There Is No Rubicon
By Mitch Berg
So, given that faith is involved with eternity, and organized religion concerns itself with eternal questions of right and wrong for, to the church’s point of view, everyone, I have to ask; when is the Catholic Church going to do something about this?
Nancy Pelosi reminds us that elections matter, in a DCCC fundraising e-mail:
This morning, I had the great honor of joining President Obama as he lifted the executive ban on federal funding for stem cell research.
If that’s not a shot across the bow from someone who describes herself as a “Devout Catholic”, what is?
March 10th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Is this the same person who thought we should be using natural gas instead of fossil fuels?
Maybe those “responsible” for her think she is too stupid to understand Catholicism. *shrug*
March 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
When Pelosi visited the Pope, she got the back of his hand. That’s about all we’re likely to see. It’s not as if the Pope is going send a fleet of rampaging Jesuits after her, as entertaining as that might be.
While the Pope or a bishop could state that Pelosi is excommunicated, they don’t do the excommunicating. Pelosi excommunicates herself by her actions, but having said that, if she’s really an ardent Catholic, perhaps she goes to confession every day.
March 10th, 2009 at 9:44 am
For me, she gives herself away by calling *herself* a devout Catholic. I have never heard a Catholic describe themselves this way. They will say I am a practicing Catholic. Or describe themselves in terms of their views, orthodox, traditional, liberal/progressive. A few people will say “I’m a devoted Catholic.” But devout is a term that other people assign to the person in question. If you talk about yourself like this displays a lack of humility that we already know she has. It’s not very Catholic.
As for her bishop (He’s the guy who can excommunicate her) I can understand why he hesitates to pull the trigger because no matter what he’s going to look like the bad guy, directly interfering in politics (which the Vatican discourages btw) . he has to balance the damage she’s doing versus the damage that excommunication will do by making a scandal. But my guess is he’s closer to doing this now than he ever was.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hey, far-right kooks, the market is up today. Must mean Wall Street loves dead babies.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Great post Margaret.
I’m not sure how we should approach this at the grass roots level. I would love to hear ideas of how to make our voices heard that we do not want our tax dollars to be used for what we believe is immoral behavior.
Why are the Christian views discarded so easily when there is so much sensitivity to the religions. Muslims can sue over handling pork and driving people with alcohol. Mormons are allowed to practice polygamy in some areas with law enforcement looking the other way. Why won’t the government provide the same protections to Catholics and Evangelicals who hold all human life sacred?
If stem cell research is the really the only answer to many afflictions, then private enterprise would be all over this. Can you image how much money would be made from curing Parkinson’s or Alzeimer’s. The market is trying to tell us that there many be many different avenues and that killing human embryos made indeed not even be only way to salvation.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:39 am
What I don’t understand is that Obama has stated that
“to allow human cloning, is “dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society, or any society.”
On what basis does he state that cloning is “profoundly wrong”?
How is this statement of his personal moral judgement any less “anti-science” than his position on embryonic stem cell research?
Christopher Reeves would be alive and walking today if we could have just cloned him when we had the chance!!!
March 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
On what basis does he state that cloning is “profoundly wrong”?
His TelePrompter told him it was wrong.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Maybe a few letters to the bishop of San Francisco are in order. Anybody got the address?
I’m serious; I would hope that if a prominent politician were in my church and endorsing the kind of things Pelosi does, she would quickly find herself at the muzzle end of the Matthew 18 procedure for church discipline.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Hey far left idiots, the market`s still way down since the crowning of The One. Must be that Wall street hates stupid liberal re-distribution policies.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I am delighted that the ban on embryonic stem cell research has been lifted.
Most recently I have been reading about the parallel stem cell research being done with cybrid cells. Perhaps the only version of stem cell science even more controversial than embryonic.
Not that I lack religious convictions, or a belief in the soul. I particularly find the eastern religious concept that the soul in each of us is a small part of the essence of god appealing. I cannot help but think of the symbolism of the eastern method of greeting, hands in the ‘prayer’ position (palms and fingers pressed flat together, fingers pointing upwards) that is supposed to acknowledge the divinity of the soul within the other person.
But I am careful to differentiate between belief and faith, contrasted with knowledge and fact. The presence of a soul in an embryo is a belief, not a fact. It seems to me far more plausible that we each need the neurological development of later cellular development consistent with consciousness and awareness for a soul to be present. The notion that a small cluster of undifferentiated cells with the potential to develop into something more has the same value and significance as a more developed entity is an assumption we would never make in any other context.
Faith and belief in history has been responsible for some wonderful things, but it has also been responsible for some of the worst mistakes we have made as a species. Something to consider before we throw out the potential of stem cells to improve the quality of existing, developed life.
MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) had a very interesting presentation today, hosted by someone involved with bio-ethics and the stem cell research being done at the U of MN. Might be worth listening to for anyone interested in this topic. Much of what I have heard from embryonic stem cell opposition has been less than accurate in reflecting on the science.
March 10th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I am delighted that the ban on embryonic stem cell research has been lifted
There has never been a ban on embryonic stem cell research.
NEVER… EVER!
If you believe there has been than you have fallen for propaganda, lies, pure & simple. The limit was only on government funding of embryonic stem cell research.
Any privately funded entity in the US could (& did) do as much embryonic stem cell research as they pleased. That is how it should be, in fact that is how all research should be funded. Then & only then will the science be pure & without political bias… when the politicians quit paying for it!