Americans love the likes of this mid evil figure
coming around. His church blends well with the oppression of woman in this country and our sexist mentality. It all seems to come back to power and control mainly of woman and children as chattel while the church gets richer and richer sort of like our military ind. complex.

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Organized patriarchal religion has always denied women's equality, and trumpted that the reason there are two sexes is because the purpose of women is to have babies. At the same time all organized patriarchial religions praise the absurdity of a virgin birth, and extol celibacy that is both unnatural and not normal, but a wart on the face of sanity. Until all religions are destroyed and their vistages obliverated from history no mortal will be free. The Vatican--the old man's club--with Pope Benny being the worse of all popes in modern times, ignores realities of AIDS (condoms do stop the spread of the virus), the need for birth control (food is becoming more expensive and less easily obtained) and adequate housing (more and more people are living in smaller quarters or on the streets). Sex is for the purpose of pleasure--not babies. Food is to be enjoyed in a variety of forms not only to substain the body, and until the birth rate drops dramatically there will be wars, plagues and famines as first noted by Thomas Malthus. Mormonism, and fundamentalist mormonism as seen in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and other western states not only provide beds for old men to have nonconsentual intercourse with underage girls as occured in ancient Babylon and other nations of bygone eras, and the result has always been the ruination of empires. Until the Mormon and Catholic church expire along with the absurdities of fundamentalist Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, and other preying, predatorial religions are extinguished there will be no freedom. Religion is the spawn of evil--it is pure bunk.

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Katha Pollitt,

You came so very close to saying that the Church is just like the FLDS. So close. And yet you held off, why is that?

Maybe because you knew you couldn't prove your case, so you settled for a little guilt by association. That's what we call it in law, in journalism we call it a smear.

You are clearly incensed that the general public doesn't share your disgust with Pope Benedict XVI; your comments that he was welcomed wherever he went make that quite clear. What's not clear is why exactly that would bother you.

Being Catholic is a choice; there's no compulsion in it. There is no Inquisition burning people for heresy. If you don't like the Church's teaching on birth control or abortion, nobody's compelling you to practice it.

You point out that Catholic hospitals limit 'reproductive health choices'. If you don't like that, go to the 88% of the hospitals in the US that are NOT run by the Catholic Church. What's the problem?

You point out that the Church lobbies our elected representatives to not allow the Federal government to provide artificial birth control. We live in a representative republic, a nation of laws, and there's no reason that the Church shouldn't use its voice in that process. How is is that any different from NARAL, Planned Parenthood, or NOW lobbying for their point of view?

The Catholic Church is not unique in it's stance on these issues. Perhaps your next piece should include a review of what Buddhism or Orthodox Judaism teaches about these things. At least then your article will have a veneer of objectivity, and it won't be just another screed about how the retrograde Catholic Church.

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That's just about everyone and everyplace. Equal pay was voted down just the other day. Again! It's easy to single out the Catholic Church. Fact is all religions short change women. But we aren't forced to have a religion. Most women do need a job. Maybe we should stay with the important things. The Catholic Church doesn't have thousands on welfare & food stamps. The wierdos with five wives and countless kids do. Our tax dollars support these people. Thanks, ANNA

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"I will never understand why the people who attack Islam as oppressive to women have nothing to say about the FLDS."

there are 1.2 billion muslims and 10 thousand flds.

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It is unfortunate that the author somehow tries to make the Church seem oppresive. Although I myself disagree with certain church teachings, there are many people including catholics that disagree or ignore them anyway. The purpose of those rules is to maintain decency and morality when it comes to sexuality and procreation. Seems to me the author is unable to appreciate or understand that.

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"...ever since the Reformation, when or where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate A Free Inquiry?

The blackest billingsgate, the most yahooish brutality is patiently endured, countenanced, propagated and applauded. But touch a solemn truth in collision with dogma of sect, though capable of the clearest proof, and you will soon find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets will swarm about your legs and hands and fly into your face and eyes.."

That said; I again ask and point out that for these sites which so heavily follow and support Barack Obama to repeatedly attack 60,000,000 Roman Catholics, The Pope, Catholicism and even obsessively mock and insult the Pope..largely out of ignorance and immaturity are not doing anything to contribute to Obama's winning this ridiculously close primary..

Or especially win over the 60,000,000 potential Catholic voters or 20% of the electorate, who many pundits and experts have already pointed out the fact that Obama does not seem demographically to get The Catholic vote..!

The Huffington post has ignorantly and even hatefully been the worst offender in this regard even generating their own mockery and ridicule of The Holy Father..and Roman Catholics

This obsession shows a serious lack of political insight, skill and experience..

