CNN.com Features Liberal Catholics Openly Dissenting From Bishops
CNN was late to the standoff between Catholic bishops and the White House over the HHS birth control mandate, and CNN.com's religion section has not exactly been the most balanced in its coverage of the fight. In addition to covering the mixed reactions of Catholics to the standoff, CNN's Belief Blog has now featured two pieces on liberal Catholics criticizing the bishops.
CNN.com's religion editor Dan Gilgoff penned a piece on Wednesday about liberal Catholics openly challenging the U.S. bishops. The article quoted liberals and a Democratic official, and included just a single quote by a spokesperson for the bishops right at the end.
The liberal Catholics from Gilgoff's article smeared the bishops as playing right-wing politics, despite their own support of contraception standing in direct contrast with Church teaching. For instance, the executive director of the liberal Catholics United slammed the bishops as supporting "the interests of a political agenda, not the needs of the American people."
A Democratic official blistered the staff of the bishops as being "far too cozy with right-wing politicians on the Hill to have any real negotiation."
Meanwhile, the Belief Blog's piece on the Catholic bishops' rejection of Obama's "compromise" started off quoting Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But then the article quoted President Obama, followed in lock step by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards. Both sides were obviously featured in the article, not just "liberal" or "conservative" Catholics.
Perhaps it's telling, then, that CNN.com reports balanced stories on religion -- except when it chooses to feature liberal Catholics openly dissenting on their church's teaching. Then they deserve a podium all to themselves.
- Matt Hadro's blog
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Comments
what?
Submitted by MidAmerica on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 8:52pm.
When will they scrounge around and find some of those women 'priests' and some married 'priests' who are dissenting from the opinions of the Pope?
The demonization game is on!
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 9:12pm.
The Democratic counter-offensive is well underway.
"Far too cozy with right-wing politicians"? What was he smoking?
Submitted by drsamherman on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 9:13pm.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is on record for opposing most conservative political positions, so how could they be "far too cozy"? They were too cozy with the Obama administration during the Obamacare debates, and they got burned by believing him. The bishops are hardly right wing.
SO WHAT?
Submitted by reelman46 on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:08pm.
The Catholic Church is NOT a democracy in any way, shape or form so if 1% or 5% or 10% disagree...so what?
There are over 100 Churches claiming to be "christian" and many would love to have those malcontents.
(unlike the democrat party who forbids conservatives in favor of secular socialist utopians...)
In Nov we flush.
However, the Church, which was blind, now sees the secular faith-hating monster known as the modern democrat party...some others are still blind to the toxic lying castro-ites and think "its all gonna work out for the best...suckas.
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish<
Don't an overwhelming
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:10pm.
Don't an overwhelming majority of Catholics support contraception "in direct contrast with church teaching"?
Source Bal?
Submitted by Radical1979 on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:27pm.
I can tell you that I have no objection to people of other faiths using contraceptives.
The point isn't really how true Catholics are to their faith, it's that government has no right to force Catholics to pay for something that is against the tenants of our religion.
Yeah, but again, they're not
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:44pm.
Yeah, but again, they're not going to pay for it.
You still trying to spin the
Submitted by ThePickle on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:51pm.
You still trying to spin the Presidents BS "compromise" balboa?
I guess you haven't been schooled on the realities of a free market economies response to governmental mandates enough yet.
Let me take a crack at it.
The free market response to governmental mandates that result in increased operating costs to the business in question has been, and likely will always be, to pass that increase in operating costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices.
This means that when President Obama says it will be provided "free" by the insurer, he is simply glossing over the widely held economic truth that 'there ain't no such thing as free' as the costs will simply be passed right pack to the Church and the other insured in the form of increased premiums.
And what you and others also want to simply gloss over is that this has NEVER been about what the Church had to "pay for" it is and always was about the President dictating to the Churches that they must disregard their own beliefs with regard to contraception in order to satisfy this bureaucratic decree.
Yes, but in that sense,
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:53pm.
Yes, but in that sense, haven't churches already been paying for other people's birth control already?
Ah the ole' "Failure to
Submitted by ThePickle on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 1:23am.
Ah the ole' "Failure to strenuously demand your rights means the loss of those rights" argument. Pedantic yet predictable. However I will address your question.
Considering that many of the institutions in question are currently self-insured, the answer is no, they are not already paying for it, in many cases. And even if the others choose to become self-insured, as is their right, that is no longer a viable option as the as the mandate is that ALL insurers must offer these services.
But it is a moot point anyway as you once again fail to address the main crux of the churches objection, that being that "who pays for it", is, to them, irrelevant. It is the mandate that decrees that regardless of their religious convictions they have to offer it.
I understand you believe in the supremacy of the the government (when it engages in actions you agree with that is) when it comes to religious freedom and that little that I will say will effect how you view this issue.
