Tell the Catholic bishops to lay off Obama

[eridani]

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2518/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11895

This year the Catholic bishops joined forces with the far right to launch a vicious campaign against President Obama and against marriage equality. They spent millions of dollars, demonized their opponents, and even threatened laypeople with eternal damnation if they voted Democratic.

And now what do the bishops have to show for it? Most Catholics voted for President Obama, marriage equality is law in three additional states, and the bishops have become unpopular and polarizing political figures.

Now, with polls showing that most Catholics want the church to focus more on social justice and serving the poor, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting in Baltimore next week to plan their next steps.

We want to deliver a huge petition calling on the bishops to drop their right-wing political crusade and get back to doing God's work, especially caring for the most vulnerable people in our society. Join us in sending this message to the Catholic Bishops:

The election results prove that the Catholic faithful don't want any part of your right-wing political crusades. Please reconsider your priorities and refocus your attention on those whom Jesus called "the least of these.

[Angry Dragon]

1. The only thing the Catholic church listens to is people taking

their bodies and dollars someplace else, mostly the dollars

They have spent too much time and effert to gather their power and they will not give it up without a fight

[thelordofhell]

2. Not only did most Catholics vote for President Obama

Thousands of republican Catholics refused to vote at all because Romney is a Mormon

[cbayer]

12. While white Catholics pulled back on support for Obama, hispanic catholics

voted overwhelming for him (about 72%). This is a fact they are highly unlikely to ignore.

[dimbear]

3. For many Americans, the bravest thing they ever do in their entire lives is leaving the Catholic

church. It's a big change, but it opens up a whole new and better world.

Hug an ex-Catholic today.

[eridani]

4. Even as an ex-Catholic myself, I have to give props to those who decide to stay and fight n/t

[demosincebirth]

6. I'm catholic and in the Bay Area, Bishops try to stay out of politics. The operative word, here, is

"try." We don't have any homilies about politics. Maybe different other places.

[dimbear]

8. Welcome to the newest political reality:

http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/blog/san-francisco-s-dui-archbishop-releases-statement-lamenting-marriage-equality-victories?directory=100011

[rug]

5. The bravest thing?

What a lovely ray of condescension.

It's bullshit, of course.

[edhopper]

13. So you don't know anyone

whose whole family is Catholic and turns away from the Church.
No repercussions there, huh?
Talk about condescension and belittling.

[rug]

14. For someone, particularly someone who doesn't believe in it, to suggest to people

what and where they should believe is both condescending and ignorant of the beliefs.

It's still bullshit.

[edhopper]

15. Interesting that

you interpret his post that way.

[rug]

16. I have the same reaction to people who suggest I try the fish.

[edhopper]

17. oookkkaayyy

[rug]

18. Religion is not a menu.

[edhopper]

19. Are you saying you

are stuck with your religion and can't make a choice about it?

[rug]

20. No. I'm saying it's not fungible.

Anyone who says it is doesn't know what he's talking about.

[edhopper]

21. So

it is hard to leave the Church?

[rug]

22. As hard as it is to leave anything that's been a part of you.

It is not, however, as hard as a divorce or losing a child.

[ButterflyBlood]

7. The bravest thing? I'd rank it as less brave than some of the intermediate college classes I took.

I realized in my teens that I was not in any way a Catholic and couldn't stand their views, either social or theological, so I quite associating with them and didn't identify myself as Catholic. Once I moved out of the house I quit attending Mass, and haven't for 10 years since. It didn't negatively affect my life in any way. I actually got into a different church about a year ago so I didn't even have to cease being a Christian.

A big change? Moving into a different apartment in the same neighborhood would be a bigger change for me.

[dimbear]

9. Your family sound like really good people. You are one of the luckier recoverers.

No support group needed here, but they are available to others who haven't been so fortunate.

[ButterflyBlood]

10. My family isn't even fully Catholic

My dad isn't and his whole side of the family is Lutheran. That's what I identified as in college and right past that (the fact that even my mom was OK with going to the Lutheran church near us instead of the Catholic one in high school even if my dad didn't [which he rarely did] and thus we ended up going to that more frequently played a role no doubt.) And on her side only about half are Catholic. My mom sponsored my cousin for confirmation last year...in a Lutheran church. Her niece was being raised there by her raised Catholic sister. Kind of hard for changing denominations to be controversial in a family with that type of makeup.

[cbayer]

11. Done. Thanks once again, eridani, for bringing the petition link here.

[dmallind]

23. Catholics only went for Obama (by a much decreased margin) because of Latinos

White Catholics expressed their typical docility to those bishops you mention by voting for Romney by a 17% margin. Even Hispanic Catholics went Obama by a lesser margin than Hispanics as as a whole, presenting strong evidence that their support was due more to ethnicity than religion.