UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe
What a curious week. On one hand I read that the US bishops voted in their annual spring meeting to “stay the course.” My initial reaction? Oh goody! We can look forward to yet another year of bishops trying to expand their theocracy’s marginalization of women and homosexuals further into secular government. And, we’ll be treated to an encore performance hearing them intermittently and indignantly ejaculate “Religious liberty!” while they do it despite them trouncing on others’ religious liberties in the process. …Something about “self-awareness” keeps popping into my head.
Wait a minute…I’m also getting a reading from my psychic barometer. It predicts these ejaculations will increase in frequency and volume the closer we get to the US’s mid-term elections. Yippee! Can’t wait.
On the other hand, this week I also listened to one of my friends describe how his kids’ Catholic school enrollment has been cut almost in half after experiencing a raging alcoholic pastor followed by one who is a Protestant convert still enveloped in Protestant charismatic preaching styles. Now, this is a new trend it seems…the iconic mega-church fundamentalist Protestant preacher in Catholic priest’s clothing. Don’t say the old dogs can’t learn new tricks sometimes. But, since this trend began before the bishops decided to “stay the course,” I think that means this new tactic is part of the course they will keep. I can only guess that the objective is to cut Catholic school enrollments in half again.
On yet another hand, this week I also read the deposition of Robert Carlson, a man some people call “archbishop” but for whom I cannot choke out that word since “bishop” means “overseer” and when I read his deposition he exhibits no behaviors associated with tending his flock like a caretaker. His favorite three words in the deposition were “I don’t remember.” It is so prevalent that I wonder if the man can remember what color pants he wears, though presumably it is standard clerical black … every … single … day.
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