Oh, man, I'm gonna have to tiptoe through this one.
Not because I'm unsure of the facts or my own opinions, or because I'm worried about offending. But because I've got a lot of opinions about the guy currently sitting on the throne of St. Peter that should and will remain unrelated to this discussion.
So, commencing tiptoeing...
The guy currently employing the title of pope, Vicarius Christi, etc. has called together a passel of American bishops to Knute Rockne them up for the second half in their fight against "the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage (in the United States)." His Ringness is, put bluntly, egging on these Midwestern American clerics to meddle in the affairs that are rightly and legally the bailiwick of secular representatives duly chosen by the people, irrespective of religious beliefs.
I will keep this short and, I hope, sweet.
The United States of America does not belong to you. It does not belong to Billy Graham or Louis Farrakhan or the Dalai Lama or L. Ron Hubbard. The United States of America, its laws and regulations, have nothing whatsoever to do with anyone's religious beliefs.
This is not my opinion, nor is it a frightening, new aspect of scary, post-60s modernism. It is part of the very foundation of our republic and its earliest self-definitions.
Secularism is who we are as a nation, however religious we may be as individuals.
When you instruct your followers and lieutenants to inject your religious beliefs into the properly secular process of our lawmaking, you are acting as a foreign agent intent on undermining my country.
While I might have some beefs with you, I don't have a problem with your church. You'll notice I've never attempted to set policies for your adherents or make personnel choices for your organization. I've never tried to change your views on how to run your shop.
Please show me and my countrymen the same respect.
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