Sometimes I forget that non-profits like Catholic churches are forbidden by tax code from involving themselves in political matters, but here comes the Rev. Michael Rodriguez of El Paso’s San Juan Bautista Catholic Church reminding me they are immune to such restrictions.
“Remember: Every single Catholic, out of fidelity to charity and truth, has the absolute duty to oppose (1) the murder of unborn babies, and (2) any and all government attempts to legalize homosexual unions,” Rodriguez writes an El Paso Times op-ed. “Any Catholic who supports homosexual acts is, by definition, committing a mortal sin, and placing himself/herself outside of communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, a Catholic would be guilty of a most grievous sin of omission if he/she neglected to actively oppose the homosexual agenda, which thrives on deception and conceals its wicked horns under the guises of ‘equal rights,’ ‘tolerance,’ ‘who am I to judge?,’ etc.”
But how can we fault a guy who is so gracious to also frown upon rape?: “Even the ancient Greeks had a basic respect for the principles of natural law. To simplify: One would have to be ghastly morally decrepit to think that if 51 percent of Americans opine that rape is OK, then rape becomes, in effect, all right. Sure, the majority is politically capable of such a vote, but this could never make rape morally right.”
Oh, this is how: “I urge all of the Catholic faithful to treat homosexuals with love, understanding, and respect. At the same time, never forget that genuine love demands that we seek, above all, the salvation of souls. Homosexual acts lead to the damnation of souls.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
7
“I urge all of the Catholic faithful to treat homosexuals with love, understanding, and respect. At the same time, never forget that genuine love demands that we seek, above all, the salvation of souls. Homosexual acts lead to the damnation of souls.”
If anyone, ANYONE, ever gave me a “We love you, but stop with the gay thing or you’re going to Hell,” I would send them down there myself so fast they’d smell the sulfur on the corpse.
Cam
They left out the part about Catholics being dutybound to prevent the rape and physical abuse of young girls and boys by the Priests and nuns. Funny how they always seem to leave that part out.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Dear Rev. Very Gay Face,
Would you and the rest of the catholic church simply shut the fcuk up about anything Gay???? Thousands of your peers have been on a decades long campaign of kiddie diddling and then your hieriarchy played a reprehensive game of hide and seek with the kiddie diddling priests to avoid prosecution. And then you have the unmitigated gall to state “which thrives on deception and conceals its wicked horns under the guises of ‘equal rights,’ ‘tolerance,’ ‘who am I to judge?,’ etc.” What the fcuk world are you living in???? Tell the thousands of little boys who you and yours fucked for decades about “thriving on deception” and “concealing its wicked horns”
Never a good idea to toss stones from the patio of your glass house………
Shade
wafer munching crazies are at it again.
ChiGuy76
This is the principle problem with the Church these days. LGBTQ Catholics and allies are faced with a schizophrenic Church. On one had we have viral, homophobic bigots in the hierarchy (as well as the good father who i’m sure has aspirations for a promotion-hence his little rant) who are continually given platforms in the MSM for their dying and unpopular views and then we have the parish priests, religious sisters and brothers, and lay leadership that outwardly accept their fellow LGBTQ believers as they are. It is indeed a difficult struggle to reconcile these two faces of the Church. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the hierarchy has lost all moral authority over me. If Holocaust denying, child molesting, and pedophile enabling bishops can receive communion then so can I.
Christine
@ChiGuy76:
Maybe the centuries of genocide and oppression should encourage you to actually rethink the entire religious thing altogether. There’s nothing new or shocking in the Catholic Church’s latter-day crimes; in fact, this is actually the least worst the Church has been ever.
Peter
This guy looks like someone has pulled his ears every time he is down on his knees.
Robert in NYC
Those anti-gay rants are a sure sign of a closet case. He wreaks of it.
Ogre Magi
Holy shit, that guy in the top pic looks like a demented gnome!
Andy
I operate under the assumption that all homophobes are closet cases unless proven otherwise. So does Father Whathisface have kids?
B
Nobody commented on the video, which shows excerpts from a traditional Latin mass (Catholic-speak for a church service).
Come to think of it, maybe they should switch back to Latin – for everything. Not only does it sound better but hardly anyone understands it. Think of it as “truth in advertising” – if you are going stay 1500 years behind the times, the language you use should match.
