Iowa Catholics urged to support constitutional convention

I'm sorry, is this nation founded on the principle, "Rule by Catholics?"

 

Short answer: Yes.

 

again.. remove all tax exemption status from every catholic group who throws themselves into politics.

 

Wouldn't work. It would give them good arguments that their free speech rights were violated or that the government was oppressing their religious beliefs. Really it would only get more people behind them and add fuel to the fire.

Besides, it's not just the catholics that are behind the anti-gay stance. It seems like all the most vocal major religions are against us as far as policy goes. It's one of the few things that Christians, Muslims, and Jews all agree on. As far as all three are concerned, we're all going to hell and may just drag them down with us.:dry:

That's why I prefer the Bhuddists. They couldn't care less how you live your life so long as you don't hurt anyone.

 

I prefer individual people. Regardless of their beliefs. Lumping entire religions into hate-groups is rather inaccurate.

 

I meant more the religion's ideals rather than the individual people involved. (I actually identify as Catholic myself.) The individual people all have different feelings on these subjects, but that doesn't change the fact that the official policy of those religions is against us. The Bhuddist religion is pretty neutral in it's beliefs, so I'm just more a fan of their philosophies than the other religions.

 

Wasn't sayin anything against you actually, I was making more of a generally aimed statement. I identify as Catholic too.

 

just get laid, catholics. then you wouldn't give a fuck who marries who, so long as no gay tries to marry you./rant

i'm fine with religion, except when they try to do this. why do they try so hard to make us hate them? instead of accepting love, in whatever form it comes

 

It's a combination of fear, tradition, and learned behavior. The general consensus in christianity is that gay activities are immoral and engaging in it will send us to hell. They're afraid that if the government acknowledges that we have rights, people will accept it as okay and more people will go to hell. The more extreme cases think if this happens, God will burn us like he did Sodom.

Who knows, maybe they're right. To be honest though, no where in the Bible or biblical teachings does either God or Jesus specifically prohibit homosexuality. Any mention of it was made either by old jewish lawmakers or by Jesus's followers long after his death. (This was more in the context of current societal attitudes than Jesus's actual teachings.) As far as Sodom goes, there were many other issues at play there. Until God himself comes down and tells us it's wrong, I'll live my life the way that feels right to me. Then at least, If I go to hell, at least I'll end up there satisfied with my life.

 

freedom of religion technically does not grant the right for religious groups to overrule the constitution. freedom of speech and freedom of religion have nothing to do with tax exempt status. if a religious sect or group is going to force its religious dogma onto the goverment who is not allowed by the constitution to acknowledge of advocate for that religious dogma being pushed into law, they should lose their tax exempt status.

it doesnt prevent them from having their religious beliefs... but their religious beliefs are not allowed to intercede in the goverment. the goverment shell not endorse religion... it needs to be inforced, or the right wing religious nut fringe will continue to take away rights from people, and refuse to allow america to be the land of the free and home of the brave.

they can still have their religious beliefs after losing their tax exempt status. but they dont have the right to force their narrow minded beliefs upon others, whoes own freedom of religion grants them the right to not be abused by other religious people, and even to choose not to have a religious belief if they dont want to.

that is why the founding fathers were diests, not theist. religion murders and destroys as much as it helps... should they ban religion because of the bad people who abuse it? no, because that infringes upon expression, which is important... but they fought to keep religion from controlling goverment for a reason.

the right wing could care less about the founding fathers most of the time... thats why glenn beck and rush limbaugh and falinpalin constantly fabricate fake history for the founders so they can pretend god wants them to destroy the gays.

 

But when tax excempt status is used as blackmail to keep them from getting involved or expressing their opinions, it becomes a constitutional issue regarding free speech and possibly religious persecution.

You're right. The government can't endorse a specific religion over another or allow a religion to be the only thing that dictates what it does. There is however, nothing stating that religion can't be used as a moral guidepost to decide some of the more complicated issues. As long as it's not the only deciding factor.

They have the right to try to force their narrow minded opinions on whoever they want. That's what free speech is all about. They shouldn't have to choose between expressing their beliefs or being able to function as a church due to added financial concerns. It can be annoying to people who don't agree with them, but that goes for every opinion there is.

 

seperate of church and state. the constitution does not technically allow religious organizations to impose their religious will on the goverment, and on law.

tax exempt status does not prevent them from advocating from the pulpit, but the constitution does not grant the right for a church to interfere in the process of creating law, or the roles of goverment. when a religious organization uses money to push for sharia law *basically what they are doing, trying to force through the passage of laws based in religious belief to persecute/discriminate against minorities the religious institution dislikes*, they do so against the requirements of the constitution. it is basically defying the constitution by forcing the goverment to adopt a religious belief. the goverment cannot advocate for a religion.

freedom of speech is not effected by tax exempt status. no one is saying they cant have their beliefs and express them. the constitution states they do not have the right to force their religious beliefs upon others, expecially through subjugating americans by forcing through religious-based laws.

what they are trying to do is to force their beliefs into law. what they are doing IS NOT witnessing or prostelitizing... it is forcing people to be subjugated under their religious beliefs through illegal force of law, regardless if the people being subjugated are apart of their religious belief system, or not.

there is a difference between someone on the street corner preeching that homosexuality is a sin, and someone useing funds from a religious organization to write laws based in religious belief.

freedom of religion grants us a promise that religion will not be granted authority on goverment matters. no one has been able to prove that denying lgbt equality has any basis outside of religious discrmination, because anti-lgbt policies lack reasoned logic. denial of gay/trans/gender rights is based in religious intolerence... not reasonable threat. we are not a threat, we are not destorying society, and the bigottry we face is based in religious belief.