It is becoming apparent to me that the Democrats and some in our party, my party for 40 years just about, as a loyal voter is once again committing political suicide, just as it did pushing the gay marriage issue in an election year in 2004 giving Rove and Bush the issue to dreamed and "prayed" for..

After 4,000 years or 6,000 years of prohibition they couldn't wait one more year..not one, to push that issue which has merit, but again are we doing it again is this some "collective pathology" to self destruct..

If you must hate with such zeal try hating those who are destroying our country on every level the Republicans..

I wonder if Obama is aware of all this Catholic bashing on sites that back his candidacy and advocate for him, while practicing and seeming to take delight it what is becoming ever more obvious discrimination..?

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The Catholic Church is given tax exempt status including its church related businesses. That means that the rest of us are subsidizing this church and the crackpot fundies who also get tax exempt status.

So given churches the ability to engage in open political activity which the Catholic Church does means that we now only have to lisen to their crap, we have to subsidize it as well.

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Gerry Spence stated in his book:"How to argue and win every time", that everyone has a personal power, unique to each of us, which can't be taken away, but CAN be surrendered. The grotesque results of that surrender can be seen in the vatican and in Texas. This is an interesting concept that, in my mind, goes a long way towards explaining the obscene wealth of the church in the face of starvation of so many of us, and the manipulation of women by evil bastards in the name of an imaginary diety.

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for "Yearning For Zion" to become slang for group sex?

jdfu!

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That why you have all these problems, People need to a reason to Do the right thing. OK how about this, If you have an Abortion and you believe it wrong to kill another Human being, you will live With that sin for the rest you life. I have known women who have Abortions, and said they would do things differently, if they Could undo the past. Yes to give a child up for Adoption is difficult. but the pain of knowing that you have taken the life of another human being is much worse.

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Please do not compare FLDS to real Mormons. Real Mormons or LDS members really do not like the comparison. LDS members follow the laws while FLDS does not. LDS members believe in the Bible,Book of Mormon and Docterine of Covenants while FLDS practicers like to take scriptures and twist them to their motives so the scriptures are no longer recognizible. FLDS is truly like all other fundamentalists in this regard, as to taking things a step further with polygamy,abuse,rape, and plain old stealing from the government they are in a class by themselves.

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This fact is often overlooked in the arguments for Womyns Rights.

The pill, when combined with an anti-biotic, has caused permanent chemical sensitivity in many women, my wife included. Not all women react well to the birth control pill, and despite its popularity, it has its own dangers.

Let's face it: those who object the most to organized, or disorganized, religion tend to do so for selfish reasons. Selfishness itself has brought us to this point of societal collapse, just as the greed to profit from real estate (flipping condos) has brought us to this recession. Selfishness has brought us to the brink of debt collapse that will will permeate all of our economy.

Moderation under the guidelines of the Catholic Church would have avoided these extremes of the environmental and economic disasters that we face today.

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Her article leads me to comment, "Well, duh!"

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I don't agree with everything the pope says , but at least he has the guts to stand up to the islamification of Europe. What is your take on the Archbishop of Canterbury suggesting that the UK accept part of islamic legal code? Most religious figures try to appease, but this pope has the guts to stand up to what he believes.. What has liberalism secularism given us in the 50 years in the West?

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This is just another Sen. Grassley vs. the televangelists envyism, and Bill O'Reilly trying to publicly lynch Sen. Obama's pastor--along with all Black pastors who speak tot the suffering of their flock. What men hate to see is other men, even if white, have fleshly worshipping from various other females.

Comparing the situation on the FLDS townships to the cities and towns of the govt. ruled sector, at least they don't have the drug & alcohol addictions, killings, shootings, domestic violence, illiteracy, health problems, obesity, and extreme poverty, and other concerns and death-traps that exist in federal designed regions.

If the govt. cares so much about these girls and women, why don't they raid the pornography camps in Hollywood? Why does the U.S. lead the world in the sex-trade of young, ultra poor, mainly Of Color boys and girls; someone high-up here is getting their share/cut/taxes? The porno industry is running a smorgasbord on pedophilia, but since some political officials probably have their children in them, they act oblivious to the fact.

When you let the media and political officials run into your home an try to play God with your lifestyle, you end-up on Reservations, "Indian" and Urban (ghettos).

Manger Borne

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Thank you for extending your critique of the Catholic Church to the women and girls of developing countries. I accept that the Church still has considerable power in the American Church, but the consequences of Church power in other countries are horrific and will likely only get worse as the numbers of Catholics in poor countries explodes. These people don't need their religion because they're "bitter", they need it because they're vulnerable, powerless, in grave danger very often and have few institutions on which they can rely for spiritual and physical sustenance as well as health care and so on. The Church has often (by no means always)been a force for social change and economic justice in those countries while completely failing to understand and respond to the needs and vulnerabilities of women and girl-children. It makes me ill. To paraphrase a famous feminist, if the Pope could get pregnant, birth control would be the Holy Sacrament. And so on ...

