Wednesday, May 23, 2012

University of Notre Dame decides to take Obama administration to court rather than allow their female employees to access birth control.

Courtesy of News Channel 3: 

The University of Notre Dame and “a diverse group of plaintiffs” filed lawsuits Monday challenging the federal mandate that religious employers offer health insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and birth control services, Notre Dame spokeswoman Shannon Chapla said. 

The Notre Dame suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Northern Indiana, is one of a dozen filed Monday by 43 separate Catholic institutions in different federal courts around the United States, Chapla said. 

The lawsuits are efforts to “vindicate the country’s constitutional and traditional commitments to religious freedom and pluralism,” Notre Dame law professor Richard W. Garnett said in a university statement. 

The Catholic Church teaches that use of contraception is morally wrong.

Are you kidding me? It is 2012 and the Catholic church is still acting like its stuck in the 1800's.

Have you ever wondered WHY the Catholic church is stuck in the stone age when it comes to contraception? After all there is NO mention of contraception anywhere either the Old Testament, or the New Testament.

So with no Biblical anchor to hold back an evolving point of view on this topic just what, or who, is holding the church back from moving into the twentieth century?

As it turns out that would be the Pope.

No, not that Pope.

This one.

Pope Pius IX
Confused? Here let the folks over at Church and State drop a little history on you:


“THE ONLY way to solve the problem of contraception is to solve the problem of infallibility.”

Hans Küng 
Catholic theologian 1979

There is wide agreement that the world population problem cannot be successfully dealt with unless we solve the contraception problem. However, there is a nearly total lack of awareness that the problem of contraception is related to the problem of papal infallibility, as noted by Hans Küng above. 

There is a time warp involved here—a decisive action, or event, that occurred more than a century ago. It had a direct bearing on the mushrooming of population that didn’t really get up to speed until the 1930s. The event was the action of Pope Pius IX and Vatican Council I in 1870. Understanding the principle of infallibility and how it came to pass is essential to understanding the world population problem.

For decades, Americans have been subjected to pseudodiscussion of the population problem as American writers and speakers have gone about deflecting attention from the only population issue that really matters—that the Papacy is threatened with annihilation as civil authorities make contraception and abortion legally available to their constituents.

Essentially, in a nutshell, what happened was that in order to unify the church, and protect it from what Pope Pius IX believed was imminent extinction, he decided that from now on the Pope would have direct jurisdiction over ALL of the Catholic churches and that from that day forward the Pope himself (Which conveniently was him at the time) would be considered "infallible."

Makes sense right? After all God is infallible, and since the Pope supposedly has a direct line to God, ipso facto he is also infallible.

However, as most intelligent people realize, the Pope is just a man, and CERTAINLY not infallible. But the Catholic church is unwilling to make any such admission. Which is also why they refuse to even consider admitting that they were wrong about calling contraception a sin all of these years.

Besides it actually goes much deeper than that, as this paragraph from the minority report of Pope Paul VI’s Commission on Population and Birth authored in 1966 by the man who latter became Pope John Paul II, clearly identifies:

“If it should be declared that contraception is not evil in itself, then we should have to concede frankly that the Holy Spirit had been on the side of the Protestant churches in 1930 (when the encyclical Casti connubii was promulgated), in 1951 (Pius XII’s address to the midwives), and in 1958 (the address delivered before the Society of Hematologists in the year the pope died). It should likewise have to be admitted that for a half a century the Spirit failed to protect Pius XI, Pius XII, and a large part of the Catholic hierarchy from a very serious error. This would mean that the leaders of the Church, acting with extreme imprudence, had condemned thousands of innocent human acts, forbidding, under pain of eternal damnation, a practice which would now be sanctioned. The fact can neither be denied nor ignored that these same acts would now be declared licit on the grounds of principles cited by the Protestants, which popes and bishops have either condemned or at least not approved.”

So do you get it now? Not only would admitting that contraception is NOT a sin, destroy the Pope's claim to infallibility, and force the church to concede they had "condemned thousands of innocent human acts," it would also be an admission that the Protestants were right, and that the Catholic church was wrong.

So just to sum up, the entire reason that certain Roman Catholic leaders are now suing the Obama administration is simply to protect the church's reputation, and keep the Catholic masses from learning that the Pope is nothing more, and nothing less, than a fallible human being.

So please, could you tell me again HOW religion is not standing in the way of progress?

