Springfield bishop objects to hospital's same-sex benefits

[trotsky]

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/01/19/springfield-bishop-objects-to-hospitals-same-sex-benefits

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri has expressed deep concern at the decision of a Catholic-based hospital group to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.

The Mercy Health System, which has about 9,000 employees in Springfield, said last week that it plans to offer benefits to legally married same-sex spouses beginning this spring. The benefits will not be extended to domestic partners.

The best part is this drama bomb:

“God’s plan for marriage is not a matter of ‘the Church’s position,’ as Mercy characterized it, but rather, one of God’s own Word,” Johnston said in a statement.

“No believing Christian worthy of the name should violate God’s law because of ‘regulations.’ Our ancestors refused to abandon the faith even when subjected to the cruelty and torture of the Roman Empire, but in our age unspecified ‘regulations,’ government funds, and fear of public ridicule is sufficient in order to secure the compliance of some,” he said.

NO, WE SHALL NEVER BE FORCED TO TREAT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS EQUALLY! THIS IS THE SAME THING AS BEING TORTURED AND MURDERED!

[onager]

1. Now, now...

I'm sure you could ask about this in Certain DU Groups. And someone - from atop their very high horse - would be happy to Catholic-splain why you're reading this all wrong. And that Missouri son-of-a-bishop is justifiably aggrieved about this, for subtle theological reasons your addled atheist brain just can't hope to comprehend. History! Awe! Majesty! Ritual! Thomas-Fornicating-Aquinas and all that.

I wondered why "Cape Girardeau" sounded familiar, then I remembered. For one thing, that part of Missouri is famous for producing copious quantities of methane gas...

Limbaughs are Cape Girardeau's own 'first family'

...Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. practiced law for many years with another son, Rush H. Limbaugh Jr., who died in 1990 at the age of 72. Rush Limbaugh Jr. loved to talk politics, a characteristic he passed down to his son, famed conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh III.

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1077489.html

[Curmudgeoness]

2. The RCC is becoming a thorn in the side

of all humanity.....as if it wasn't in the past!

I have to give a word of praise to the Mercy Health System though. It took guts. And compassion.

[trotsky]

4. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

The more everyone stands up to these religious bigots and their institution that tries to use its power to harm others, the better.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. Well, maybe the hospital is run by nuns.

I know some nuns who are very progressive. Because....women.

[trotsky]

10. And as we've been told, the all-male hierarchy to whom they pose no threat whatsoever....

ignores them AT THEIR PERIL!!!

[Curmudgeoness]

11. Oh, I don't know about that.

I think that the nuns, at least some of the nuns that I know, are definitely a threat to the male hierarchy. They just can't be kept in their place. Not like the priests who are always so well behaved.

The nuns that I know live at a convent where they raise and sell organic veggies, and the sign reads "Nuclear free zone". Even if it is tied to religion, I love that place and the nuns are feisty and don't play well with the authorities in the church.

[trotsky]

12. Oh sure, there are lots of convents that tend to go off on their own agenda.

But I think that's part of the arrangement - don't stray too far from the core teachings, and you'll be OK. I'm thinking of events like "Nuns on the Bus" that we were told would be revolutionary and important, and... nothing changed. The nuns took the bus back home.

[progressoid]

13. A little off topic...

Back in the 80's, I had a house mate who was a lapsed Catholic. In a class on human sexuality, the prof brought in a panel of LGBT people for a Q&A. Turns out the two lesbians he invited were both Nuns (or maybe ex-nuns). Apparently, the convent had lots of Lesbians.
My house-mate thought this was kind of funny since he had an aunt who was a nun. And it was sort of an open family secret that she was also gay.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. Well, the topic is "nuns".

However, this is going a different direction with it. I have also heard this, and I am not sure of the truth of it. I have no doubt that some nuns are lesbians, just like some of any profession are lesbians. But I have often wondered if they were lesbians in the truest sense of the word (meaning born that way), or if they just got comfort where they could. But I don't suppose that it matters. They can still stand against some of the doctrine of the church, or be politically active, and I say good.

[JDDavis]

3. I just don't understand why some progressives

continue to defend this archaic institution.

Why some "liberal" people, even LGBT folks, continue to go to this church and support it with donations.

I guess it has to do with how heavily they were indoctrinated as children, and how they were taught not to question with objectivity.

I just don't get it.

[trotsky]

5. Cognitive dissonance

http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html

You see it play out in different people in different ways, of course. Some turn a blind eye to the bad behavior of the RCC and its leaders, telling themselves that one day things will change. Others just turn into complete assholes on the Internet, obsessing over atheists and trying to pretend that somehow the story of a guy making inappropriate, unwelcome advances on a woman at a skeptics convention is totally equivalent to centuries of institutionalized oppression of women by the RCC.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. 'cause Franky says a lot of contradictory shit and the religionistas

filter out all the horrible stuff, and don't actually pay any attention to the way the RCC acts.

[AlbertCat]

6. The Roman Empire?!?!?!

Bishop Bozo wouldn't recognize a Christian from that era things have changed so much.

So don't give me this unchanging word of god malarkey.

[Panich52]

8. His historical education is convenient in its omissions

"Our ancestors refused to abandon the faith even when subjected to the cruelty and torture of the Roman Empire"

Funny. He didn't mention how Jews, pagans & others were subjected to those same atrocities during Spanish Inquisition...

Congrats f/ that hospital 'rendering unto Caesar'...