Otherwise regarding Andy’s comment in No 10, there’s another hypothesis for this priest’s opinion other than being a closet case – maybe he’s touting the party line in the hope of becoming a bishop. You know, like in H.M.S. Pinafore:
I always voted at my party’s call,
And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.
I thought so little, they rewarded me
By making me the Ruler of the Queen’s Navee!
Jaroslaw
Not that too many here will care, but I will say anyway: …”anyone who supports homosexual acts..?” (par 2 above). Are you kidding me? At this late date that is all there is to homosexuality? No love, caring or commitment, no relationships? If Mr. Priest says that genital acts are all there is, then he is violating a cardinal tenet of Catholicism, bearing false witness. Or to say it nonbibilically – just plain lying.
And,how about pheromones, brain scans, all kinds of objective proof that who we are attracted to is beyond our control?
Finally, many if not most religions teach their members to obey a different standard, and be apart from the world. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if the government legalizes same sex unions.
Kurt
The comments are offensive coming from this pastor of the most conservative parish in the entire diocese (the only one that does the Mass in Latin).
However, on the legal point, churches and all other non-profits (including our glbt organizations) have the right to speak out on legislative issues. What churches and tax-deductable non-profits cannot do is spend funds to support or oppose particular candidates for elective office. So long as such a group sticks to issues and not candidates, they have broken no law.
Robert in NYC
So Kurt, do you think religious cults have the right to meddle in politics which is what they do when they send money to causes to help defeat equality legislation? Case in point, here in NYS where I live, the NYC archdioecese donated $500,000 to defeat marriage equality legislation. In California, the Knights of Columbus, a catholic affiliated group with support of the bishop donated more than $1 million to make Prop 8 a success, similarly the mormon cult donated in excess of $20 million. My view is, when cults directly interfere in the political process, then they should forfeit their tax exempt status. Similarly,those clerics who advise parishioners to vote for people who reflect their cult’s view on moral and civil issues. They’re not supposed to be advocating for any political party or group. Under the law, religious cults enjoy full representation without taxation, whereas we enjoy no full representation under the 14th amendment but are taxed fully. There’s something intrinsically wrong with that and its about time it changed.
B
No. 14 · Robert in NYC wrote, “So Kurt, do you think religious cults have the right to meddle in politics which is what they do when they send money to causes to help defeat equality legislation?”
… The First Amendment gives them that right, but they don’t have a right to keep their tax-exempt status. If they meddle in politics, they should be taxed like everyone else who does.
If the IRS cracked down on them, they would probably have some sort of “revelation” and suddenly “see the light”. Jesus would pay a personal (and very private – no cameras) visit to the pope to explain the changed policy.
Devon
That douchenozzle looks like Rumpelstiltskin’s evil, gay cousin.
Kurt
“So Kurt, do you think religious cults have the right to meddle in politics which is what they do when they send money to causes to help defeat equality legislation? ”
Yes, I do believe that non-profits, be they cults or lgbt organizations, have the right to send money to causes to help defeat legislation they disagree with. The tax code permits this.
I believe in equality but I am not an asshole who expects the law to give non-profit status to lgbt groups but take it way from groups on the other side.
Robert in NYC
B No. 15, the IRS as well as politicians wouldn’t have the guts or the courage to deny tax-exempt status to any cult because its too politically charged. Getting elected is far more important to them than doing what is right. There should be a movement to do just that and put pressure on politicians to make sure it happens. Give the cults a dose of their own hate medicine for a change. They’ll deny its hate but that’s exactly what it is.
Kurt, No. 17, nobody said you were an asshole. As for the tax code, that needs to be changed. Why should cults get full representation and not us? After all, we pay taxes, they don’t. I don’t agree with nonprofit status for any corporation, many of them find ways to make profits and get away with it. Take the Mormon cult for instance, to this day, an ongoing investigation by the IRS into the cult’s business practices has failed to make it comply with the law and open its books for inspection.
the crustybastard
The ritual cannibal said what?
Syl
Disgusting. I love Catholicism, but I hate the Church leadership. They’re a modern version of the Pharisees Christ denounced.
What’s more, this bishop is essentially saying that, under threat of damnation, Catholics have to vote a certain way. I wonder if there’s some sort of legal recourse against him violating separation of church and state. It hardly seems right.
Jaroslaw
For the record, Robert, many churches advocated the abolition of slavery. Slowly, very slowly, some churches are advocating for Gay rights and the dignity and worth of Gay people.
