Thou Shalt Not Vote For….
Interesting moral perspective from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. They say it is morally unacceptable for anyone to support modern family planning in general and the Reproductive Health Bill in particular. They feel so strongly about this that they have even issued voting guidelines for the faithful. They discourage the Catholic flock from voting for anyone who supports reproductive health.
This afternoon I interiewed Fr. Melvin Castro, who heads the CBCP commission that drafted the guidelines and asked him why candidates who commit plunder and acts of corruption are not being condemned in the same way that reproductive health advocates are.
Castro said in effect that plunder and all of those corrupt acts are an offshoot of the lack of respect for the family and therefore not as bad in the heirarchy of catholic morality as family planning which is as he says, anti-family.
Flabbergasted, I asked if they were saying it was alright to vote for a crook as long as he doesn’t advocate modern family planning. His roundabout answer,—as I understand it is …in so many words–yes.
I grew up thinking that stealing money from the poor was worse than wearing a condom. I grew up thinking that betraying the responsibility given to you by the Filipino people as a public servant was worse than wearing an IUD or taking birth control pills. I believe that today.
I will not begrudge the Church for expressing its political views. In a democracy I think anyone has that right, even religious organizations. I even support the Church’s right to try to convince its followers to do vote in accordance with its doctrines.
But what I learned many years ago is that the Catholic Church’s ideas about morality are in irreconcilable contrast to mine.
I guess this means that I resign from the Catholic Church. This also leaves me free to watch James Cameron’s movie, Avatar, which was also condemned by the Vatican. Anyone else wanna see it?

Nakakatawa, bakit tayo uutusan ng church gumawa ng bagay na sinasabi nilang makakabuti satin kahit minsan parang hypocrite sila na may ginagawa silang masama pero dahil sila ang gumagawa noon, tama na?