I hate the dentist...

Back in the time of the mighty Roman Empire, things were handled a bit differently than we do now in our modern age. For example, if a woman gave birth, the child was not immediately oohhhed over and given a name. In Roman times, the midwife delivered the baby and placed it on the ground. The father, as head of the household, then decided what would happen...if he wanted the baby, it was cleaned up, named, and the ooohhing commenced. If he gave the baby a thumbs down for whatever reason, the baby was then exposed to the elements and left for dead, usually outside the walls of the town. At that point, animals or the weather would finish the child. Unlike the pagans, the new Christians in Rome...members of Jesus' new Catholic church believed in the value of life. They began collecting these discarded babies and caring for them. These new Catholics didn't worry that they were pagan babies--God doesn't care. God blessed those efforts and eventually, the Catholics were to triumph over the mighty Roman Empire. It didn't happen quickly, but the Catholic church never let paganism--evil--triumph over it. God worked mightily in His oppressed people, and they persevered in doing His work and spreading His Good News.

Today, we are living in a neo-pagan culture that again believes the right of people to choose for themselves which life is worthy of being given a chance.  Women and men decide at the babies conception or some time afterward if they want to be a parent. Sometimes the mother doesn't believe she has the money, time, or situation that the baby should be born into. Other times, the baby might have a physical problem that would prohibit a good life like down syndrome, a birth defect...the wrong sex. Whatever the reason, our society now condones...applauds the woman's right to choose life or death. We refuse to see that the baby is nothing more than an appendage of the mother while it is still inside her body, and so if we never see the smile, the laugh...the arm, we are not leaving it behind the city gates, so to speak. It is much more sterile. So we are not really killing babies like those pagan roman's--for pete's sake, its a surgical procedure like getting a tooth pulled. Really? Well, you decide.

pulled tooth

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aborted baby

This was just to remind you that the Catholic church has a long history of protecting babies and other defenseless people.

Additionally, the Catholic church, since Jesus formed it more than 2000 years ago has been healing sinners and trying to bring comfort. In one of its sacraments, Reconciliation, the Priests are to act as a conduit through which Jesus' healing and forgiveness of sins is complete. Today, through groups like Gabrielle's or Rachael's Project, women and men who have suffered through an abortion can receive healing and mother's who are expecting can receive aid. In its 2000 year history the church has had some moments when in condemned, but much of it history has been bringing forgiveness and healing to its members and others.

All this is just to say, hey guys, we have held onto this belief for more than 2000 years. Jesus himself appointed the first pope...he was the man. The others deferred to him. We still do, and through divine grace, a man holding this office ever since has made sound decisions regarding the issues important to Jesus' church. I am not saying that every Pope who has been in office has been a holy man, however, each has made decisions regarding important church teaching that have remained sound. Its like they may have been really bad men, but when it came to leading the church through its important decisions, they were able to dredge through the sludge and make the right decision. Jesus protects His church. On this mandate that President Obama is trying to pass, The Catholic Church will remain strong and not accept evil in continuing to do something good.

The very sad part of this is, the American public will lose. Obama wants to pass a resolution that will change our constitution and rather than look at that as an evil, everyone would rather focus on those evil old men priests who abuse boys. I am not minimizing, but is that really the issue. The issue is being clouded by everything other than what it is...Obama, using the power of his government office, wishes to mandate a religious institution to abandon its 2000 year old beliefs and precepts. whatever happened to the separation of church and state?