42 comments:

  1. HOW is Religion not standing the way of progress? One can't. But Corporation Religion will fight -- to the death -- anybody who says they are.

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  2. Anonymous4:04 AM

    Fantastic post!

    Considering the kerfuffle now unfolding in the Vatican concerning the kidnapping of a teenage daughter of a Vatican employee in 1983, this fits nicely into what I hope is an awakening regarding infallibility.

    Catholic Church's leading exorcist, the Rev. Gabriele Amorth, has accused the Holy See of being involved in the kidnapping for sex parties at the Vatican. Apparently, a police officer of the Vatican recruited girls for these parties but the network stretched from diplomats to the Holy See itself. Of course, these accusations are coming from the same guy, Amorth, who also accused the Harry Potter series of being a work of the Devil. But the accusation was enough to spur the police of Rome to exhume the body of a Roman mobster in a Basilica tomb.

    Whether or not Amorth's allegations prove true or not, I think the concept of the purity and infallibility of the Vatican, the Pope in particular, is crumbling following as it is the sex scandals involving priests and young boys.

    I bring this up as a daughter of once devout Catholics, who over time, realized that priests and the Pope were just humans, subject to the same flaws as the rest of us. That's why they did not indoctrinate me into the church. My parents suffered greatly due to the teaching of the church and did not want me to go through their anguish as they turned away from it.

    I cannot fathom the pain this false doctrine against contraception has caused millions of people. It is beyond sad - tragic, really. The sooner this miserable self-righteousness crap is seen for just that, the better.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/emanuela-orlandi-vatican-sex-parties_n_1536531.html

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  3. Anonymous4:12 AM

    We are not being distroyed from without but rather from within.

    We need to rise up. Read this and all related items and see the danger.

    http://churchandstate.org.uk/2012/04/the-cross-of-papal-infallibility/

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  4. Anonymous4:13 AM

    How the Catholic Church has managed to regress to the Middle Ages so fast is just amazing! This whole brouhaha that has people writing letters to my local newspaper that are just pure nonsense drives me crazy! The point of the contraception/insurance thing is simply that insurance companies are required to cover contraception. Not the Catholic Church! As if Catholic women do not practice birth control or do not take contraceptive pills for the myriad of medical issues that they also address! Good grief. And, equally important, as if the medical requirements of the non-Catholic women who work for Catholic institutions should be determined by the Catholic Church! The same Catholic Church that has not addressed its dreadful problem of priests and little boys - a problem that has existed probably for centuries! The same Catholic Church that pays NO taxes because it is a religion and thus "separate" from the state!

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  5. WakeUpAmerica4:30 AM

    Gryphen, you should do a post about the 15 year old girl who was kidnapped and presumed killed in the '80's. It is suspected her body is in the tomb of an Italian mobster. It is further claimed that she was used for Vatican sex parties. Check MSN or Bing for the article. Talk about corruption of religion!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:24 AM

      See comment above for a link to an article on this with the Vatican's own exorcist pointing the finger to the highest level in the church.

      Here's the link again:

      http://churchandstate.org.uk/2012/04/the-cross-of-papal-infallibility/

      Delete
  6. Anonymous4:42 AM

    The goal of Men of Power, secularist or religionist, is to maintain and increase that power, no holds barred. The few will rule the many until We the Ruled pry their crooked claws from around our necks.

    The design of the Constitution is secular, designed to provide the religious with freedom to practice their belief. It also succeeded in establishing a tri-partite style of government which in its inefficiency provides a measure deliberation and ultimate moderation.

    The genius of the Constitution is in its open endedness, which has provided the evolution of civil rights to include not only freedom of religion, but from religion, the abolition of slavery, the right to vote not merely for the landholders of this country, but the right to vote for all citizens.

    The list goes on, and many improvements have been legislated, often after great cost to life and limb, since the inception of E Pluribus Unum in 1776. Yet there is a common thread in all of this: Each hard fought for advance has been met by concerted efforts to return the country "to the old ways".

    We are once again in such a regressive cycle, which is bought and paid for by both Church and International Corporations. That they have the Supreme Court in their grip does not bode well for the Nation, and neither does the gullibility of a certain segment of the population.

