Pope orders NJ laws to Conform to his Decrees

[smoothmoniker]

Any group has a right to define its own membership, particularly where membership in the group has certain essential tenets, a sine qua non of personal belief.

The Catholic Church is defined by certain beliefs, one of which is that the edicts of the Pope, when confirmed by the College of Cardinals, are the words of God. You may, and I do, disagree with the pronouncements of the Pope, but you may not do so and call yourself a Catholic. You have violated one of the essential, defining tenets.

It would be like joining the NAACP, and saying, “I want to be a member of your group, but I’m not really in favor of any of that civil rights crap. We should go back to separate drinking fountains and the 3/5 compromise.” In what sense am I a member of the group? I’m opposed to their defining purpose.

Kerry may consider himself a member of the Catholic Church, but his personal beliefs are contrary to those of the group that he professes to belong to. In what sense is he then a member? Why not just call a spade a spade and renounce his membership?

-sm