Catholic bishops endorse Mo. prayer measure

Monday, July 23, 2012

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Roman Catholic bishops are urging voters to approve a proposed state constitutional amendment on public prayer.

The proposed amendment will appear on Missouri’s Aug. 7 statewide ballot. It asserts the right in Missouri to pray in public places as long as doing so does not disturb the peace. It also says that students may express their religious beliefs and cannot be compelled to participate in assignments that violate those beliefs.

Catholic bishops say people of faith need assurance they will be able to express their religious beliefs in public without threats that they conform to changing societal norms.

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Sequoia 10 months ago

Unfortunately, Catholic bishops have decided that an essential part of their "faith" is condemning homosexuals in the most hateful way possible.

If the bishops would spend more time on the streets, with the kind of people Jesus ministered to, the way our nuns do, (instead of cuddling up to political power and enabling child rape) I might take them seriously as spiritual advisors. As it is, they've become the modern Sanhedrin all too eager to hand the teachings of Jesus over to the Romans in the GOP, to crucify the Christ's message of love and peace on the cross of worldly power. The Catholic bishops make me sick to my stomach.

God bless the American nuns who are trying to stand up to this evil. They're the last hope the Church has to save its soul.

JMO 10 months ago

If they took out the "students cannot be compelled to participate in assignments that violate those beliefs", I would have little problem with this. I don't care who prays in the lunchroom and who doesn't. I don't care if there's a "Baptist Teen" group started that meets at the school, so long as they'd let an "Athiest Teen" group meet too. But regligion has NO business in school curriculum.

Sequoia 10 months ago

Students can already do those things, JMO. Students have a First Amendment right to express their religious faith in public schools. Students can pray and organize religious groups.

This law is about making sure bishops can teach young children to say hateful things about gay people and not get punished or reprimanded for it.

GrumpyGus 10 months ago

Wow tree...I think that is exactly how the bill is worded "making sure bishops can teach young children to say hateful things about gay people and not get punished or reprimanded for it". s/o I find it amazing that anyone would think it is odd or wrong for Catholic Bishops to encourage more prayer. It would be like me showing amazement that anti-Papists spew hate.

Sequoia 10 months ago

This is not about prayer, Gus. Prayer is already protected. It is about punishing bullies who tease other children for being gay. Teachers will not be able to punish students for teasing another student for being gay, because, as the bishops say, anti-gay bullies "will be able to express their religious beliefs in public without threats that they conform to changing societal norms."

This law makes anti-gay bullying a "religious belief" that students will be able to express despite "changing social norms" that anti-gay bullying is wrong. And it will give lawyers a whole new batch of things to sue over.

This is not about prayer. It is about calling hate and bullying "prayer." It is blasphemy, and a sin what the bishops have done to our beautiful faith.

Christ stood up to the religious leaders of his day.

GrumpyGus 10 months ago

Read my post. Never claimed prayer wasn't protected. Just amazed that you are befuddled by Bishops wanting more prayer, and wanting to give kids a stick against teachers who ask them to do things that are contrary to their moral compass. How is not doing something that offends me morally bullying?

Sequoia 10 months ago

Look, I've heard people in my church describe hateful anti-gay things as "religious belief," and the langauge of this law reflects that position. I've listened to this heretical garbage long enough to know it when I see it. I bet you have too.

The things teachers are asking students not to do is call other students all the anti-gay names. I'm just amazed you can't (or refuse) to see this law for what it is.

This law will give students (and lawyers hired by their parents) the ability to make the following argument: "When Billy called Timmy a f-ggot who should commit suicide and go to h-ll, Billy was just expressing his religious belief. When the teacher made Billy sit in the corner for saying those mean things, she violated the law. Now the school should pay my legal fees."

Let's have the courage to see evil for what it is, and speak up for the true Christ. The nuns are trying to do this, and they're getting picked on by the bishops, too. Wake up and see that whether it is 2,000 years ago or modern day, the worldly powerful panic when faced with the message of Christ.

GrumpyGus 10 months ago

No those were different Bishops, the ones who did the wrong thing. Advocating prayer and non-conformance with morally devoid school assignments is the right thing to do.

tonto_goldberg 10 months ago

What would constitutte "morally devoid school assignments"? I may not have a good enough imagination to understand that. Can you give us an example? Are you thinking about dissecting animal specimens, or learning a foreign language?

GrumpyGus 10 months ago

I think you are throwing up a straw man argument. I have NEVER heard this type of hatefulness taught or condoned in ANY Catholic institution. Love thy neighbor, yes. Calling hateful names, no. Done debating this with you because I believe you are making up a problem. I will go off what the newspaper indicates is in the Amendment and leave you to your delusions.

Sequoia 10 months ago

Then you're not paying attention, Gus. Your silence enables the evil of homophobia that has infected the Church as a result of the bishops who love nothing so much as their own power. The blame we all share for tolerating evil because we worhip powerful people is on sad display in other areas of the news, on this very website today.

These are not my "delusions." The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents most nuns, is on the forefront of this issue. The nuns were just doing their work, and the bishops picked this fight. But the nuns have the courage to speak truth to power, unlike many Catholics. Priests are scared to make rich politically-minded homophobes in their congregations uncomfrotable. So you get bland preaching on the pulpit about "love thy neighbor," without any explanation of what that actually means, while the truly hateful commentary is discussed quietly, on the side. That's why the nuns are the last hope for the Church. They work with the people on the streets, and they're not afraid. You don't have to believe me. Maybe you'll believe a nun? lcwr.org/

Or are the nuns deluded too? Maybe you're the one who is deluded.

Paroquet 10 months ago

Gusmeister;

T'aint a thing wrong with encouraging prayer. But there is with bullying. Wars have been, and are being, fought over that kind of thing. I just Red-walled a funeral for that dabble of tripe Saturday.

Encourage prayer. All kinds. Leave people their faith--unless they try to abridge your own and mandate they conform to your own.

Bishops? Go lay down. You can't tell me Jesus would have wanted this. He was a nice guy.

Paroquet 10 months ago

They aren't really fond of Pagans either.

And a Pagan minister married a Catholic to a Baptist in the Governor's Garden, last year.

Yep, First amendment rights are in place and in force. This is a waste of time and money to be remembered at the polls.

LuckNLove 10 months ago

...

FarCry 10 months ago

"cannot be compelled to participate in assignments that violate those beliefs"

Looks like another end-around in the war on science without one of those pesky "intelligent design" bills to me. Glad I'm not a biology teacher in this state anymore!

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