But I do, of course, see your point.
A bigger issue though, is why the Mormon’s or Knights of Columbus couldn’t find a bigger problem to throw millions of dollars at.
What they and every Gay hater fails to see is we are still living together, committing our lives together, the big picture is we’re trying to get legal recognition and benefits. Denying us those things with Prop 8 campaigns doesn’t change how we live our lives. They think if Prop 8 wins, Gay people disappear? Come on!
Kurt
Robert No. 18,
You ask: “Why should cults get full representation and not us?”
They should not and they don’t.
The “cults” and “the gays” get an equal chance to form non-profits and the law applies equally to them. If you have an case to make as to why the Gill Foundation, Planned Parenthood and Mid-Atlantic Leather should be tax exempt but the United Methodist Church should not be, I would be interested in hearing it.
Queer Supremacist
@Robert in NYC: We shouldn’t have to pay taxes, considering we are third- or fourth-class citizens in this country.
The Romanist cult shouldn’t have to pay taxes either. For their millennia of oppression, genocide, and rape, they should be banned and have all their possessions confiscated.
And those communion cookies they give you are stale and tasteless. As for the wine? You’d think Jesus’ blood would taste better than Two-Buck Chuck.
I think this video sums up the essence of these monsters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppHeMlaLVM
Robert in NYC
No. 23, I believe in taxes, everybody should pay them without exception. If anything, we should be exempt from federal taxes since there is NO federal recognition of same-sex marriage anyway or for civil unions for that matter. You can imagine the backlash against that and the Roman cult would be the first to rail against it. Under the 14th amendment, the rights of the minority must be guaranteed. So far, we’re banned from marrying in 45 states which means we have NO full representation while we pay federal taxes. No religious cult should be given any privileges, nor any other entity, religious or otherwise. Everybody should be treated the same. The primary reason why religious cults were given tax-exemption was that they could be perceived as having influence over politicians if they paid taxes which turns out that the opposite is true. If I had it in my power, I’d ban all religion and confine it to peoples’ homes where it belongs, not in the public or political arena. Its a chosen lifestyle anyway,learned behavior, why should our tax dollars support that, the very people who discriminate against us?
Kurt
okay, this is not a serious conversation. i get it.
drea
there is a danger in making Gods, out of mere men (priests,bishops, and the like),especially when they are child rapists. Lets call the molesting what it really is: child rape–so stop sticking your heads in the sand and rationalizing the sins of your church and yes your priests, bishops, and others– that have God status in your very midst…….and for the deniers and rectifiers–get on your knees andd thank- God–your older priests–were able to hide, and use time to cover their tails….hypocrites
steveMD2
From the church that talks about protecting children from gays, while it hid endless molestation all over the world of children. And even moved guilty priest to new locations where they could continue their evil.
from the church of adolph hitler still not excommunicated.
from the church that in 2009 UNexcommunicated a former anglican Bishop – williamson, who is a holocaust denier
from the church that burned only god knows how many women at the stake as witches, to protect its murderous male dominance.
From the church that gave the world the hatred of the jews, which hitler leveraged to gain power and 55 million died
from the church of the inquisition, which tortured and murdered perhaps hundreds of thousands for daring to defy its power , including the declaration of a flat earth theory.
From the church which combined with catholic kings to launch a 600 year crusade against the muslims. Perhaps 40 million were murdered. Societies have long memories, as we learned so vivedly on 9/11.
Check out nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm, and http://www.catholicarrogance.org
steveMD2
From the church that talks about protecting children from gays, while it hid endless molestation all over the world of children. And even moved guilty priest to new locations where they could continue their evil.
from the church of adolph hitler still not excommunicated.
from the church that in 2009 UNexcommunicated a former anglican Bishop – williamson, who is a holocaust denier
from the church that burned only god knows how many women at the stake as witches, to protect its murderous male dominance.
From the church that gave the world the hatred of the jews, which hitler leveraged to gain power and 55 million died
from the church of the inquisition, which tortured and murdered perhaps hundreds of thousands for daring to defy its power , including the declaration of a flat earth theory.
From the church which combined with catholic kings to launch a 600 year crusade against the muslims. Perhaps 40 million were murdered. Societies have long memories, as we learned so vivedly on 9/11.
Check out nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm, and http://www.catholicarrogance.org@ChiGuy76: