2012
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2012
Church and State
Does every week bring a new crisis with this administration?
Obama and his nannies have now managed to get the full attention of the Catholic Church, after decreeing that Catholic institutions such as hospitals, schools, and universities must provide birth control, including contraceptives and abortions, for employees.
Secretary Sebelius at Health and Human Services issued the decree, citing authority under Obamacare. The administration, despite public outrage, has robustly defended the measure, which they claim is a women’s health issue. Sebelius authored an op-ed in USA Today, explaining:
One of the key benefits of the 2010 health care law is that many preventive services are now free for most Americans with insurance. Vaccinations for children, cancer screenings for adults and wellness visits for seniors are all now covered in most plans with no expensive co-pays or deductibles. So is the full range of preventive health services recommended for women by the highly respected Institute of Medicine, including contraception.
Cut away the agreeable platitudes that serve only to get half the population nodding in zombie-like fashion. This isn’t about health. It’s all about power.
The first amendment clearly states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Forget for a moment that Secretary Sebelius is not Congress, and that bureaucrats should not have this kind of law making power. That’s a different crisis. Interpret Congress to mean “the federal government.” Is there any doubt whatsoever that this law demands that Catholic institutions violate their faith?
I was baptized in the Church, confirmed by the Church, and still attend mass (though admittedly not as frequently as I should). My understanding of Catholic theology is satisfactory, and I’ve spent periods of my life studying various aspects of Catholicism. Allow me to give a very basic thumbnail sketch of the Church’s teaching of the body, sex, and birth. (Note to readers: feel free to correct me.)
The body is imperfect; it has been corrupted by Original Sin. It can be glorified by virtuous acts, but is not divine in origin like the soul. It is infirm, prone to disease, and is not intrinsically good or evil. It manifests appetites, which can turn to vice if not controlled by reason. Among these appetites is the sexual appetite. Apart from God and outside His institution of marriage, sex is a base instinct. The reproductive potentiality of men and women are in their very essence divine, and likewise the physical manifestation of love is to be regarded as mysterious. It is a creative act, unique, which results in a new person with a divine soul. The associated pleasure is “the icing on the cake.” It is not in the providence of man to interfere with God’s intent in this domain.
You’ll notice the mix of ancient Grecian philosophy, Roman philosophy, and Christian philosophy. The view is old world, and in the true sense of the word “catholic” (i.e. universal). It takes into account man, nature, and man’s place in nature. It looks to heaven for a larger meaning, and clearly proscribes man’s temporal authority to intervene in divine affairs.
Now: you may agree, disagree, laugh, scoff, or hold this view in reverence. But the Church, likely the oldest continuous institution of Western civilization, takes Her view very seriously. To violate it would be to endanger the souls of Her believers. If push comes to shove, they will sooner shut their doors than violate their conscience.
Obama and his administration, deliberately, have acted in blatant defiance of America’s greatest freedom: freedom of religion. Catholic bishops are now responding forcefully. One Pennsylvania Bishop said recently:
“In the totalitarian government, they would love our system. This is what Hitler and Mussolini and all them tried to establish — a monolith; so all the children would be educated in one set of beliefs and one way of doing things.”
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the head of Roman Catholic military chaplains, said that regulation “is a blow to a Freedom … for which you have seen your buddies fall in battle.”
Locally, Bishop Timothy Dolan of New York responded :”You bet we got a disagreement… It’s not about contraception. It’s about the right of conscience.” Dolan continued, “The government doesn’t have the right to butt into the internal governance and teachings of the church… This is not a Catholic issue, it’s an American issue. We’re strong on this issue of conscience, and that’s what’s at stake here.”
The gloves are off. I suggest that excommunications should not be ruled out for a president and party who seek to remake America in Obama’s image.
November can’t come soon enough.
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Just remembered this. Obama had Notre Dame cover up the letters IHS (Jesus) when he spoke at their in 2009.