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- Dan Savage or Charles Mudede
- Punch Buggy or Slug Bug
- God is: . And that's enough for me.
- Dicks or Vaginas
- No legs and a million dollars or A million legs and no dollars
Nov 19
Sheryl commented on U.S. Catholic Bishops: "These unions pose a serious threat to the fabric of society that affects all people.".
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Nov 18
Sheryl commented on Gay Priests Are Like People!.
@11 - "And I don't know if this is something that's ever been studied amongst this particular group, but it occurs to me that most priest pedophilia is directed at young boys for the very simple reason that that's the group of children with which they come into contact most frequently."
That was one of the conclusions of the study - priest who were pedophiles simply had more access to boys than they did girls, especially before 1990 or so when girls were allowed to become altar servers.
That was one of the conclusions of the study - priest who were pedophiles simply had more access to boys than they did girls, especially before 1990 or so when girls were allowed to become altar servers.
Nov 18
Sheryl commented on Outing Catholic Priests.
There is no love lost between me and the Catholic church, and many of its priests. At least one of them did me a great deal of psychological harm (not physical harm, thank God).
However, outing gay priests who are serving faithfully will not change anything. In fact, not much of anything will change anything with respect to the Catholic church's stance on homosexuality, reproductive rights, or the role of women.
I worked for the Catholic church. I have known a lot of priests. I can tell you that a lot of the priest I really respect, ones I would turn to in a time of crisis and ones I could depend on to err on the side of mercy and compassion, were gay - and deeply in the closet publically. They may have been comfortable with who they were, but they care enough about their calling to not broadcast it.
No, I don't think it is right that they have to stay hidden. But that is their choice, and it should be respected.
However, outing gay priests who are serving faithfully will not change anything. In fact, not much of anything will change anything with respect to the Catholic church's stance on homosexuality, reproductive rights, or the role of women.
I worked for the Catholic church. I have known a lot of priests. I can tell you that a lot of the priest I really respect, ones I would turn to in a time of crisis and ones I could depend on to err on the side of mercy and compassion, were gay - and deeply in the closet publically. They may have been comfortable with who they were, but they care enough about their calling to not broadcast it.
No, I don't think it is right that they have to stay hidden. But that is their choice, and it should be respected.
Nov 17
Sheryl commented on Slog Somehow Overlooked....
@93 - "I have every God given right as a parent to be secured in knowing that upon me dropping my kids at school they won't be taught ideologies that are opposite to the morals I teach them at home. Teachers are there for teaching ACADEMIC SUBJECTS not their worldview and other parents who want to teach their kids that homosexuality is 'cool' can do so in their homes not in school as has been done thru this kid."
The only way you can ensure all that is homeschooling. Teachers are human beings, and even if the consciously make an effort to be completely objective, their worldview is going to creep in to how they teach, and the worldviews of the children - however they are developed - are going to be shared in the classroom, cafeteria, hallways, etc.
You have a very narrow and distorted view of the world. That makes me sad.
The only way you can ensure all that is homeschooling. Teachers are human beings, and even if the consciously make an effort to be completely objective, their worldview is going to creep in to how they teach, and the worldviews of the children - however they are developed - are going to be shared in the classroom, cafeteria, hallways, etc.
You have a very narrow and distorted view of the world. That makes me sad.
Nov 17
Sheryl commented on Electric FAIL.
This would annoy the living daylights out of me if I were either in the store or wanted to go into the store for some reason. Why do I want to see a bunch of employees who are supposed to be helping customers dropping everything and doing line dances? That isn't going to entice me to come into the store. It's going to send me looking for the nearest Apple store, or shopping online.
Nov 17
Sheryl commented on Slog Somehow Overlooked....
I'll admit that I had no idea what "gay" or "lesbian" meant when I was in 5th grade. Hell, I didn't know in 8th grade, nor did I know anything at all about sex, except for the female stuff my mom had to tell me before I got my first period.
But I was an incredibly sheltered kid. I went to Catholic school, my parents were on the conservative side when it came to discussing stuff like that (and they figured if they didn't talk about it, it wasn't real), and I was incredibly introverted. I know my classmates knew about that stuff, because I got teased mercilessly because I didn't.
Now, when I taught in Catholic school, I promise you that they knew about sex. And we taught all about sex in school in 6th grade (granted, it didn't really acknowledge much beyond penis-vagina intercourse, but it didn acknowledge that sex exists). I promise you, it was nothing new to any of those kids.
Good on this kid for exercising his right to free speech for something he believes in. And yes, I would be saying that if he were sitting down for religious reasons, too.
