Religious liberty is GOP mom’s big issue
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Rosemary McDonough is as cheerful of disposition as they come, but sometimes she feels a little under siege. She’s a mannerly Republican surrounded by often-opinionated liberals: She’s a family-minded columnist in her left-leaning local paper. She’s a conservative volunteer amid many with a social justice bent.
Married for 32 years and the mother of two nearly grown children, Ms. McDonough has had a long career as an academic fundraiser. She graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and got her master’s degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She’s a lifelong Roman Catholic who goes to mass and attends a weekly Bible study. From time to time, she takes an online theology course from Boston College. And even when her faith has seemed to fail her, she’s dealt with it by ducking into church, empty at midweek, to clear the way in life’s static for God.
Early in her marriage, as she and her husband got on their feet financially, she used birth control, knowingly breaking with church teaching. But that has no bearing on her opinion of the Obama administration’s birth control insurance mandate – she vehemently opposes it. [More]
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I guess I am just not getting it. I am sure Rosemary is a ver nice person, although describing herself as “under siege” seems a bit self serving. By her own admission she used birth control at least early on in her marriage (maybe before marriage???). She feels it was wrong, has repented, accepted God’s forgiveness and moved on – or is that not the issue since she never states that in the article. Is it simply that, like politicians, she is using this cause to promote a political agenda? The entire rallying cry over this issue is “TO PROTECT OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.” It is not even over the topic anymore. Why? Becasue the CHurch has not really spent any time or resources to develop the “why” of being against birth control. When the bill first came out, it was a violation of religious liberty. As it standds now, not so much – yes we all do still pay for it through higher premiums, etc – but we pay for much that is contrary to our religious principles – the taxes used for unjustified war, torture, crooked politics, advantages to the very wealthy,the cost of health insurance making it nearly impossible for the poor to have it, etc. Where is the cry against those issues? Where is the demand for laws? If the Church promotes that Birth Control is a sin, and they have every right to do so, shouldn’t they be promoting the benefits of following the law instead of worrying about civil laws? After all, God only gives laws to protect and help us. Where is the PR for the benefit to people? It is so easy to lobby for laws to legislate maorality, but it is a waste of time and money. The only way to attain a moral society is to show the benefits so that an individual wants it. Even Jesus “sold” his message. He never told Peter, James, John or any of his followers to organize a demonstration against the government. He told them to proclaim the Good News so that people would hear it and make a choice to follow, or not. Governments, Religions and societies have tried to legislate morality for ages, it has always failed. The only way is to fully explain and invite people to “come and see.” It worked before – it can work again.