    With determination and courage, we can once again overcome and move Forward.

    fromthediagonal

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  7. Anonymous5:21 AM

    we live in interesting times. i bless our president, who made it possible for us to finally reach this stage, where places like Notre Dame are having to challenge the population's view, rather than controlling it.
    i look forward to this battle, and am convinced that ND will not prevail.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:27 AM

      Anon @ 5:21:
      I just read that there is speculation that the Supreme Court will punt this and refer back to a Clinton era decision forbidding contraceptive insurance.
      Hope against hope that is not the case.
      ftd

      Delete
  8. Anonymous5:30 AM

    I used to be a Lapsed Catholic. But in recent years I've become a Collapsed Catholic. I have never seen a bunch of people so out of touch with the real world. They are arrogant, old, white and clueless.

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  9. Anonymous5:43 AM

    A very informative read on The Pill and its history with the RCC, including the sham "married couple advisors" they set up in teh '60's to discuss teh pill, but subsequently ignored, shows how littel teh RCC cares about its congregation, except as a revenue source.
    The Book is by Bernard Asbell. Well-written as I recall.:
    The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World.
    I am a recovering Catholic. I guarantee you Christ would NOT be a member of the RCC today.

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  10. London Bridges6:01 AM

    All their female employees should immediately begin wearing the Palin tested fake preggo suit and keep getting bigger by the day. Watch 'em squirm as their health insurer triples premiums for all, even the men!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:26 AM

      Great point. It is by far cheaper for insurance companies to provide contraceptives than to pay for prenatal and delivery and then post-natal care.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:38 AM

      The United States of America is a fucking mess!!!! From government to politicians, insurance companies, religions, the majority of Republicans, racists, bankers, Wall Street and on and on!

      Where is there no corruption in our lives today?

      Delete
  11. Anonymous6:52 AM

    I suggest that the Catholic Church revert to its Medieval ways and ban women from working for the Church. They can be just like the Taliban, promoting an extreme point of view. 98% of the women who do work at Notre Dame have used birth control at some time in their lives-- and I'm willing to bet that quite a few men have used a condom at some point too. For that matter, fire any man who ever used a condom. That'll teach them. Back to the Dark Ages with you!

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    1. Anonymous7:20 AM

      And get that evil Viagra off the insurance policy too! Do they know that the largest population of people with STDs right now are middle-aged and older MEN cheating on their wives due to Viagra? Bet that's just fine with the Catholic Bishops of Iran.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:29 AM

      I realize you are exaggerating by calling Viagra "evil" to make a point, but for those readers (Sarah, anyone?) who might not realize that, meds like Viagra can restore a man's sense of self, enable a married couple to continue to express genuine affection for one another, and also, too, relieve sexual stress and therefore smooth over tensions (hey, Sarah - maybe that will help with Todd's problems). Anyway, I think we are making the same point, just from different ends of the spectrum. The Catholic church doesn't treat men and women equally - never has and I suspect will not for ages to come.

      Delete
  12. Randall7:00 AM

    From the time the first ape-like creatures crawled down from the trees and began to use tools
    OR
    Adam and Eve were created in the Garden

    ...however you want to look at it

    it took thousands of years (or thousands and thousands) - until the advent of better agricultural methods as well as advancements in medicine, that in 1805 the world's population topped 1 billion.

    It took little over 125 years for the population to DOUBLE to 2 billion.

    Then - in a little over eighty years - the population more than tripled to over SEVEN BILLION!

    When people are starving by the millions - your grandchildren - or maybe even your children - are going to someday ask you, "WHY didn't you DO SOMETHING when you had the chance?"

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  13. Anonymous7:02 AM

    What do you think their purpose is to oppose birth control? to have more children to abbuse! More church members. The ppl are and will be afraid to speak out, against them. To keep women in their place at home under the man thumb. How anyone would allow this for their children is beyond my mind.

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  14. Anonymous7:10 AM

    I've had it with the religious crap that is being shoved down our throats - i.e. Santorum, Palin, various ministers throughout the U.S., etc.

    I'm a fallen away Catholic but went through the Catholic Church in getting married in 1962 and went on the birth control pill just prior to the wedding. A Jesuit priest married us who was newly ordained and, of course, was following the rules to a tee! He asked many questions of us (we were 20/24 in age) to include friends of mine that had attended college w/me to assure him that I'd never gotten married while there. That was an absolute corker to me!!!

    As soon as the wedding was over, I basically left the church. Felt they truly overstepped their bounds.

    We had to assure the priest that we wanted children (which we didn't) and would not take the 'new' birth control pill that had just come o the market. So, had to lie or he would not have married us and the wedding invitations had already gone out! My parents were the Catholics!