I only hope that you will be as la-te-da about governmental intrusion on Constitutionally protected freedoms when they decide to gore your ox, but somehow I doubt it.
Balboa, What is it with you
Submitted by Liberallies on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 2:49am.
Balboa,
What is it with you easily led tools of the Left. Really? you tools can be so easily manipulated.
The Church is now being forced to offer a product which goes 100% against Her beliefs. Let's put it in a way that you Liberal tools can understand.
Imagine that a Conservative President said that all businesses in America must give free guns to all of its employees. There is an uproar by the Liberal tools in America, thus the President takes a step back, supposedly, and says, well, the employers won't pay for the guns, but they must hire gun shops who will be the ones giving the free guns to the employees. are the employers not paying for the guns?
I swear, Liberals like Rocky are Liberals because they are unable to think on their own, they must be told how and when to think by their Liberal gods like Obama.
First of all, bal, define
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:18pm.
First of all, bal, define "overwhelming majority."
Secondly, what's your point?
Hm. Overwhelming majority I
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:26pm.
Hm. Overwhelming majority I guess would be around 70%?
My point being that I don't think it's hard to find Catholics standing in direct opposition of the church's teaching.
The overwhleming majority
Submitted by cocodrie on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:34pm.
The overwhelming majority of your posts are stupid. Hmmm about 99%?
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Clever.
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:49pm.
Clever.
As clever as you or your love, the cop killer Asata?
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 7:52am.
As clever as you claiming you have evidence under your bed that exonerates Asata? Or as clever as Asata killing a cop in cold blood and thinking she could get away with it?
Well, I could guess too, but
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:43pm.
Well, I could guess too, but that would be just as useful as you doing it.
The question, which you refuse to acknowledge is why bring that up?
What did you hope to accomplish, or did you just feel like throwing that out there?
"My point being that I don't
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:48pm.
"My point being that I don't think it's hard to find Catholics standing in direct opposition of the church's teaching."
Matt seemed to present them as a rarity. I could be wrong.
"Seemed to" is entirely in your head.
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 12:09am.
Not only "could" you be wrong, you ARE wrong.
Matt made NO allusion to the numbers of dissenting Catholics. He was making the point that they were given an unopposed platform to state their views. He even pointed out that other outlets had provided both sides, in contrast to CNN, who only presented the dissenters.
If you got the idea that the dissenters are a rarity it came from your own imagination.
Balboa, and like a good
Submitted by Liberallies on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 2:54am.
Balboa,
and like a good Liberal, you pull numbers out of your behind to feel comfortable with your ridiculous assertions.
let's teach you something. If you are a "Catholic" who is standing in direct opposition of the Church's teaching, guess what? YOU AREN'T A CATHOLIC! Catholicism is not a McDonald's menu where you get to pick what you want and still eat McDonald's. You either practice ALL of the Church's dogmas and teachings or simply, you aren't a Catholic until you do so. There is no such thing as a Liberal Catholic or Conservative Catholic, you are either a Catholic or you are not.
CNN like most in the media, including Foxnews are clueless about all Theology.
Well Said Liberallies!
Submitted by dyardley on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 11:52pm.
Bravo and Amen.
It's like the old movie Mr.
Submitted by Slyrr on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:45pm.
It's like the old movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In that film, the evil politician used gangsters and toughs to quash any positive news being reported about Mr. Smith, and used propaganda to get people to send angry letters, so that Mr. Smith's filibuster would be foiled.
This is the same dirty trick. Obama's media slaves are rounding up all the 'enemies' within the church, and ignoring the greater majority who are against Obama's illegal scheme.
Don't fall for it.
Let's just cut through the window dressing...
Submitted by stage9 on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:16pm.
Liberals and Christianity don't mix on ANY LEVEL. Calling a liberal a Christian is like calling Mitt Romney a Conservative....reason doesn't permit it.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge
With what other group do the
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:21pm.
With what other group do the maimstream media specifically seek out and give a platform to those who dissent?
Now we can look forward to
Submitted by celator on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:23pm.
Now we can look forward to CNN's report on the vast majority of loyal Catholics who do support their Bishops. Should be on CNN in a couple of days. Maybe next week? Next month? Never?
religion by consensus?
Submitted by MidAmerica on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:56pm.
Suppose you went to any or all Christian churches and was able to get completely honest answers as each Christian was asked "Have you ever went against any of the Ten Commandments?" Now we know the answer, so does that mean the churches should drop teaching the Ten Commandments based on the fact no one is following all of them?
Oh shut up, CNN
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 8:44am.
You can't be taken seriously anymore, as if you ever were.
(ok, ok... last time. I swear! It's just that CNN wasn't on my list earlier, and this post was just too juicy to pass up.)
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"