Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
We have discussed the alleged War on Women in past blog articles here on Prof. Turley’s blog, as well as the Roman Catholic Church’s attempts to silence the Nuns over their support of Obamacare. The Vatican is now battling the good Sisters over the alleged evilness of Masturbation! The Vatican’s watchdog office called “The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith” has come out against a book written by Sister Margaret Farley’s in 2006 titled, Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics, because, among other evil statements, the female author states that masturbation never hurt anyone. Such heresy!
Let me state up front that I just can’t imagine why one of the world’s largest religions, entirely led by men who are sworn to celibacy would be against masturbation? Does Pope Benedict really think that his priests do not masturbate? These are the same men who continue to hide child molesters from civil authorities on an international scale, but they cannot sit back and let any women suggest that masturbation is harmless!
Maybe the Vatican is just upset that this nun is getting the royalties and not the real experts on the subject. MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell uttered the evil word many times on a recent TV segment during his defense of Sister Farley’s book.
“Coming to the defense of Sister Margaret Farley’s 2006 book “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” O’Donnell displayed an image of a crucifix and the Bible with the word “rewrite” just below them, then thanked the Vatican for bringing Farley’s book to his attention before launching into his tirade. As it would happen, he said, the church’s office that “spends its time deciding which books to hate” was, until 1908, called “The Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition.” O’Donnell was speaking, of course, about “The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith,” which took issue with Farley’s book and singled out her positions on three specific things: masturbation, same-sex relationships and divorce. And in particular, they called self-pleasuring “an intrinsically and gravely disordered action” that poses “grave harm” to Christians — whereas Farley suggested that no harm has ever come of it.” Raw Story
Now, I realize that this story isn’t the most important issue that is confronting the nation, but I was struck at the sheer arrogance of the Vatican’s hypocrisy. Allegedly celibate men wouldn’t think of ever pleasuring themselves, right? At least not according to the official word of the Vatican. I would think that if the Vatican was smart that they would take the high road and keep their pie hole shut and worry about the evils that their celibate men have exacted on the world’s youth. I guess doing the right thing only works in the Bible. Don’t the Cardinals and Bishops know that masturbation might actually prevent cancer?
Researchers in Australia did a study and asked men with prostate cancer and those without prostate cancer about their sex habits. The results might surprise the Vatican.
“They found those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to develop the cancer. The protective effect was greatest while the men were in their 20s. Men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life.” BBC
I am not suggesting that all priests should masturbate in order to help save their lives, but when is the last time that you heard of a priest developing prostate cancer? Hmmmm?? 🙂
I will be attending the 48th reunion of my St. Lambert’s Catholic Grade School class this coming weekend and I don’t know if any of our good Benedictine Sisters are still alive or if any will be in attendance, but if they do attend, I will let them know that I appreciate their fellow Sisters taking a stand against the Male dominated Roman Catholic Church and its attacks on Catholic women speaking their minds. What’s that old saying, “Behind every good Church is a Good Women”? I think I have that right!?
Best line: ..keep their piehole shut and….”
Rafflaw,
If I made a mistake by making an OBVIOUS joke about the Vatican and the Republicans, I will apologize.
However, I don’t think I am the first to do so.
Nor am I the first to intimate that their might be some opportuniam present on both the sides mentioned above.
I, perhaps, should have praised you for your moral stature and courage in taking up this subject.
It could have been met with deeper response than it did, Í felt there was more to say, but that a deepening after the joke tirade would be inappropriate and not appreciated.
Why you react to my joke instead of to all the previous ones is for you to know and me to wonder over.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/redefining-radical-catholic-nuns-vs-the-vatican
Excerpt:
Of course, the sisters are amply able to speak for themselves. On June 18, a group of them will embark on a bus tour crossing nine states, in which they will visit food pantries, homeless shelters, and charity ministries. It is a striking and unusual form of civil disobedience within the institution of the Church.
On Monday, Sister Simone Campbell went on the Colbert Report to promote the bus tour, stating her case well and giving the satirist some choice opportunities to send up the Vatican.