(Don't Jehovah's Witnesses object to saying the pledge?)
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But I was an incredibly sheltered kid. I went to Catholic school, my parents were on the conservative side when it came to discussing stuff like that (and they figured if they didn't talk about it, it wasn't real), and I was incredibly introverted. I know my classmates knew about that stuff, because I got teased mercilessly because I didn't.
Now, when I taught in Catholic school, I promise you that they knew about sex. And we taught all about sex in school in 6th grade (granted, it didn't really acknowledge much beyond penis-vagina intercourse, but it didn acknowledge that sex exists). I promise you, it was nothing new to any of those kids.
Good on this kid for exercising his right to free speech for something he believes in. And yes, I would be saying that if he were sitting down for religious reasons, too.
(Don't Jehovah's Witnesses object to saying the pledge?)
Oct 27
Sheryl commented on Savage Love Letter of the Day.
It's funny how we are all hearing different voices in this letter. I heard the streetcorner preacher (male) I used to walk past every day in downtown Pittsburgh. I happened to be waiting for a bus one day on his corner (not a bus I usually took), and I ended up in egaged in coversation with him. He tried to convince me that I needed to immediately repent and turn my life to God. I told him that I was already a Christian, but apparently I wasn't the right kind of Christian. I was Catholic at the time, and we all know the papists are evil (which may actually be at least partially true). Plus, I wasn't shouting at random people telling them they were damned to hell.
After that day he recognized me, and shouted directly at me every time I passed. That was interesting to say the least.
Wonder what he would make of the fact that I now belong to a denomination that just voted to allow congregations to call partnered gay clergy...
After that day he recognized me, and shouted directly at me every time I passed. That was interesting to say the least.
Wonder what he would make of the fact that I now belong to a denomination that just voted to allow congregations to call partnered gay clergy...
Oct 23
Sheryl commented on Who Said It?.
@61, Actually, Matt, he isn't mistaken. Jesus, or, more likely Yeshua was a fairly common name around the time THE Jesus lived.
However, you are also correct in that the Jesus Josephus was writing about is presumed to be THE Jesus simply because of the context of what Josephus wrote.
However, you are also correct in that the Jesus Josephus was writing about is presumed to be THE Jesus simply because of the context of what Josephus wrote.
Oct 23
Sheryl commented on Hey Cheapskate!.
I tip 20% generally, but only so I don't have to do hard math. I will tip less if the service isn't good, though.
In PA, servers are paid far under minimum wage - $2.83 an hour. In my current state of Louisiana it is even worse - $2.13 an hour. I agree that employers should be paying these people a fair wage, but if they aren't, I don't have a problem with making it up with tips.
In PA, servers are paid far under minimum wage - $2.83 an hour. In my current state of Louisiana it is even worse - $2.13 an hour. I agree that employers should be paying these people a fair wage, but if they aren't, I don't have a problem with making it up with tips.
Oct 23
Sheryl commented on Who Said It?.
My personal favorite in that letter is the second paragraph, which implies that widespread use of contraception is the cause of homosexuality and bisexuality. "Once marriage was simply about making love, the necessity for limiting sexual relations to persons of the opposite sex no longer appeared convincing."
The logical fallacies throughtout that letter are truly astounding. And really, really sad coming from a supposedly well-educated man (Bishops almost universally have at least one degree that is equivalent to a Ph.D, and usually multiple degrees).
The logical fallacies throughtout that letter are truly astounding. And really, really sad coming from a supposedly well-educated man (Bishops almost universally have at least one degree that is equivalent to a Ph.D, and usually multiple degrees).
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Internally, the RC church has been campaigning against those things, and spending a lot of money that could be doing a lot of good elsewhere to do it. Of course, a good portion of the faithful don't actually buy into that part of the faith. I know a lot of devout, Catholic couples who use artificial birth control, in most urban parishes, the divorce rate is pretty comparable with the general population (suburbs and rural areas it is actually somewhat lower), and I know a lot of couples where one half of the couple had to move in with a friend for a month before the wedding because the priest wouldn't marry them if they were cohabitating that close to the wedding. Doesn't mean they stopped having sex, of course; one just claimed a different address for a month.
Now are they campaigning against those things to the general public? No, because realistically they don't have a chance to make divorce, artificial birth control, assisted reproduction, or cohabitation illegal. Same sex marriage and civil unions, though, are a whole 'nother story, so that's where there political dollars get spent - along with opposing certain types of genetic research (embryonic stem cells in particular) and assisted suicide.