-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 On 09/16/2012 09:01 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote: > (I shared this on facebook as well, but there's a better chance of > meaningful discussion here) > > I'm gobsmacked. A practising Catholic, planning to revolutionise birth > control. And she has a realistic chance of pulling it off. Strange times. > > This (opposition to birth control) is the one biggest reason I believe > Catholic crusaders, such as Mother Theresa, are evil - not a word I use > lightly. > > Discuss. > > Udhay >
Normatively speaking, most American Catholics vote Democrat, support and use birth control, abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage and generally fulfil that whole lefty aspect pretty well. The authority hierarchy from the Vatican on down is far more out of touch with it's two historical strongholds (US and Europe). Those who take an active part with the organization (priests and the miscellaneous volunteers involved) are generally much farther to the social right than their peers, and that highly correlates with more exposure to traditional authorities, as well as a whole host of psychological constructs. There was a pew research poll put out [1], and when broken down by ethnicity, Hispanics tended to be the most fundamentalist, with the whole transubstantiation bit followed literally, as well as observing rites, and that fact largely correlates with lower education levels. So I'm not surprised that Melinda Gates supports birth control, because that keeps her in line with most of her gender and religious peers in the US. As much as I enjoy taking to task some of my Catholic contemporaries, I do have to admit that for the most part, they too feel that the pope should be melting down his golden slippers to help solve world hunger. That said, I echo Udhay's characterisation. landon [1] http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Catholic/A-Portrait-of-American-Catholics-on-the-Eve-of-Pope-Benedicts-Visit-to-the-US.aspx - -- Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQIcBAEBCgAGBQJQVg2EAAoJEDeph/0fVJWsDuAP/3VXASomArd6atkvgxBK/9CU L7z+BBiPGsXCJXznO18YxliT3qN72oANE3QLx/5we5b1V5u2yr9/vKMHXp70Won9 jhCpSg9XNgStkrOT4VDQJ1Zg8x3ZFs/5Btk3aVj0CptY66V8LAxL+/qyLur/bvKv AO5Wma1Afnl9BrAKWgmEsmf3VAXXxMwdKn8hPO/TIr0RIKMhO7cLXA0HiSycGi1F jqSemlDX74d8NqXDHxVBfJXFO8WRoccKs6ebdhIzGeZI+U6D4gPQxeG0uUlQQGXh DWCfXm6iInJsZfgL3OSoYnvC9YTvRipBFVLJyFR5bGfTifoduM5P8Szcm45xjC28 +yfuPNRejOCXpjaGRKlJFHERVHDiWZWnmwsyQTXmgT6/Kx1LoLkK0uZSBEnXavOV v34/M+l4ngS6nSLbjJlsilkbKvTXIMcbS4298G7m8rNwdnfselc+GNjit857Lv9j C30AzrN1f0yFVnfnWeebnkiWrLdtOasUVYOOTyoA1Fch2MorbpWfS2DldZGjdJEQ xNvUMJdxJ6lkpzsSw4ZbSXaVraL3t2dxOjdOOEWaV8Qke14U7MJzp9fNwjzKZ4Om F1hm+PxF+LYW4Ge/PhI6h/Ifbqhr177ABMekpTJVoVgKW0wE8goBJGaDb3d8VCrF 1V6l58zpA5U4JHpsC6WV =/MtK -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
