Comments on: Patrick Kennedy clashes with outspoken RI bishop

By: Morgan

Morgan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:28:01 +0000

Denying communion to anyone, be they a politician who has very different points of view than you or even a serial killer in prison on death row if he or she felt the need for it and requested it knowing they may soon die is very antiChristian.

By: Tom in Long Beach

Tom in Long Beach — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:20:43 +0000

The Churches involvment in Prop 8 and then again in Maine has cured me of any linering respect or fondness I had from being raised Catholic. Add to that my mother’s guilt about using birth control
after having 3 kids. The Catholic Church is a total Flat Earth Society.
The Church’s stance on birth control alone leads to much suffering in poor countries.

Tom in Long Beach

By: DaveW

DaveW — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:06 +0000

The sad thing is Kennedy is a member at will…he could just quit, if he was really a strong person.

By: Sporty_g

Sporty_g — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:13:31 +0000

SCREW THE CHURCH! AND SCREW YOU TOBIN, YOU 2-FACED HYPOCRITE! GET OUT OF POLITICS OR PAY TAXES…JUST THAT SIMPLE!
PUBLIC ATTACK AND DISCUSSION OF ANYONE’S FAITH FOR SELF SERVING PURPOSES IS TACKY, CLASSLESS, UNDER-HANDED, DIRTY-POOL.

By: Southernhemisphere

Southernhemisphere — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:54:55 +0000

“It is your KINDNESS which leads us to repentance Oh Lord.” The church is becoming a little bit Nazi in in presentaion of self lately. Once again we need to focus on sexual responsibility rather than mere sexual regulation.Jog in the well lit well trodden path, find about your familiy’s medical history, where neccessary change the diet,wear a condom( i know it is so extreme but yet it it is merciful because it saves lives until folk can operate according to Doctrine ?), go to marriage counseling for at least a year, hmmm how about this WEAr a chastity belt.All of these things just might lower the risk of unhealthy and unneccessary pregnancies. Do you really think separating a person from God by excluding them from The Eucharist(Blessed be He forever) is going to cause a person to better follow the Jesus you represent to the world?

By: GalapagoLarry

GalapagoLarry — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:48:12 +0000

It’s mind-boggling how arrogant the RCC is, safe in the knowledge it’ll never be taxed in this country and it’ll always have devoted contributors who swallow its anti-civic BS.

It and its many, many agencies, however, receive millions of dollars of public money. That can be cut off. There are hundreds of religious and secular agencies eager to replace it in the public arena. And, if it continues its ugly engagement in the political discussion, its funders can lose the tax-wirte-off status of their contributions. They’re contributing to an obviously political entity.

We must all work toward that end.

By: Drewski

Drewski — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:08:15 +0000

@Jessica K–Dogma! That just rocked!

When JFK was campaigning for President, there was no small effort to present him as a pawn of the Church of Rome. He spoke clearly on that. Under Benedict, the Catholic Church is wading back into its centuries of meddling ways. Maybe Benedict really is so senile that he thinks he can re-establish the Holy Roman Empire.

The Kennedys have always made an effort to separate their personal faith, and its tenets, from their obligations as officeholders. They have a clear understanding that Benedict has ignored: the more that the Church insists of politicians using church doctrine for decision of secular matters, the more that the Church pushes itself to a point of conflict with the US legal system.

Imagine this case in the Supreme Court. Jane Smith is elected to the House. She’s Catholic, pro-choice and votes that way, but she also has seven kids (and is married for 25 years, to the same man). The bishop or archbishop begins a media campaign to intimidate her into changing her stance on abortion; she refuses, and is excommunicated in retaliation. Now, a church can expel people for not following doctrine, but when you do that to a politician, the church is setting up an inevitable conflict. If a member of a religion or a sect is required by their faith to not only hold a position, but also to vote on it (no abstention), then is the church infringing on the representation of those constituents who are not of the same religion? If SCOTUS says the Vatican approach is OK, it essentially blacklists candidates from some backgrounds. If SCOTUS says no church can retaliate in spritual sphere for legislator’s actions in secular sphere, then is the state exercising legitimate interest by denying a religion that power to retaliate? Anybody know of any SCOTUS cases touching on this?

By: blessedguy2002

blessedguy2002 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:33:25 +0000

Religions are poison of humanity. It’s ime to leave the religions, especially ones with distorted teachings. Catholic church is controlled by a dictator who makes their own rules. We need to obey Jesus Christ and not to obey the Pope or Bishops, they’re just a bunch of Pharisees who preach one thing but do another. We should ignore the misleading teachings and follow Jesus teachings only. Communion is just a rediculous ritual. God sees your heart not your rituals.

By: fifth

fifth — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:49:06 +0000

Kennedy’s statement: “While I greatly respect the Catholic Church and its leaders, like many Rhode Islanders, the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic,” is not accurate. Yes, it does make him less of a Catholic–but not necessarily less of a Christian. His identity as a Christian is based upon the strength of his spiritual beliefs and the actions associated with them. His identity as a Catholic is based upon his association with the societal institution that is the Roman Catholic Church, and his adherence to that institution’s rules and regulations. It’s unfortunate that many Catholics have such a hard time differentiating one from the other–the Catholic Church is not the sole authority on Christianity.

By: Nathan Pannell

Nathan Pannell — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:12:42 +0000

These Catholics are disgusting they like to say they are Christian but they are nothing like a Christian I should know I’m Christian and my faith would have never allowed me to do what they are doing in D.C.