Christian Democracy

Here's my latest piece in the Willamette Freethinker, the monthly newsletter for the Corvallis Secular Society.  This is my third piece, which they have been kind enough to publish.

It is quite apropos, given my recent diatribes and rants and the current state of political affairs in the US.

The entire newsletter, which includes other wonderful reprinted pieces, expounds on this theme.

Enjoy.

http://corvallissecular.org/newsletter/wf_current.pdf

I'm Offended.

I was recently accused of being impolite and having bad manners for saying dastardly things about the Catholic Church and "pro-lifers" and the Religious Right in the US.  I lost facebook friends.  I was told that my behavior was inappropriate and offensive.  

Here's the thing.  I'm offended.  I'm really offended.

I'm offended by the behavior of the religious.  I'm offended by the violations of our Constitution.  I'm offended by the violations of my rights and your rights.  And, I'm tired of having to tip toe around their sensitive feelings.  They are never bothered about offending me or no, but I'm supposed to be very careful not to offend their delicate sensibilities, lest I be accused of bad manners, and I'm tired of it.  Their behavior is offensive.  But, it's OK for them to behave badly, because it's their religion.  

When the Catholic bishops have the brazen audacity to think that they can and should dictate US Federal Law, I'm offended.  They just threatened to throw all of DC's homeless out onto the streets, if the DC City Council approves gay marriage, by the way.  That offends me.

When someone has the nerve to tell me that I'm going to hell, I'm offended.  When someone tells me that I have to live MY life in accord with their moral or religious precepts, that offends me.  When someone tries to tell me what I can or can't do with my body, that offends me.  When someone tries to take away my rights, strip me of my humanity, and deny me my free will, that deeply offends me.

I'm angry.  I'm fed up.  And, I'm tired of having to pretend otherwise.  

They are the ones with the bad manners, not me.

When someone says to hell with the Constitution, which I happen to love, that offends me.

People are just not used to someone saying such dastardly things about religion and the religious.  But, do I lie?

Anyone still think the Faith Based Initiative is a good idea?

I think threatening to throw homeless people onto the street to starve and die is worse than saying the word "bloody".  I really, really do.  But that's just me.