I used to know and loathe: [color:blue]The bishop of Colorado's second-largest Roman Catholic diocese issued a stark warning Friday, saying voters should not receive Communion if they back politicians who support abortion rights, stem-cell research, euthanasia and gay marriage.<br><br>Bishop Michael Sheridan said such voters may receive the sacrament only if they recant and repent in the confessional. While he noted that no one will enforce the rule in the Communion line, Sheridan said that Catholics shouldn't simply go to confession and think they could be absolved.<br><br>"It might take a public recantation," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "There is no sin that is unforgivable" but Catholics shouldn't vote for candidates who support abortion rights and "then slip off into the confessional."<br><br>"This is a serious or mortal sin, like robbing a local store," he said.</font color=blue><br><br>I suspect a large percentage of American Catholics are in for a rude surprise.<br><br>

Being a Catholic, I'm not surprised at this. <br><br>

I'm not either, given the current Pope and his highly conservative perspective on things. But really, the American Catholic Church has become so Protestant in the outlook of its congregation that I still think this kind of thing will come as a shock to people. You wouldn't believe how many Catholic students I have (Catholics represent the largest percentage denomination in my school) who say things like "I'll use contraceptives if I want to--I don't care what the Pope says." I always tell them that they're apostates, but they think I'm kidding.<br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>You wouldn't believe how many Catholic students I have who say things like "I'll use contraceptives if I want to--I don't care what the Pope says."<p><hr></blockquote><p>Just what sort of classes are you teaching? <br><br><br><br><br>Maybe you should show these students a little direction though too. Here, let John Ashcroft help out.<br><br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Trog on 05/15/04 01:31 AM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

It doesn't suprise me that it's Colorado and it's people who is being judged! These are the very people who have forsaken it's sons and daughters. So afraid because their hypocritical shadow looks over their shoulder and wonders how they steel themselves against the hand that points.<br><br>Jesus will sit in judgement, not the priests, that is why they will be in church come Sundie morn'. <br><br>But lo' they stare at his face not and his tears will go unnoticed by the congregation as they march their righteous asses back to the pews. They take pause with God throughout the day on Saturday but are doing an end run around the priest.<br><br>What I find appalling is the two lives we lead; one to blend and one to bend. Lenny Bruce would have a fsckin' field day with the catholic church today! No one would get any sleep if he were alive today. <br><br><br><br><br>[color:blue] “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,” Samuel Johnson</font color=blue>

Plus today the Vatican announced that Catholics should not marry Muslims. I think that was the story I saw. Nice! Man the world might have chance at peace if the religous factor were not in the picture all the time. Big fat chance that will ever happen. <br><br>

Yup, Mike. I didn't mean to pick on the Catholic Church in particular (although it's the one I know best, at least in its 20th century form).<br><br>I haven't taught the first semester of freshman comp in a long while, Trog--but that's the course I was thinking of. You get to read all sorts of essays on a whole bunch of different subjects, the point being to get the kids to react to what they've read enough to make them write coherent essays. Abortion, death penalty . . . hot topics. I'm sometimes shocked by students' points of view, especially on ethical questions, and at both extremes. Sometimes the perspective is completely unethical--like "if I don't get caught, it's ok." Sometimes the perspective is hyper-moral--like "if someone does even the slightest thing wrong, he should be thrown in jail and left to rot."<br><br>

I don't have a problem with you picking on the Catholic church. I was born a Catholic, fortunately I was raised by Catholics turned aetheists. Or, at least agnostics. I guess I consider myself to be an agnostic truth be told.<br><br>I think the views expressed by students has in part some origin with things that happened during the Watergate years and the conservative era that mostly dominated their lives after Nixon. By that I mean, I think it presented the picture that you could do wrong and get away with it, so why not me too, as long as I don't get caught. Plus, on the other side of the coin, you have those kids that have been influenced by the very conservative views of their parents and fundamentalist Christianity types. <br><br>It's kind of a weird mix these days. On the one hand you have MTV and VH1 bombarding young people with lots of skin and sex, yet on the other hand you have a very conservative environment. I think it makes for a lot of confusion, they haven't found the middle of the road yet I think. Hopefully they will grow out of it and come to realize that the two are not really congruent (?) with one another. You can't force people to go back to the virtues and values of the 50s, times have changed. And you also probably won't see them embracing the attitudes of the 60s either. They just have to find their own way, as we all have had to do. I hope they get it right.<br><br>