    The Catholic Church is currently so very far behind times I cannot believe it!!! It's been 50 years since we went through that! And, now look what the Church is doing in regard to birth control. All the Catholic women I knew took the pill and I'm sure the majority are using some type of birth control today. They'd be nuts if they didn't!

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  15. Anonymous7:17 AM

    Ban my contraception, and we'll ban your Viagra, refuse to have sex with an uncondomed male EVER, and maybe even stop getting married at all, as married women will soon be nothing more than broodmares for the Catholic church, whether we are Catholic or not. Funny how these guys demand that we abide by the Constitution when it suits them, and ign ore it completely when it doesn't. I hope the Supreme Court rules the entire law LEGAL, and maybe these people can do something productive, like stop the pedaphiles they keep ordaining.

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  16. Anonymous7:21 AM

    Title VII of the Civil Rights Act states that you can't discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, and national origin. If that is the case, how can these employers discriminate on the basis of their religion? A woman who needs health care that included contraception will not apply, may quit or be fired if she tries to fight this.

    If they want to be a truly religious organization, then do so. If that is the case, don't ask for a single penny of federal or state aid.

    This from the boys who feel their nuns, providing the poor, sick and hungry are overreaching. This from the men who brought more child abuse on small children than any other organization. Come on, Catholics, start revolting. Not a dime in the offering and no parishioners at mass until such time that women and children are acknowledged.

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  17. Anonymous7:34 AM

    Another still-recovering Catholic here. I think the best thing to come from the RCC is Michaelangelo's David. I didn't know the expression WTF? in high school, but it certainly applied to [ostensibly] celibate priests and nuns "educating" us on marriage. The bishop's letter on birth control in the very early '70s did it for me. Walked out and never returned. Funny the RCC can be fallible on Limbo, on eating meat on Fridays, divorce [you can buy an annulment if you have enough money] but rock solid right on contraception. Old white men, bah.

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  18. Gasman7:35 AM

    Whether or not the Catholic Church sues the Obama Administration, their reputation cannot be salvaged. They are an international crime syndicate that sought to cover up and protect THE largest pedophile ring in the history of mankind. The lawsuit does Jack Shit to erase THAT stain.

    As to the doctrine of papal infallibility, that it is just so much bullshit is easily pointed out:

    Does "papal infallibility" apply only to Piux IX, or to all popes? If it applies equally to all previous popes, then how come NONE of Pius IX's predecessors spoke of this infallibility? That would seem to be a BIG oversight, thus rendering them fallible. But if they are infallible, this cannot be so.

    If it is ONLY Pius IX that is infallible, how come he gets to declare himself Super-Duper-Extra-Strength-Pope and everybody else were just regular popes? It all sounds a tad too convenient, n'est-ce pas?

    How can ANYBODY argue that pedophile enabler John Paul II was "infallible" when he merely papered over the priest pedophile scandal?

    Catholicism is naught but a cult of personality around the pope du jour.

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  19. The opening day of any court case for this issue should coincide with the official termination of tax exemption for every Catholic archdiocese and parish in the U.S.

    And "freedom of religion" should be more broadly understood to be "freedom FROM religion".

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    1. Anonymous11:32 AM

      There should be NO tax write offs for any church, ministers, pastors, religious teachers, etc. This should include real estate taxes on their residences, churches, religious schools that they own that would normally support the communities/cities in which they live.

      Religion is nothing more than made up bullshit! And, more and more U.S. citizens are turning away from it. Certain folks have taken to shoving it down our throats - combining it w/government (which shouldn't be done!)-and, I think, it's going to have more and more of a negative effect upon the population.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous8:06 AM

    Given the child abuse and condemnation of the great work of nuns, why is the Pope considered any less human and fallible than the guy who brought Romney his magic underpants, i.e. Joseph Smith? To me, the child abuse involving the catholic church was worse than the polygamy of Smith. Unfortunately, child abuse has also occurred a great deal in both churches.

