Michael Jones over at Change.Org has a post up wondering if same-sex marriage will be the next thing Catholic Bishops will start threatening to deny Catholic politicians over. He riffs off recent news that Rhode Island’s Rep. Patrick Kennedy was told by Bishop Thomas Tobin that he is no longer welcome to receive Communion during Mass at any church in the entire state…
The announcement by Bishop Tobin to control Communion like a mafia leader stems from debate during the 2004 election, when Sen. John Kerry (himself a Catholic) was running for President. During that year, conservative U.S. Catholic leaders put together what they considered a list of “non-negotiable” issues that they said Catholics could not waver on.
It was a narrowing of Catholic theology to strip issues like poverty and social justice from the forefront of the Church, and replace them with opposing abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell research.
This reminded me once again of how the Manhattan Declaration begins with a stirring recounting of historical Christian work for social justice and against tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering. But like right wing authoritarians wrapping themselves in the U.S. flag and declaring themselves to be the heirs to the American revolution of liberty and justice for all, right wing clergy tend to wrap themselves in the robes of Jesus Christ, who taught that the greatest commandment of all was to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
But that loving your neighbor stuff isn’t exactly what they’re about. The Bishops of Pope Benedict can threaten to withhold communion from politicians who support abortion rights and declare they’re doing it to protect the life of the unborn. Fine. But politicians who condone torture? Deny health care to poor children? Support detention without trial? Preemptive war? Oh goodness no…
You really do have to wonder, considering the Manhattan Declaration, if same-sex marriage will be the next thing to put Catholic politicians in the doghouse. But its important to bear in mind when the religious right talks about their deeply held religious beliefs, that simply because they call those beliefs “Christian” it doesn’t mean they’re in the same communion with anyone who actually fought for social justice and reached out to comfort the poor and oppressed, let alone loved their neighbor. Apparently you can smack the poor and oppressed across the face and still call yourself a Christian in good conscience.
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The Bible tells us that on Judgment Day Christ will turn many away who did not help the poor and needy. Many of these will claim to have been real Christians, but Christ will tell them, “I never knew you, depart from me.” If helping the poor and needy is so vital that it can prevent Christians from entering Heaven, who gave the Catholic Church the authority to ignore this and replace it with take away the civil rights from law-abiding, taxpaying, gay Americans? Certainly not Christ.
Comment by Michael — November 24, 2009 @ 9:46 pm
I’d really like to know exactly how far can a non-profit group wage a political battle before they lose their non-profit standing? This is aside from the obvious poor taste and bad manners it took for Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin to ask Representative Patrick Kennedy not to receive communion just after the passing of his father, revered Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. The Catholic Church seems more morally bankrupt and is exhibiting increasingly desperate and radical behavior with each passing day. What’s next, holy wars?
Comment by John Hosty-Grinnell — November 25, 2009 @ 10:54 am
I’d really like to know exactly how far can a non-profit group wage a political battle before they lose their non-profit standing?
My hunch is for about as long as they command enough political power to keep it regardless of what they do with it.
Churches can do a lot of things in the name of advocacy and still be legally entitled to their non-profit status. They can advocate for general propositions, including those concerning same-sex marriage. They cannot support or give money to specific candidates. Tobin is walking a very fine line here.
But there’s a history to keep in mind: it was after Jim Jones university, and other segregationist colleges, lost their tax exemption that the religious right entered the political arena in a big way. Other more secular right wing groups had been courting the conservative religious voting block for years without a lot of success. Then it became a matter of money and suddenly it was a godly imperative that they get involved.
You have to figure there’s probably zero support on capital hill for investigating, let alone taking away the tax breaks of right wing churches that engage in politicking. The republicans would have a field day with it if a democratic administration took a conservative church’s tax break away for violating it’s non-profit status.
Now…let the republicans take control again, and liberal churches start doing the same thing, and I guarantee you’ll hear a change of tune…
Comment by Bruce Garrett — November 25, 2009 @ 3:46 pm