Mark Steyn: Obama goes Henry VIII on the church

The Orange County Register ^ | 2/10/2012 | Mark Steyn

[mojito]

Announcing his support for Commissar Sebelius' edicts on contraception, sterilization, and pharmacological abortion, that noted theologian the Most Reverend Al Sharpton explained: "If we are going to have a separation of church and state, we're going to have a separation of church and state."

Thanks for clarifying that. The church model the young American state wished to separate from was that of the British monarch, who remains to this day Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This convenient arrangement dates from the 1534 Act of Supremacy. The title of the law gives you the general upshot, but, just in case you're a bit slow on the uptake, the text proclaims "the King's Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England." That's to say, the sovereign is "the only supreme head on earth of the Church" and he shall enjoy "all honors, dignities, pre-eminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits and commodities to the said dignity," not to mention His Majesty "shall have full power and authority from time to time to visit, repress, redress, record, order, correct, restrain and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offenses, contempts and enormities, whatsoever they be."

Welcome to Obamacare.

The president of the United States has decided to go Henry VIII on the Church's medieval ass.

[mojito]

Not satistified with King, Obama will decided that he really needs to be Pope.

Let the Inquisition begin.

[Slings and Arrows]

Steyn pyng!

[tet68]

It does my heart good to read someone who knows how
to use an apostrophe correctly.

Example,”... Sebelius’ edicts...”

It is of course what one expects from Steyn.

[kathsua]

It shouldn’t be surprising that someone who was born a British subject would want emulate Henry VIII.

[mrsmel]

The “Rev” Al Sharpton and his fellow racebaiters are the last people to be giving lessons about the separation of church and state. What does he know about “dead white male” history anyway?

[xzins]

Excellent article by Steyn:

"We will soon learn," wrote Dr. Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, "just how much faith is left in faith-based institutions." Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's vicar on earth, has sportingly offered to maintain religious liberty for those institutions engaged in explicit religious instruction to a largely believing clientele. So we're not talking about mandatory condom dispensers next to the pulpit at St. Pat's – not yet. But that is not what it means to be a Christian: The mission of a Catholic hospital is to minister to the sick. When a guy shows up in Emergency, bleeding all over the floor, the nurse does not first establish whether he is Episcopalian or Muslim; when an indigent is in line at the soup kitchen the volunteer does not pause the ladle until she has determined whether he is a card-carrying Papist. The government has redefined religion as equivalent to your Sunday best: You can take it out for an hour to go to church, but you gotta mothball it in the closet the rest of the week. So Catholic institutions cannot comply with Commissar Sebelius and still be in any meaningful sense Catholic.

To steal a line from Jethro Tull: "He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays."

That's the kind that Obama thinks defines religion and the first amendment.

[mrsmel]

You can take it out for an hour to go to church, but you gotta mothball it in the closet the rest of the week.

In the meantime, perversion is to be paraded and celebrated seven days of the week. This country is sick.

[Repeal The 17th]

[Verginius Rufus]

Striking a balance the Obama way--1 hour for God, 167 hours for Caesar.

Maybe his model isn't so much Henry VIII but Henry II. "Who will rid me of these turbulent priests?"

[heartwood]

Not satistified with King, Obama will decided that he really needs to be Pope.

That ends up with them back in the pigsty.

[Aevery_Freeman]

"The Secretary shall develop oral healthcare components that shall include tooth-level surveillance."

Before Obama's Act of Supremacy did the English language ever have need for such a phrase? "Tooth-level surveillance": From the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium.

Now that is funny, insightful and clever.

I just hope that the tooth-level surveillance isn't part of my colonoscopy.

---

I wonder when the Chinese will decide to go "Kim-Jong Un" on our fearless leader?

[GreyFriar]

Steyn ping and read post 6 exerpt

[Gritty]

Obama has this fixation with being the King. He would do well to reflect on the reigns of Kings Charles I and George III...

[Mach9]

I LOVE YOU, MARK STEYN! Then again, what were the chances he wouldn’t get it?