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  21. Anonymous8:27 AM

    I just read an article stating that the Catholic Church is threating not to treat anyone that is not a Catholic at any of their emergency rooms. It's because they don't want the birth control. i say take away their tax benifits, exemptions and money for running those hospitals that the taxpayers give them. Single payer is the only way to go, the employeris out of the mix. Everyone could use birthcontrol or not other womenshealth concers could be used or not.Instead of all these laws against women rights, stupid stupid for not going this way. How christian are these ppl anyway. Would christ turn ayway someone? no

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    1. Anonymous9:36 AM

      Good points here - hospitals (often owned by doctors and insurance companies) fought single payer because of the big cut in profits they'd face - no more 50 dollars for a box of Kleenex, e.g. Health care is Big Business - for both the secular and religious hospitals.

      There are great doctors, hospitals, nurses and staff everywhere but it's the owners of those clinics and hospitals that work in conjunction with insurance companies and medical supply companies (supplies and machines) that do not want to give up on the lucrative aspect of providing health care. Greed rules too many.

      Delete
  22. hedgewytch8:31 AM

    Bring it on Catholic Churches. You bring it to the courts. Go ahead. Let the newspapers write all about it and publish the transcripts. Oh yeah, the publicity will do so much good for you agenda. Uh huh.

    And when the women of America win the suit against the Catholic Church, you will have, under your own accord, destroyed yet another pillar of your church. And I can't wait to see it crumble to the dust.

    I can't tell you how many seemingly intelligent caring people I have met who are Catholics and swallow hook, line and sinker, those precepts that would otherwise be alien to their characters.

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  23. Anonymous9:38 AM

    Where is the compassion, the concern, the care for the sick, the needy, the poor? The Catholic church through its business interests are just like other businesses - bottom line-oriented. They do not want to focus on the medical aspects; they want to control who gets what. The more kids, the more customers - for the church and for the hospitals and clinics.

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  24. Anonymous9:41 AM

    Let's all remember, that this is not limited to the Catholic church.

    Romney, as an elder in the Mormon church, once visited a woman in the hospital whose physicians told her she needed to abort a dying fetus to save her life. He told her she couldn't do that. She and her husband did not listen to him, and she survived. They both left the church afterwards.

    Had they not, had they obeyed their church elder, she and the fetus would have been dead and the husband left to raise their other children alone.

    Churches should focus on spiritual health, not physical health. Their dogma is not a substitute for science, for health-saving truth.

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  25. The Pope's impugned infallibility was the linchpin of why i left the Roman Catholic Church in my mid-twenties. As a child, i struggled with some of the other tenets, but as an adult ~ that one bothered me the most.

    My sainted Irish Catholic grandmother was disappointed that i only had five kids; she probably thought we weren't doing it enough...

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  26. Anonymous10:12 AM

    In your post you quote eminent theologian Hans Kung; who was recently in the news concerning the gala 50th anniversary celebration of the church changing Second Vatican Council.

    "Küng misses Vatican II celebration
    17 May 2012

    Theologian Hans Küng has turned down an invitation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council at the German Katholikentag at Mannheim, held from tomorrow until Sunday.

    The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Germany's largest Catholic lay organisation which is organising the Congress and has more than 12 million members, invited Fr Küng and the former President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, to participate in their "Council Gala". But four days before the congress was due to begin, Fr Küng declined.

    "I was honoured to receive the invitation but is one really in the mood to celebrate at a time when the Church is in such sore distress?" Fr Küng asked in his four-page reply. "In my opinion there is no reason for a festive Council Gala but rather for an honest service of penance or a funeral service," he said."

    http://www.thetablet.co.uk/latest-news/4128

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  27. And don't those institutions offer coverage now? I would be they do...it's part of any standard group policy.

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  28. Father Hans Kung is still working for progress within the Catholic Church. Last year he was one of a number of prominent theologians who signed a document urging sweeping reforms within the church.

    Note that primary credit for the formulation of oral contraceptives is given to another Catholic, Dr. John Rock, who was a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard. He saw the pill as a natural method of contraception.

    Using the standard of primacy of conscience, most Catholic women use or have used forms of contraception other than the Creighton method or the old rhythm method. The church is not composed primarily of old men who are out of touch with reality. The church is made up of people of all stripes, from the dogmatic and narrow-minded to the liberal and generous. It's dynamic and it evolves, often as a result of conflict under its own roof.

    There's a tendency to oversimplify and frame moral issues in stark black and white, when in truth they're complex. Read or listen to what Andrew Sullivan has to say about his Catholic faith. He's well-educated (doctorate from Harvard) and articulates clearly the pros and cons of the church, as well as his own reasons for belief.