I’m really not sure that “masturbation never hurt anybody.” There might be some presumably prospective sexual partners who have been hurt by the possibility that their intended objects of desire found THEM less desirable than themSELVES…
A kind of “unfair competition” tort, if you will (and even more so if you won’t).
idealist,
I am not suggesting that their is any political conspiracy between the Vatican and the Right. I am merely trying to shine the bright light of transperency onto the Vatican’s actions in respect to the nuns who are the unsung heroes of the Church.
Why is the the church regressing? Because the world is progressing.
What did the Republicans promise the Vatican for the votes? A grand inquisition in Washington. Auto-da-fé on the Mall.
Gene,
I thought you would “get” my point.
Elaine,
I saw that article and it is disgusting. The Church is doubling down on its stupidity.
Catholic Health Association Rejects Obama’s Birth Control Compromise
Religion News Service | By David Gibson
6/17/12
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/catholic-health-association-obama_n_1601808.html
Excerpt:
(RNS) In an unexpected blow to the Obama administration and a major boon for America’s Catholic bishops, the influential Catholic Health Association on Friday (June 15) rejected White House proposals aimed at easing faith-based objections to the contraception mandate.
“The more we learn, the more it appears that the … approaches for both insured and self-insured plans would be unduly cumbersome and would be unlikely to adequately meet the religious liberty concerns of all of our members and other Church ministries,” Sister Carol Keehan and leaders of the CHA said in a five-page response to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Keehan, a crucial ally of the Obama administration in passing health care reform in 2009, had initially sounded a positive note about the administration’s proposals in February and again in March that sought to address a wave of bad publicity by accommodating religious concerns about the mandate.
The mandate requires that all employee health insurance plans must provide no-cost birth control coverage to employees, and it grants what many consider an unacceptably narrow exemption for religious groups.
Keehan’s early openness to Obama’s compromise angered the Catholic bishops and social conservatives who have made defeat of the mandate — or expansion of the narrow religious exemption — a centerpiece of their public activism.
As the largest private health care provider in the nation, overseeing a network of hundreds of hospitals and medical facilities, the CHA is a critical player in health care issues. Many accused Keehan of showing the White House more deference than she did the hierarchy.
Keehan’s role in the controversy became further complicated by the recent Vatican moves against American nuns, but the latest twist also creates a serious political headache for the president as he heads into an increasingly tough election campaign.
She was only a fisherman’s daughter, but her dad was a master baiter.
The hierarchy progression is Novice Baiter, Apprentice Baiter, Journeyman Baiter, Master Baiter.
Are we taliking about bait shops or fish fries? “Go see the Fish Friar; I’m the Chip Monk.”
raff,
When erecting a joke, I try to keep things straight as possible.
Oro,
You are on fire with the Woody Allen references! Malisha too!
Mike A.,
I agree with your determination of regression. I might add in Cardinal Bernandin who was at least gave us a shred of hope that progress could be made. Not anymore.
The Catholic hierarchy is quickly becoming a caricature of the typical cleric in a Victor Hugo novel. Perhaps we remember certain periods as most hopeful because we were ourselves most hopeful then, but when I think of the ’60s, I think of Vatican II, the civil rights movement, the Peace Corps, the Berrigan brothers, Dorothy Day, Michael Harrington, liberation theology and the nascent women’s liberation movement. We are indeed regressing.
Also from a Woody Allen movie: “Do you know what I like best about masturbation? The cuddling afterwards.”
Also from a Woody Allen movie: After a wild night of lovemaking, the royal chamber is in ruins and the two lovers (Woody and some woman) are exhausted. She asks him, “How did you get to be such a great lover?” He answers, “I practice a lot when I’m alone.”
Oro,
That was a classic line!
Gene,
I am glad that you finally got that straight!
Woody Allen as Alvy Singer in Annie Hall: “Hey, don’t knock masturbation! It’s sex with someone I love.” With a name like Woody, . . . .
If I were the Vatican, I’d be worried about the use of the term “material witness” by nuns.
Oh . . . different “m” word. My bad.
You were right Elaine. That was great. However, that international conspiracy to obstruct justice is still in operation.