Sunday, June 24, 2012

Curing the Sick, Helping the Poor; Yes:
Killing the Innocent; No

America's national government has decided that freedom of religion means allowing religious people to go into a building now and then, and do religious stuff. I think that's a good idea.

Worship, and More

Worship is an important part of being Catholic. But there's more to it than that. My faith requires that I act as if God matters, whether I'm in a church or not.

The feds have decided that just about every business, hospital, and other outfit in America must pay for what's euphemistically called 'women's health services.'

The Obama administration has magnanimously allowed an exemption for folks with scruples about killing very young people. That seems very broad-minded, until one takes a close look at the "exemption."

As I wrote yesterday:
"...To qualify for the privilege of not killing people, or paying assassins, organizations must:
  • "Be non-profit
  • "Exist to inculcate religious values
  • "Primarily serve and employ
    members of their own faiths
"Think about it. If a hospital exists to cure the sick, it doesn't qualify. If a business makes a profit, it doesn't qualify. If a church hires people without discriminating on the basis of religion, it doesn't qualify...."
(June 23, 2012)
I'm not impressed by that "exemption." Not favorably, anyway. More to the point, every Catholic bishop in America says that forcing America's subjects to kill young people or pay someone else to do the job is a bad idea.

Archbishops, too. (June 23, 2012) Here's more of what Archbishop Lori said:
"...Religious organizations such as Catholic hospitals, inner-city schools and charitable agencies do not qualify for the exemption because they are committed to serving all in need, regardless of their faith.

"Thus, the Church is only 'religious enough' for a religious exemption if it 'confines itself to the sacristy,' but not if it attempts to reach out 'by hiring those of other faiths and by serving the common good,' Archbishop Lori observed.

"He warned that this very narrow definition of church and religion that is embedded in the mandate 'is likely to spread throughout federal law' if not swiftly removed...."
(Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News)

'Human Beings are People,' and Other Counter-Cultural Ideas

What Archbishop Loris said sound very harsh: Catholic hospitals will treat the sick, but not kill people; and that Catholic inner-city schools are willing to educate poor people, but won't kill their babies.

This rigid refusal to go along with legalized murder isn't as uncaring as it may seem. Archbishop Lori is Catholic. We think human beings are people. All human beings: even young, sick, and useless ones.

I wrote about my take on freedom, and what an archbishop said, yesterday:
Folks acting as if some human beings aren't, or aren't quite, people is nothing new. Toward the end of the 19th century, an American author wrote what I think is one of the most eloquent literary criticisms of a traditional attitude:
"...'...We blowed out a cylinder-head.'

" 'Good gracious! anybody hurt?''

"No'm. Killed a [redacted].'

"' Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt....'..."
(Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" Part 2 (1885), Chapter XXXII., via Project Gutenberg)
(June 24, 2011)
That book was banned a few decades back, because Twain used the word [redacted], and that's almost another topic.

Human Life is Sacred: All Human Life

I'm a practicing Catholic, so what I think and how I live is counter-cultural. That's nothing new.

The idea that a person should love God, neighbors: and that everybody is a neighbor is nearly as radical now as it was when my Lord was here, two millennia back. We're making progress, though. (May 6, 2012)

I can't 'go with the flow' and accept what America's establishment calls 'women's health services.' That's because I'm a Catholic, and so must act as if human beings are people. All human beings: not just the useful, good-looking, healthy ones. Like I said before, I'm part of a counter-culture.

Here's a quick overview of why I can't go along with killing innocent people. Not even if the president says it's okay:
  • Human life
    • Is sacred
      (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258)
    • Begins at conception
    • (Catechism, 2270, 2274)
  • Murder is wrong
    (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2270)
  • Legitimate defense is permitted
    • But not more violence than necessary
      (Catechism, 2264)
    (Catechism, 2263-2267)
  • Abortion is wrong
    (Catechism, 2270-2275)
    • Because even very young human beings are people
      (Catechism, 2273-2274)
  • Euthanasia is wrong
    (Catechism, 2276-2279)
  • Suicide is wrong
    (Catechism, 2280-2283)
    • But regarding the soul of someone who commits suicide
      • Despair is not an option
      • "The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives."
      (Catechism, 2283)

All Human Life: Really

Since I think all human life is sacred, how can I justify capital punishment? It's simple: I don't. (April 27, 2012, October 2, 2008) (and click capital punishment in this blog's Label Cloud)

I haven't posted as often about capital punishment as I have about abortion and euthanasia. That's because right now, the establishment isn't as enthusiastic about capital punishment as it was in my youth.

Like I've said before, change happens: and some change is for the better.

Related posts:

No comments:

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.