    Look up Father Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle. He refused to allow collection of signatures in the church for an anti-gay marriage referendum in Washington State, and his wasn't the only church to do so. Fr. Ryan explained that it would be hurtful to the cherished homosexual members of his parish.

    So yes, there are many people of faith who do not stand in the way of progress, but actively promote it, and many of them do so within their own religious institutions.

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  29. Anonymous11:29 AM

    World Population Growth (approx)
    0 billion – (beginning of time)
    20,000++++(to 1st billion - modern man)
    1 billion – 1830
    97 years (to second billion)
    2 billion - 1927
    33 years (to third billion)
    3 billion – 1960
    14 years (to fourth billion)
    4 billion – 1974
    13 years (to fifth billion)
    5 billion – 1987
    12 years (to sixth billion)
    6 billion – 1999
    12 years (to seventh billion)
    7 billion – 2011
    ?? years (to eighth billion)
    8 billon - ????
    ?? years (to ninth billion)
    9 billion - ????
    ?? years (to tenth billion)
    10 billion - ????

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  30. Anita Winecooler2:10 PM

    The good bishops are worried that Obama will "stangle" their ministry. Soon to be Cardinal, Archbishop Dolan, of NY said "Obama's mandate will strangle" freedom of religion, and the catholic church's ability to feed the poor, clothe the naked, fondle pre pubescent boys and girls (who says they don't include women?) while shuffling them and covering them up.

    The Government gives Catholic Charities 3.8 million dollars a year, and the church self funds insurance, and the exemption in the health care act isn't enough, So he'll consider holding back services to the poor over the contraceptive issue?

    Here's a clue- Don't take Government money AT ALL. Pay taxes like the rest of us, but don't dare blame closing schools, cutting back services on contraceptive coverage. Blame it on your pedophile priests and cover up. Clearly, they take the Republican model of suffering, take money from the government with one hand, then scream about government interfering with their agenda.

    here he is pissing and moaning, but there's plenty of other links. MSNBC had some commentary a few days back, but I can't find the link on their site.

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76614.html

    Love how people can cover the sun with one finger!

    Great Post, btw, and great comments.

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  31. Anonymous5:22 PM

    The current Pope was an admitted member of the Hitler Youth (everyone was apparently doing it in those days). We all know how that turned out.

    While never a Catholic, I knew the church was corrupt when my absolute best friend since first grade, in 1970, was raped by her priest at age 15. Her parents never believed her, the priest said she lied (I knew she didn't). Two years later, the priest was "moved to another parish," after several other "incidents with young girls," and my best friend turned to drugs to deal with the pain of not being able to stop the memories or his abuse of other young girls.

    It was then that we began to travel in different circles. I lost track of her.

    Years later, when she had come safely through to the other side - after a lot of pain, trauma and psychology - she explained to me the hell she had lived all those years - criticized and punished by her family and church, called a "slut" by the local Bishop because he accused her of "seducing" the priest and "sending HIM to hell." (Nothing could have been farther from the truth - she was the poster child of, well, childhood)

    The Catholic Church is a corrupt, self serving, power hungry, money hungry, cult that has ruined millions of lives. It will cover its own ass in order to move its agenda, regardless the circumstances or the human pain.

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  32. Garageman_mike2:11 AM

    The issue of rising world population is not one that will be around forever. The growth rate has slowed dramatically since the year 2000, so that although the world population is still increasing, it is doing so at a slower rate.

    According to the United Nations, in 1970 women were having an average of 4.5 children. The worldwide average had dropped to 2.7 children by the year 2000. By the year 2050, the UN predicts the worldwide average will be about 2.05, slightly less than we need to maintain population at the current level. By the year 2100, we will be seeing decline.

    Reasons for the population explosion, were a result of decrease in infant deaths and an increase in life expectancy. The result of modern medicine, increased availability of food and public health reforms begun in late 18th century.

    As educational reforms and child labour laws were introduced, children became less economically viable and parents, certainly in the increasingly prosperous Western world, began to have a lot less children. As prosperity continues to grow in the rest of the world, we will see more and more parents making the economic decision to have less children.

    At this time of course, China has a strict one-child policy to combat their own growing population. Their policy will soon be more successful than they could have hoped for and I'm guessing it won't be long before they reverse this policy.

    To illustrate population decline on a personal note, my grandfather, as a good Irish Catholic, came from a family of 15 children. My father was in a family of nine, I was one of four, and as a father myself, have two children with firm plans to have no more.

    World population - a fascinating subject.

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