Non-Profit Status for the Catholic Church?

Hitler-Jugend Ratzinger sure is trying hard to remake the "church" into a reflection of his own life-hating, sex-hating self, ain't he? (I write this as someone who was regularly beaten up by nuns as a boy.) He should be spending less time telling sexually-active human beings what to do/think/feel than he should be in thinking about how long his soul will burn in hell for leading the war against Liberation Theology, leading to Ratzinger's crowning spiritual achievement:

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/144021

(Not counting his days as Hermann Goering's valet.)

A genuine moron? turn the clock back a few hundred years?

Did Bishop Tobin really appear on Hardball with the intention to "argue for criminal penalties for abortion"?

That's not why he showed up at all- though it did come up during Mathews' lecture.

George, Would you characterize the position of Rep. Ron Paul (whose stance on abortion is quite consistent with that of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church) as moronic? Rep. Paul considers Roe v. Wade to be a disaster, as well (not to mention Jane Roe's perspective on what went down).

The bottom line is that Roe v. Wade, regardless of one's position concerning abortion, represents an affront to State/local governance, which, in this 9/11 era, should give us all cause for lamentation.

Whatever Bishop Tobin's position, I am thankful that his actions are bringing about dialogue... I just hope that the dialogue can be conducted with a respectful tone. Let's not lower ourselves to the level of those whose policies jeopardize us all. Like David Ray Griffin, let's let the reason of our carefully constructed arguments persuade the misguided and confused.

[I rest my case. g.]

What a picture! Did Pope Ratzinger act in the Star Wars movies? He looks so familiar.

But seriously, you might be interested in Paul Blanshard's American Freedom and Catholic Power. I read my grandfather's copy about 50 years ago. A 2005 review on Amazon said, in part, "Published in 1949, there is much about this book that is out of date. The reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's has greatly changed the Catholic Church, though the author's points regarding medicine and sex remain largely valid." But my opinion is that the reviewer is wrong — the reforms of Vatican II are under very strong attack, and some have already been reversed. John XXIII was a high-water mark of sanity at the Vatican, and we will not see his like again.

The tax exemption has been and remains a travesty. With the current lobbying by church officials and threats of withholding communion. Clearly, they are an organization and not really a not for profit one, if they can file for bankruptcy protection when they loose millions on their pedophilia lawsuits!