http://www.ncregister.com/daily/author/Tom%20%20Hoopes
“Anti-Church CT: Good News/Bad News.”
And one more that’s a video.
http://carpetcity.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/sb-899-testimony-audio/

This is about a Church with tax payers who have rights to have “backbone” and be involved in the political process. In the 1800′s Catholics could not even own property in Conn. Apparently, we forget that Protestants came from this Church, but the Protestants never forgot.

EWTN – Eternal Word Television Network and the last Pope JPII taught me much about the RC Church and faith. I have great respect for it now.

Their Church stands solid on issues of life. Those who stray from the official RC Church teachings really are not RC and should go to other churches.

Problems: from the womb to the tomb and they mean it. They even pray for those even after they have died. I see this as charity. Not everyone in health care (who makes money off abortion) or in politics (who make money off lobbyists and health care) want to hear this. Bama insists on doing “what’s necessary.” Yet, this isn’t the same as doing “what’s right.” Because “what’s right” will be good in the long run, “what’s necessary” often comes back to haunt us.

Problem: they see marriage as life long and don’t want divorce. Many RC people who remarry cannot do so in that Church unless an “annulment” is granted after serious consideration. They don’t want women or children left uncared for. This seems rational, holy and proper to me. Those who remarry outside that Church can still attend their Last Supper – Holy Communion called Mass, but they cannot receive Holy Communion. Interesting that in life there are simply rules that exist. Jump off a bridge without a parachute and watch what gravity does. As the saying goes – nature never forgives. There are rules in corporations too. Don’t charge into Ford and demand changes for it to behave like Kmart. Common sense tells us this.

Because “marriage” has been up-for-grabs for years (DIVORCE has sky rocketed along with (watch the coincidence here when there’s no father) illiteracy, illegitimate children, abortion, poverty, violence and more. “Marriage” too in that Church has always been defined as one man and one woman. They are not Protestants and cannot change interpretation of Sacred Scriptures. For them it was not about “Solo Fide and Solo Scriptura.” They actually believe and most practice Faith and Works, with Scripture, Tradition (we know James was killed in Spain, and the first martyr of the Apostles; this is one example of numerous that were passed on orally (aka “tradition”) but not through Scriptures. St. Paul makes reference about this)and what’s passed on through the Magisterium.

You see, the Pope is their leader, and even in difficult times with flaws and human nature, their Church has made it. Just like with the original Apostles, and Judas the betrayer. It’s miraculous that the Church not only survived, but grew and flourished, and stemmed out to those who took different paths (Protestants). This all came from the Jewish faith and those folks were always up against the odds, which makes the faith we share today even more remarkable and miraculous.

Any event, it looks like Mike Lawlor and Andrew McDonald (both lawyers, politicians, openly gay) had a vendetta against this Church that cannot marry men with men or women with women. The RC Church had to close their adoption charities in Mass. because of SSM. That Church like any Church (or religion) has a right to it’s beliefs and PRACTICES, and to be involved in laws that will affect them and their (great/grand/children) families.

My thoughts…if they matter… find another Church or religion – don’t violate the Freedom of Religion which is so very important and at the core of all life.

Having said this, Cassy, I am alarmed — but not quite as much as you are — over the legislative action. New York has a statutory title known as the “Religious Corporation Law” which sets forth the rules for the secular temporal governance of houses of worship of diverse denominations. This is needed because even though, as you observe, “Theft and fraud are already against the law,” there are many, many instances of private aggrandizement which fall short of theft, fraud, deceit, and even fall short of simple dishonesty. These cut across the broad spectrum of religious faiths, it is in no way unique to the Catholic Church and/or particular parishes thereof.

If the organization (religious or otherwise) is to be tax-exempt, then there needs to be some limitation as to what it can and cannot do with its worldly property. THe fact that most of these established churches answer to some ecclesiastical authority outside of the state (and some, outside of the United States) necessitates SOME sort of governance standards.

This is not to say that the proposed legislation does or does not extend too far into the free exercise of the Catholic faith. Mike Lawlor’s rationale is quite valid on its face. But, as Mark implicitly notes, Mike Lawlor has a political agenda.

Oh wait, with them it’s the other way around. Some communities in Britain are now under the jurisdiction of sharia courts…and effectively outside the reach of the national government there.

You know, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if more Catholics grew a spine and stood up to this constant invasion on their right to religious freedom.