President Obama picks on Catholics - will this prove to be his undoing?

Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 09:49 AM

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President Barack Obama

The Catholic Church is the Church built on the rock of Peter. It is the cradle of Christianity and the wellspring from which all sects of Christianity have sprung for almost 20 centuries.

No stranger to enemies, it's earliest believers are enshrined as martyrs. Those faithful ones died for their beliefs, rather than bend to powerful government leaders by renouncing those tenets. Many forces have assaulted the Church over the centuries and many have failed.

Today the Church has a new, powerful enemy of its core beliefs banging at their gate, President Obama. In his rush to implement the highly unpopular Obamacare legislation before the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality, President Obama has decided to frontally assault the Catholic Church.

He is trying to force the Catholic church to pay for abortion procedures and contraception devices for any of its female employees. Obama decreed that these are women's "health rights" and should be provided free of charge by the Catholic institutions.
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Never mind that these services are already widely available throughout the United States and most of this is already provided free of charge to those that cannot afford it. Obama wants to force his ideology upon the church and make them provide services they are spiritually and morally opposed to.

It was a direct punch in the face to the Catholic religion and a basic assault on most of Christianity who agree with the right to life philosophy.

Of course, the President appeared to back track on his attack a few days later, with his late Friday announcement that the Church itself wouldn't have to pay for these services, but their insurance companies would have to. Anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows this doesn't change anything. The insurance companies will just increase the premiums on the church to cover the expense of these new imposed "benefits". To top the egregious insult to truth off, many, if not most of these religious organizations, self insure. President Obama and his advisers know all of this.

The President's "accommodation" towards the Church is all smoke and mirrors and Church leaders know it. They are not happy that these government impositions will be forced upon their institutions.

Other religious organizations have now stepped up to stand next to the Church, which many see as a separation of church and state issue. President Obama has drawn a line in the sand, it is going to be his way or the highway and he is marshaling his forces in the media to get his way.

Yet, no matter how grandiose or powerful President Obama thinks he is, he should take a moment to examine where he stands in the whole history of this Church.

The Church has been around for almost 2,000 years, and in spite of some of its present day problems, it is a powerful spiritual and institutional force. The United States has been in existence for just about 235 years and under Obama's leadership is in decline.

President Obama has awoken the sleeping giant. If I was a Vegas odds maker, my money would be on the Church.

The most unique gifts: Time capsules in American and world history: lifemagforsale.com

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: carrollstandard.com

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25 comments

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thetexascelt | Feb 15, 2012, 02:45 AM EST

28 states already have this same requirement. Some don't even make a difference for the church itself, like Obama's original plan did. This was only about church operated businesses that employ more than just Catholics. I am a Southern Baptist. 'We' own the Baylor system...hospitals, colleges, etc. And I have, as an American, ALWAYS felt that tax exemption should be, for instance, the church plant only. Not hospitals..not schools....not bookstores....but the actual church plant...sanctuary, education buildings, fellowship halls, and whatever belongs to the actual WORSHIPPING of the congregation. Nothing more. And feeling as I do, I believe this was never about 'religious freedom'...it was simply about American Labor Law. IF some religion, for instance, believes in animal or human sacrifice...that doesn't excuse them from the laws on the books for animal cruelty or murder. And like I said, as a 'labor law' issue, it was already on the books in 28 states! Why NOW is it a religious issue. And before you say "they are states", I will tell you that the Constitution overrides the States when it comes to the Bill of Rights. And yet, no one has even made a peep when it comes to the state laws. Why NOW? Just curious.

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upsceach | Feb 15, 2012, 01:05 AM EST

thath's why those that dont have any. Need I say more. This is important. You can get "hard on repair tablets" but not the cure. What a bunch of nonsence.

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thetexascelt | Feb 15, 2012, 12:30 AM EST

That is not what he was doing. PLUS a new CBS poll shows that 58% of Catholics approved of his handling of the issue. As Bill Maher said, "If men, or alter boys, could get pregnant...we wouldn't be having this conversation".

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Monsoonman | Feb 14, 2012, 09:18 PM EST

Rebelforce hit the nail on the head. The rest of you don't have a clue

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johnozed | Feb 14, 2012, 09:05 PM EST

Oh it's just so hard to pity the catholic church. Grasping at straws as they lose power. Spending millions to fight same sex marriage while schools and parishes close from lack of funds. Hiding millions so as not to have to pay settlement for child molestation cases. Oh they are so put upon. They are their own undoing, not Obama.

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Rebelforce | Feb 14, 2012, 06:46 PM EST

The real issue here is not the church's teaching on contraception. Most lay Catholics pay about as much attention to the church's teaching on contraception as gay Catholics pay to the church's teaching on homosexuality. Which is to say, not very much. But the real issue here for many Americans is the spectre of the government attempting to force a particular church to abandon it's teachings and support policies they disagree with under threat of government sanctions. That is unprecedented in US history and the Church doesn't seem prepared to accept it lying down. That can't be good news for Obama in an election year when they will need to win every Catholic vote they can in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.

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aloistmartin | Feb 14, 2012, 05:28 PM EST

Gentrification ?

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hollabackgurl | Feb 14, 2012, 05:00 PM EST

The answer to your question is no, this will not be President Obama's undoing. But since you're writing from 1960 you may not have noticed there's been some changes.

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Monsoonman | Feb 14, 2012, 03:56 PM EST

Sounds like U r a member of the DNC talking points team AnPiobaire. Why don't ypu ask the Catholic church if they agree with your version of the "truth" LOL!

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AnPiobaire | Feb 14, 2012, 03:26 PM EST

The health care reform law is NOT "highly unpopular", indeed, it is supported by the majority of Americans. The Church is NOT being forced to pay for "abortion procedures", that was never part of the mandate, the provision of insurance to cover contracetpion was, (not "providing ... services 'free of charge' and, that requirement has now been removed.

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