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09/23/2010
NOM, Catholic League bought Catholic Church's trademark, apparently
Oh, those anti-LGBT religious conservatives who constantly talk about others denying them of their faith freedoms -- they're simply unreal with the double standards and hypocrisy. Outright disingenuous, even.
The latest target/example? The newly launched Catholics For Equality group, a coalition of pro-civil fairness folks who support both equality and the church. A group that supports everyone's right to pray differently, just not to inject those personal prayers in a way that discriminated in civil law. An outfit that understands that there is a sizable portion of Catholics who support their LGBT brothers and sisters, and who feel like their views are being underrepresented in the public realm.
We've already seen FRC attack this new group as having an "appalling" message that makes them unfit for the Catholic label (FRC uses the dismissive spelling 'Catholyc' instead). Now this week the choir of hostile confessionals is sounding like the fire of a canon cannon, as both NOM and the Catholic League, two groups that harp on all the time about the supposed disrespect they and their supporters are shown for their faith, are joining in on this game of attacking other people's religions simply because of certain viewpoint differences.
From NOM:
So-called Catholics for Equality is nothing more than HRC-designed Astroturf
Blogger Thomas Peters (American Papist) exposes “the latest in a long string of Catholyc astroturf groups.” Peters’ reveals that Catholic for Equality, “were intentionally created as a front group by the blatantly anti-Catholic homosexual-activist group (the largest in the nation, in fact): The Human Rights Campaign.” Quoting an email exchange he had with a board member of this new group as proof of their manufactured nature, Peters goes on to point out that “the leadership and staff of Catholics for Equality reveals that at least three of the members have explicit ties with the Human Rights Campaign.” [SOURCE]
Catholic League:
"CATHOLIC" GAY GROUP REBUKED
His Excellency, Timothy Broglio, the Archbishop for the Military Services, released a statement to the Catholic News Agency responding to a letter from Catholics for Equality; the gay advocacy group pleaded with him to support the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke to this issue today:
On June 1, Archbishop Broglio released an excellent statement recounting the Catholic Church's opposition to homosexuality. He called on Catholic chaplains in the armed forces to show respect for the dignity of homosexuals, but he also implored them to "never condone—even silently—homosexual behavior."
On September 17, a new dissident group, Catholics for Equality, wrote a letter to the archbishop that was not only critical of his Catholic position, it reeked with smugness and arrogance: "We are ready to help you and Catholic chaplains in the transition to full acceptance of gays and lesbians in the military and respectfully request a meeting with you…." So thoughtful of these malcontents to offer their help in transitioning the bishop to oppose the Catholic Church's teachings on sexuality.
Archbishop Broglio's response pulled no punches. He wondered how Catholics for Equality got the authority to identify itself as a Catholic entity, maintaining "it cannot be legitimately recognized as Catholic."
He's right. While any group can slap the label Catholic on itself, bona fide Catholics are under no obligation to acknowledge it. And by bona fide, I simply mean Catholics not in open rebellion against the teachings of the Magisterium.
Archbishop Broglio deserves the respect and support of all lay Catholics. His courage and erudition make all Catholics proud. [SOURCE]
"They'll take away your right to pray."
"They'll turn your religious beliefs into hate speech."
"They'll throw you in jail simply because they disagree with how you pray."
That's the rap we hear all the time. NOM has built a whole organization around playing the faith victim, and Catholic League's Bill Donohue has never met a joke or fair criticism that he won't spin into a weapon used against him. But now here we have these same two groups, not simply coming out against the disagreements they have in terms of civil policy or social acceptance, but rather flat-out denying that this group of LGBT and S Catholics even have the right to identify under the faith banner that they've chosen for their lives. Because don't be fooled: It's not just marriage that these "pro-family" groups wanna control: Many of them have appointed themselves the gatekeepers of God's clubhouse, with all of the rest of us just lucky if we get a glimpse of the moat. Religion freedom = theirs and theirs alone, apparently.
But the whole thing is just an absurd conversation, really. Because why would a Catholic group working towards their Catholic mission ever choose an obscure name that hides their largest religious affiliation. Right, NOM?
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