Two Catholic groups I can actually respect

Not everything is black and white, and certainly, not all Catholics are Pope-loving communion wafer-adoring mindless zealots at the orders of the Vatican. At least not 100%. However, the fact that they still adhere to the label whether because of tradition or laziness to think things through still makes me disagree with them. But if they keep their issues to their own, without messing with other people’s lives, well, then I’m not concerned.

And I will cheer when awesomeness occurs, regardless of Catholicism

These two groups have had the guts and dared to get organized to vocalize their dissent with the Vatican’s policies, especially those, that, besides not making much sense, are bigoted and discriminatory.

Catholics for equality

Catholics for Equality empowers pro-equality Catholics to put our faith into ethical and effective political action on behalf of the LGBT community and their families.

Drawing on the rich tradition of Catholic social justice teachings, grounded in the Gospel message of Love, American Catholics are among the strongest supporters of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people of any religious group in the U.S.

I know it sounds crazy, but I think there some kind of truth in here. Compared to evangelicals, Catholics seem to be a little bit more tolerant. However, I think this is due to the fact that many Catholics arrived in to the United States as immigrants, first from Ireland and then from Latin America, and when one is the underdog tends to develop certain tolerance.

Yet, go to a country in which Catholics are a majority and see how much they support gays. You’ll find pretty much the same bigotry and hatred as you can find in the United States.

But this is good. While in general Catholics are not really nice to the gays, these guys are trying something different. Maybe they are getting Jesus’ message right, “love one another as I have loved you”, no matter if you are a Samaritan or something different and hateful. Oh, yes, to think that Jesus was real, and the miracles, and the resurrection, etc, is still nonsense. But if they are actually not messing with someone else’s life, why should I care? Yes, it’s nonsense, but right now, we have more important things to do.

Jesus: Love one another
Priest: Fag

The Vatican, obviously, would disagree:

Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant – legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children.

Which basically means, gays are worrying because, well, God doesn’t like them and neither do we.

So, kudos for those Catholics for equality, Rather than blasting them for being Catholics, let’s consider this a first step that homophobia is not the only nonsense in the Catholic church.

Catholics for Choice

Another issue that the Catholic Church seems very concerned about is abortion. But not just abortion, the Catholic Church doesn’t like condoms or any other way of family planning that isn’t the rhythm method. In other words, the Catholic Church prefers to see a family with lots of children instead of two people using a condom.

Since not using a condom and just hope the woman doesn’t get pregnant is plain stupid, most rational people (catholic or not) will disregard this idea. But given that the official catholic position is against responsible family planning, there came a group that supports Catholics right to decide.

At CFC, we strive to be an expression of Catholicism as it is lived by ordinary people. We are part of the great majority of the faithful in the Catholic church who disagrees with the dictates of the Vatican on matters related to sex, marriage, family life and motherhood. We are part of the great majority who believes that Catholic teachings on conscience mean that every individual must follow his or her own conscience ― and respect others' right to do the same. At Catholics for Choice, we believe that this is the world where the meaning of choice can truly be realized.

Same thing as the Catholics for equality. They disagree with a certain official position, but keep the label, because it’s nice to be a Catholic. But their effort is commendable, especially after Planned Parenthood might stop receiving federal funds. This doesn't mean only less abortions (which are not as common as many would like to thing), but less education, less choices, less knowledge. Of course, religions thrive in the absence of knowledge, so we can be pretty sure most Catholics aligned with the Vatican will be very happy about this. It might be time to bring another family planning device.



In few words, the Vatican opposes artificial family planning because every sex act is not for pleasure, but for reproduction, so sex has to be open to life. Such anachronistic, repressive, misogynistic and cruel vision of sex is certainly baffling. Nowadays we have the means to enjoy it without having to deal with a pregnancy, which might trunk a life. Sometimes two, but it's usually the woman who gets screwed (no pun intended). It's easier for a man to walk away. No wonder, since the Catholic church is run mostly by men.

So, it's a good step towards the future that a group of Catholics will notice how stupid it would be to stop using family planning methods just because the Pope says so. Again, instead of blasting for still using the Catholic label, lets give them a hand and consider this the first step away from insanity.