Welcome to Friday and the Loose Bloggers Consortium. The topic “If you can cure one leper, why not cure them all.” was suggested by our friend David from Great Britain.
Well David, Let me put it this way. Here in the States, if the leper has health insurance, there is a pretty good chance a cure will be available. However, if the leper is without health insurance it becomes a matter of long waits and much paper work to get some medical assistance. By the time the leper is hospitalized, he may well face shoddy care or an experimental program. Frequently, the patient doesn’t make it. Leper down!
On the other hand, if the leper is lucky enough to be cared for by the compassionate and devoted Catholic Nuns, there is a chance for a cure. Oops! Scratch that one. Seems the Vatican in its infinite wisdom is taking to task American Nuns. The “Pope with the Penetrating Eyes” finds them to be “Radical Feminists”. Seems that working with the poor and the disenfranchised has made the sisters a little too understanding and caring. The Church wants them to strive harder to condemn the Homosexual sinner, the use of contraceptives , and their fellow nuns seeking leadership roles in the Church.
What does this mean for our leper? Well in the view of the Vatican, it might just mean swearing allegiance to the Defense of Marriage Act DOMA, throwing out birth control pills or condoms in favor of the rhythm system, and if the leper is a woman, lowering eyes, not question authority, and returning to the subservient role held before Vatican II. Frankly, the cure may be worse than the consequences.
Speaking or writing one’s opinion is exhilarating and I am proud to live in a country where I am free to do so. I believe that great dialogues begin with the challenge of questions like David’s. The other writers for LBC are listed on the right hand side of my blog. Please visit their sites and read how the question kindled their thoughts and how they chose to addressed the question of cured and uncured lepers.
Ramana,
I marvel at how succinctly you sum up my ramblings and clarify what I am trying to relay to my readers. You know this is a real talent and admired greatly.
If I could just carry you around in my back pocket, I would engage my adversaries more often and more persuasively
Maria, you have brought to the fore more than one issue and that is what I miss when you do not post LBC posts.
The leper in the USA brings about not only the moral disconnect of the church that Conrad talks about, it also tells me about the moral disconnect of the society that cannot be bothered about its infirm. You have brought to the fore the ugly side of male chauvinism in the RC church, which normally derides Islam for being so. The cure being worse than the disease is a metaphor that is now being seen in all walks of public life all over the world.
Welcome back to the LBC.
I love the idea of Sunday morning skiing with the family. My love of mountains is very spiritual and I find peace and contement easier to reach when surrounding by tall peaks and beautiful sparkling creeks.
Tom & I came from Presbyterian families. His brother is a minister. We took the kids to the Presbyterian church but gave it up to ski on Sundays at our local ski area (season passes). We live like Christians but aren’t religious.
The Pope is partly to blame for overpopulation. We contributed to that with four children though overpopulation wasn’t discussed at the time.
For the most part I am usually not this outspoken which may be caused by all those years of Catholic school before I “leaped the wall” and left for cleaner air in which to think. I have never regretted that decision and find the Church and its actions more than ever make it the right decision for me.
I love the passion! Oh, maybe that I happen to agree is part of my support. I think you have beautifully spelled out a large part of the moral disconnect in the modern church.