Chris Matthews and Bishop Tobin discussion abortion on Hardball. I can’t believe Matthews calls this guy “Your Excellency.”
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Let me see if I have this:
The Catholic church doesn’t like Sen. Kennedy’s voting record on abortion, so the Catholic church excommunicates him. Dime-Bar Bishop says “A catholic in public office’s first loyalty/concern should be to his faith”.
That sound about right?
1) A catholic in public office’s first duty is to do whatever the voters who put him there would want him to do, which seems to be exactly what Sen. Kennedy has done.
2) Dime-Bar Bishop in that interview tacitly admits that the Catholic Church is seeking to influence public policy by manipulating public servants who are Catholic – therefore their tax-exempt status should be revoked immediately. It’s that simple.
Every time I see a “Your Excellency” lecture the government on a moral issue, all I can think about is how many meetings did “Your Excellency” attend where strategies were devised to hide pedophile priests and intimidate the victims of clerical sexual abuse. If “Your Excellency” were truly a moral man, he would have sided with the victims. The church then would have either fired him or stationed him at a church in the middle of nowhere.
Liberals like Chris Matthews seem to have no problem when the church interferes in American immigration policy. But this is an issue where the church is hypocritical. In America, where the majority of immigrates are Catholics; the church is liberal on immigration. It claims it believes this policy as a way to help the poor. (More likely it is to fill churches)
In Europe, where a large percentage of immigrates are Muslims, the church is more conservative. The church even opposes Turkey’s admission into the European Union, a policy which could help to improve the lives of million of poor Turkish Muslims. The church’s message is simple, is you are poor and Catholic, move to whatever country you want. But if you are poor and Muslim, stay home.
I love the “excellency” treatment here. The higher you place the moron, the harder he falls.
Good point. Though I think I’d start adding new adjectives each time, like “Most Holy Amazing Excellency”
LOL
His Awesome Sinless Rightful Excellency may notice it
Did his excellency just say all religious folks should leave congress? “if you can’t do your job without following your faith you should leave that job” (paraphrased) Since congress represents several people of religious faith I suppose no congressperson could be a member of congress.
Oops, I meant no religious person should be a member of congress. Stupid fingers getting confused by the brain going faster.
Vive la differance. In the UK, a Tory MP named Nadine Dories campaigned vigorously against the Human Embryology Bill and to include an ammendment lowering the time limit for abortion. Ten years hard science and research went in to that bill, and she dismissed all of that with a few trite bible references.
This being the UK, she lost and has been hounded about putting faith above duty non-stop ever since.
Funny really, since on paper the UK is the non-secular country. Maybe it’s the benefit of a few hundred years’ head-start and the US will catch-up in a while? I don’t mean that disparigingly, it’s a genuine thought.
“Excellency” was funny, but Chris should have dropped a few “Your Grace”s to pummel the idiot.
It struck me as amazing that someone could blatantly say that something should be illegal, only to right after saying that he won’t even pretend to be someone making the law and consequence. His “excellency” basically said “abortion bad, don’t do it, now go away”.
Wonderful! This crap is exactly why I left the Catholic church years ago. Maybe “his excellency” would like to revive the Inquisition as a way to collect mindless pledges of faith.
Paraphrasing Chris Matthews “I don’t see how you can read this in any way other than then Senator Kennedy said it”.
Christianity, and religions as a whole, have had a remarkable track record of being able to read something and get whatever meaning they choose to, regardless of what was actually written.
See: the Christian bible.
Just for the general info, Kennedy is a House member, not a Senator. Rhode Island’s two senators are Reed and Whitehouse. Just the same, as I’ve said before, kudos to the guy for standing up to obnoxious elements in his own religious hierarchy in order to represent his constituents (of whom I happen to be among). Honestly I had not thought terribly highly of him before now, but he seems to have a little spine to him after all.
The “Senator Kennedy” quote is referring to a statement JFK made when he was running for president.
I called him a senator in my comment because I thought he was one, I think Elemenope was corrrecting that :-)
It’s not that his excellency didn’t want to answer the question. He just didn’t want to be forced to think about girls, women, and other not-men, and what goes on *down there.* As you can see it made him very uncomfortable.
Thank you Chris Matthews…. You have exposed them for the hypocritical MO-Fo’s that they are!!!!
Time to highlight those passages in the Bible where God oks his followers ripping open the bellies of pregnant women.
While the bishop is an ***hole and his church should have its tax exemption yanked, I do not enjoy Chris Matthews’ tactics. He routinely talks over his “guest,” and spends more time spouting his own views rather than get his guest’s view. Regardless of the content, these tactics are quite annoying and I would not spend much time watching such a program. skillful interviewers are able to get their subject’s statements while letting it be known that they do not agree with them.
In fairness that seems to be a tactic he’s learned from right-wing talk radio hosts.
I agree. Although Tobin has definitely put his hypocritical nose into areas that are none of his concern, Matthews could take Tobin down by not being so bombastic. Let the Bishop talk. I’m sure he could easily hang himself by opening his mouth.
The bishop is concrerned with the state of Kennedy’s soul. He is right that a real catholic cannot go against his religion even for the high office (?) of serving the secular agenda. For those who do not believe there is a higher law than secular law, well that is ytour problem. Those who live by the secular law which contradicts moral law will have to answer for it one way or another, be assured. For those who believe there is no other course, but for those who do not, well, as previously stated it is your problem. God Bless!!
You do realize that the Catholic Church has changed its position on abortion many times, right? So, it isn’t so much a matter of defying his religion as defying the current political inclinations of whoever happens to be Pope today.
And given that politicians swear an oath to serve the public, it is certainly a big deal. If you are correct, then Catholics could never in good conscience run for office.
> “the Catholic Church has changed its position on abortion many times”
src, please?
I didn’t know if there would be any, either.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_hist.htm
Really illustrates how weird the whole “soul” thing is, doesn’t it?
That’s what happens when you are speaking about something wich existence is, at least, uncertain. When you have to make up things, the result is that other writers can also make up things… I still wonder how Aristotle could say:
- Ensoulment? Yes, It’s obvious that it happens at day… 40.
- 40? Are you sure? I thought it was later
- Well yes, I mean 40 for males, 90 for females
“Those who live by the secular law which contradicts moral law will have to answer for it one way or another, be assured.”
“God Bless!!”
So you wrote both of these statements then?
If God can love you and send you to Hell, surely Vin can smile and wave.
Did thinking people just get threatened (be assured) by the aforementioned?
I’ve personally witnessed the horror inflicted on the innocent by such proselytic hubris.
Mighty convenient to damn the rest of us while weekly “absolution” is as easy as confessing to the nearest hypocrite available.
So tired of fighting these morons; yet, can never give up the want of freedom(s).
Welcome to America; where taking an “oath of office” precludes megalomania.
Bless Mr. Kennedy for actually taking his job seriously; confliction notwithstanding…
Please pardon the spelling: ’tis “proselytical”.
Anyhoots; I’ll take my chances with an all-forgiving god that takes his job seriously.
Shant think my soul’s destination is up to br’er Tobin and his ilks’ discretion; wherever it might end up.
Hallo savant u have given me achallege in how u belefe God please can u writte me and send me matirias about this.please i am waiting from u soon