[Mach9]

Becket Fund well-named.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

[nascarnation]

all my Catholic mates are abortion promoting libs

Sebelius
Biden
Kennedy
Kerry
Pelosi
and many more

it sucks bigtime

[Mach9]

On the other hand—

Santorum
Gingrich
Ryan
Rubio
Boehner
Bush (Jeb)

as well as four dependably Conservative Supremes, not to mention two more Supremes (one who fits into your grouping, and the other fitting into no particular grouping of any kind, even if he were in a class by himself). 6 out of 9.

[basil]

Ping to read later...

[NonValueAdded]

bump

[nascarnation]

Well said, but you’d never know which group is which based on what so many of the bishops and clergy say (or refuse to say).

Thanks for the booster shot though!

[hopespringseternal]

One thing Catholics have that none of the rest of the religious world does is the ability to excommunicate these heretics.

If Catholicism weren't so busy working out which of king barry's boots to lick first.

I am finding out real quick there are a lot of so-called Americans I have absolutely no desire to share a nation with.

[diamond6]

Catholics in name only.

[RedMDer]

All contributions are for the Current Quarter Expenses.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Example,”... Sebelius’ edicts...”

I would have rendered it "Sebelius's edicts." But that's just me.

[Venturer]

Did Al Sharpton ever graduate from High School?

[nascarnation]

Sharpton graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, and attended Brooklyn College, dropping out after two years in 1975.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

How may electorial votes does the Vatican have? (Stalin: “How many divisions does the Pope have?”)

[nascarnation]

as a guy said on CNBC

we’ve got a Pope from Germany and an Italian as the head of the European Central Bank - that’s not gonna work

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. Mark Steyn nails it, as usual.

[Venturer]

Thanks.

[TigersEye]

"The Secretary shall develop oral healthcare components that shall include tooth-level surveillance."

Before Obama's Act of Supremacy did the English language ever have need for such a phrase? "Tooth-level surveillance": From the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium.

I hope it's starting to get through to more people. 0bamaCare is not about health care it's about destruction of the Republic.

Whose right is health care? Do you think it's yours?

[KansasGirl]

Both way are considered correct, but ‘s after a name ending in s is preferred.

[JohnBovenmyer]

I thought Muslims were supposed to be against what he’s mandating, too. But I haven’t heard any complaints from them. Maybe Obama won’t announce their waivers until after he’s re-elected.

[ELS]

I don’t know about the Italian head of the ECB, but the German Pope is working out just fine.

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed. Thanks for the ping!

[GeronL]

Lord King, his Highness Barack Obama I, of the Holy Socialist Empire

[JLS]

Mark Steyn ping.

Freepmail me, if you want on or off the Mark Steyn ping list.

Thanks for the ping slings and arrows.

[lentulusgracchus]

To steal a line from Jethro Tull: "He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays."

To quote Rev. Rick James,

She's not the kind of girl
That you take home to your muth-aaaa ...!

lol

[Tax-chick]

The bigger the Big Government, the smaller everything else: First, other pillars of civil society are crowded out of the public space; then, the individual gets crowded out, even in his most private, tooth-level space.

Sigh. Why does anyone else (except Thomas Sowell) even bother to write ...

[dead]

"Tooth-level surveillance": From the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium.

Just brilliant.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Before Obama's Act of Supremacy did the English language ever have need for such a phrase? "Tooth-level surveillance": From the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium.

One of Steyn's best lines ever. Devastating piece.

[garjog]

[garjog]

[garjog]

[reg45]

[LUV W]

He nailed it!

[Taxman]

One certainly wonders why there have been no VERY public excommunications?

[Travis McGee]

Outstanding essay, one of his best.

[aruanan]

This one is really good:

In my latest book, I cite my personal favorite among the epic sweep of Commissar Sebelius' jurisdictional authority:

"The Secretary shall develop oral healthcare components that shall include tooth-level surveillance."

Before Obama's Act of Supremacy did the English language ever have need for such a phrase? "Tooth-level surveillance": From the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium.

And what about gastrointestinal healthcare components and their level of surveillance? Folks who write and think like that have no business being anywhere near the reins of government. They should all be driven out into pillories for public humiliation before being released to the private sector to work in entry-level positions.