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And by the way, Xian guy whose wife can't take the pill, there ARE other forms of birth control. The Catholic Church permits NONE of them. Zero. The day you have your eighth baby who is HIV positive is the day I might start listening to you. But not if you think the ever distant male god constructed by Judaeo-Xianity is going to do anything about it AT ALL!

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pope beni-DICK HEAD, and those mormons [ romney? ahem! ]" satan" please save our souls from the HOLY "HEAVEN" they seem hell bent on creating for all of us! enough said!

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...all sorts of disgust is done in his name...

I just wonder how scared these hypocrites must be!
Jesus is waiting to judge according to there beliefs...
and these clowns have way to much to answer for!

on a personal note...
I say ARREST THEM, and lock em up with Bubba and his galpal hunting buddies in the hooscow

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n/m

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Simple solution:
Each male on this planet may father ONE offspring and only one. Then its vasectomy time - no exceptions!
This arangement will be in effect untill 3000. We all shall reasses then.
Think about it!!!
We women need a break and so does the planet.
Put the responsibility where it belongs for a change. Then sit back and watch everything change for the better.

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Do you know that the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic mens group, has for years been collecting millions of dollars to make sure that laws get passed to stop ALL abortions no matter what the reason, even if the mother will die. Life is supposed to come first. Or is death for someone elses religious ideology the more important determinant. Are innocent women supposed to diebecause that is the Pope's personal belief.

Pfeifer999, what exactly is your conspiracy with death, the Pope, the Republican Party, Falwell, Robertson, Hagee, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Peggy Noonan, Rupert Murdoch and Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC etc, Santorum, Brownback, Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, the Bush/Cheney crime family and the top tier of American corporations like the oil industry and corporate profits. Are you a religious Rethuglican or a business Rethuglican or are you both. Because whatever is your motivation you are killing a lot of people. Death and profits and no taxes seem to be all you people ever care about, pfeifer999. Is the Pope a business or a religious Republican. But I thought he was a foreign power from another country. If so then why is he forcing himself into our elections.

Pfeifer999 why do you and the Pope want my life and my soul. God our Heavenly Father gave it only to me and to no one else. Or do you and the Pope think it somehow belongs to you and isn't that a perfect example of the sin of Pride which is setting oneself equal to God and making judges of yourselves. The Pope is not God nor should he ever assume the role of judge. That is a role that belongs only to God. Not only does the Pope make a judge of himself but he makes an executioner(women, Jews, Protestsants, Muslims etc) of himself. The goal is to preserve life not to end it and especially not for someone elses personal religious ideology. Exactly why is it that you people care so much about the fetus but not one bit for a living person; the living you kill without hesitation and for their oil or their religion.

Are you a Rapturist like George W. Bush because if you are I don't think Jesus is going to come back until you people stop killing everyone else who does not believe as you do. Until we make this world a hugely better place where He feels welcome we all may have a very long wait for the second coming. And why are atheists and agnostics not allowed to believe as they choose, do they not have Free Will. Do they not have a soul, or are you a hypocrite and a moral relativist like the Pope. Do all of you just believe only what you want to believe. Because that is exactly where your religious ideology falls flat on it's face and totally collapses. What you right wing religious people fail to comprehend is that all religion is man made and very full of self interpertation. But you people want to force your interpertation on me and on the other 240+ million Americans who did not vote for Bush and the Republicans. When you deny me and the other 240 million of us our God given Free Will then you are a moral relativist. Pfeifer999 you and your friends are not satisfied to live your lives and let me live mine, you want my life and my soul. And once again your motivation is killing for oil profits and the Republican Party's continued political power.

So pfeifer999 what are you going to do now, are you goiung to kill 1.5 billion Muslims. After that are you going to kill tens of millions of Russians, Chinese and Cubans because they are Communists and that is what the Pope wants done because he thinks the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus told him to do at Fatima. Does your death list never end.

Sorry to all for the lack of tight editing, but people like pfeifer999 are so narrow minded that they make me crazy.

Pray for Peace

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Read Adam Doster's article in In These Times. It extols the Udalls as environmentalists. This is all to the good. BUT it refuses to call the Udalls' grandfather, David King, a polygamist and says that the charges of "illegal cohabitation" were trumped up by the government. Wikipedia refutes this, calling polygamy by its real name and claiming that David King was indeed guilty.

Does this mean that the Udalls don't want to alienate their pro-polygamy constituency?

But the main question I have is why a progressive periodical covers up an ugly truth with a euphemism, and why the Udalls don't just admit the truth and stand against it in their campaigns.

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