I would be a lot less critical of the Catholic Church if it removed itself from public life...

[Humanist_Activist]

that includes both the good and the bad, mostly because even with the good stuff, the charitable stuff, it comes with huge negatives attached, such as not adopting out to gay couples, not distributing condoms, and lying about the effectiveness of condoms, etc.

Frankly, if the Catholic Church doesn't want to change its official stances on things like LGBT rights, contraception, abortion, misogyny, etc. Fine, that is their right as a religion to be as ass backwards as they want.

However, they should keep it within their churches, want to run a hospital or charity? Follow the rules of the greater secular society, oh, and do NOT try to change those rules, your medieval morality has no place in a pluralistic democracy.

My biggest problem with the Catholic Church is that it tries to get its fingers in everything, and tries to force its immorality on everyone else, hell I consciously left them so I wouldn't have to deal with that bullshit anymore.

Am I saying its unique? hell no, I can say the same and worse about the Mormon Church, some Orthodox Jewish sects, Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, the Religious Right in general, etc. The Catholic Church just happens to be the biggest single religious organization in question and it is very influential in the United States.

[cbrer]

1. Or was less hypocritical...

Or was less dogmatic
Or was less disingenuous
Or was less inconsistent
Or was less intrusive
Or was less egotistical

Or was more honest

[baldguy]

5. Or confessed its sins & asked its victims for forgiveness.

Nothing less than what it demands from its followers.

[cbrer]

10. Or started living by its' own manual. nt

[onehandle]

2. The Catholic Church is the second largest charitable organization in The United States.

#1 is The United States.

If the church stopped, millions would be devastated and many would die.

[Humanist_Activist]

3. Its also subsidized by state and federal government in many cases, don't be so melodramatic...

if the church would stop its charity activities tomorrow, others will fill the gap.

[demosincebirth]

4. Like who?

[demosincebirth]

16. Oh well, another one that doesn't comprehend what some people mean.

"If the church stopped, millions would be devastated and many would die."

[baldguy]

7. Like you, for one.

You pay taxes. Churches don't.

[demosincebirth]

18. Your prejudiced mind against the Church is completely missing the point.

[onehandle]

8. Yes, I've heard that one. The vast majority of their work is financed by church members.

The 'subsidized' part is a small percentage. You make it sound like all their charity money comes from tax payers. That's a lie.

If that was true, they would fold.

Me? I think they should pay taxes.

And I'm melodramatic? Did you read your OP?

[Humanist_Activist]

9. 62 percent is a small percentage?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/28/1049435/-New-York-Times-reports-on-Catholic-Charities-pull-out-in-Illinois

[onehandle]

11. Yes. Thank you for finding the lie that Catholic Charities is the be all end all of their work.

That's exactly the lie that is quoted over and over.

[Humanist_Activist]

12. They are the largest Catholic Charity in the country, so what lie? n/t

[backscatter712]

13. They're also pulling out of Colorado, because of the civil unions bill.

They want freedom to discriminate, or freedom to repress, so they're no longer going to do adoptions in Colorado.

Bastards.

[Orrex]

15. How much would the Catholic Church pay in property tax annually?

They are subsidized by at least that amount, and I would suspect that it's quite a bundle, given their land holdings.

That's a shitload of revenue denied to communities across the country.

[goldent]

14. What you are suggesting is counter to the Church's core beliefs

The Church has positions/beliefs on wide range of social topics and will use its position to advocate them. In many parts of the world, the right to do this is protected. One inspiration for this is the Bible parable:

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.

[Arugula Latte]

17. And we have the right to tell the Church to fuck off and leave us alone.

But it gets its slimey fingers in our public policy, and that really pisses us off. Thus, the huge amount of hostility towards the backwards leadership and hierarchy of this institution.

The other thing is, we are bound by the Constitution, not by a silly fictional collection of Iron Age myths.

[cali]

23. Yes we do. And they have the right, genius, to tell us whatever they please

They too are protected by the Constitution. duh.

[cali]

19. that's just ridiculous. What does that even mean?

people have a right to organize and lobby for what they believe. That includes people who belong to an organized religion. that's a basic, fundamental right and people who advocate for people to shut up scare the hell out of me. It's so fucking backward.

Dangerous, shortsighted, anti-democratic, dictatorial pile of stinking shit.

[Arugula Latte]

21. People who think the road to theocracy is a-okay scare the shit out of me.

[cali]

22. so who would that be, dearie?

Are you falsely suggesting that I said anything of the fucking sort?

You cannot be selective about the 1st amendment. Fortunately people like YOU who want to gut it, will not get their way.

[cordelia]

24. ^This^

[Raffi Ella]

20. This a thousand times over. Well said.

Separation of Church & State to me is that religion is NOT discussed on the news and especially NOT in ANY political sense. It has NO meaning in my life, I do not care what when where how or why you think or do what you do regarding religion - I Don't Care. I don't wanna know!

Go AWAY already!