can be chosen at variance from one’s biological sex. This is a problem not only of principle but of practice, as it will jeopardize the privacy and associational rights of both federal contractor employees and federal employees. For example, a biological male employee may be allowed to use the women’s restroom or locker room provided by the employer because the male employee identifies as a female.
In an attempt to avoid these needless conflicts, states that have passed “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” prohibitions have overwhelmingly included protections for religious employers. When the U.S. Senate, which is controlled by the President’s own party, passed the similar Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) last year, it included religious liberty protections as well. Indeed, all prior versions of ENDA had at least some religious liberty protections. But the executive order is an anomaly in this regard, containing no religious liberty protections. In this way, the order, which is fundamentally flawed in itself, also needlessly prefers conflict and exclusion over coexistence and cooperation.
Regarding federal contractors, the Executive Order will take effect after rules to be promulgated by the Department of Labor implementing the Executive Order become final. Regarding federal employment, the Executive Order is effective immediately.
PING!
I wonder, could the Catholic Church have been so blind that it could not see that Catholics in America have been voting to keep and renew the democrip politicians who are now smiling at this latest manifestation of the elimination of Church from the dying Republic? Is the Church so short sighted that they did not realize not standing up against politicians like Dungheap Harkin and Nazi Pelosi who push and push for more abortion slaughter would not result in evil taking over and aiming at The Church?
Hmmm, one too many ‘nots’ in that last. Need more coffee for this tired old brain and weeping heart.
Sleep with a snake and odds are good it will bite you, Ping!
;-)
~Theo
Sleep with a snake; breed an IRS agent.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
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2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. |
Well, USCCB, you would do well to recognize that NONE of Omama’s policies are worthy of your support.
You seem to have confused his current orhestration of massive illegal immigration, as some sort of compassionate enterprise.
In fact it is designed to ensure an eternally dependent underclass of voters to keep America hating liberals in power.
The result will be complete destruction of YOUR religious freedom, and the condemnation of LEGAL immigrants and minorities to eternal slave wages.
Take the king’s coin, play the king’s tune.
That and by far the American Catholics have been on the Democrat side of things. Yes, the Know Nothings were anti Catholic in the late 1800’s, but that doesn’t excuse it.
I wonder, could the Catholic Church have been so blind that it could not see that Catholics in America have been voting to keep and renew the democrip politicians who are now smiling at this latest manifestation of the elimination of Church from the dying Republic? Is the Church so short sighted that they did not realize not standing up against politicians like Dungheap Harkin and Nazi Pelosi who push and push for more abortion slaughter would not result in evil taking over and aiming at The Church?
Well stated. The enemy will take any advantage you give them.
They want the illegal immigrants because they are nominally Catholic. If they were Protestant I doubt the Bishops would be for it.
Sadly, if they were muslims they would bring them in by the bushel load. Catholic Charities has done that around here (along with the ELCA’s Lutheran Charities).
“I wonder, could the Catholic Church have been so blind “
Too many bishops in the USCCB have “power” ties to the government. But it’s not only the Catholic church but all the mainstream Christian churches. If they did not...then why were they all so silent when the SCOTUS created the abortion LAW with their decision on Roe v Wade?
Yes, of course. This paragraph - and the two following paragraphs - of the CCC defines my attitude toward same-sex activity and those who suffer from it day in and day out.
+JMJ,
~Theo
You mean the Protestant mainline churches remained silent before Roe v. Wade, for surely we Catholics didn’t remain quiet. For a long while it was just us until the Evangelicals joined us in the 1980’s.
~Theo
Very true, though many nominally Catholic politicians were pro infanticide (and remain so).
My synod was always pro life, but talking with people from that time, working with Catholics (or visa versa) was not considered possible. Remember, most of the people at that time were raised in the pre VII church, which viewed contact with non Catholics as dangerous at best, and heretical at worst. It was the same for my synod. Working with a Catholic on pro life causes and invoking the name of Jesus would be cause for review at the parish level.
One of the interesting things is that as the culture turns, we have been forced to recognize we are on the same side.
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