Link Me Up, Soctty - Inspiration and History Edition

Monday, September 28, 2015
Fellow UCFer, history professor and all-around Smart Man David has some thoughts on how Pope Francis and his message is MESSING WITH THE GOP, MAN. While this Pope isn't liberal by any yardstick I'd ever use, his behavior is Christ-like enough that the historical ramifications for the religious right are, shall we say, amusing. 
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I was going to link to something about the resignation of John Boehner, but then I remembered that I don't really care.

ETA: Yes, I do care. Unfortunately. But simultaneously I JUST DON'T CARE. 
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Trauma workers find comfort in pausing after a patient dies to honor their life. I think this is eminently worthy, regardless of your religious tradition. It provides dignity and respect to a profound event, when the caregivers might not otherwise have a chance to process what they've witnessed.
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Quantum physics is complicated. And very, very cool.
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A retired Army nurse if making a run for Louie Gohmert's Congressional seat in East Texas. We could all be so lucky.
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A recommendation for raising well-rounded kids: Take them to the library.
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People define their success on a scale from 1 to 10. And then the people who love them do the same.
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Video of the Week: Dorothy Turner Johnson has led an extraordinary life, and offers some advice on how to come to the end your life with grace and a sense of a life well-lived.


3 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

This pope gives me hope, for the first time in a long time, about the Catholic church.

He's not liberal by the American political spectrum, but his words and actions are very much in line with the Catholicism I was raised on: pro-life, which means caring for the already born not just the unborn, and trying to live as those few words attributed to Jesus taught, rather than picking and choosing what suits his agenda.

I was particularly impressed by his prison visit, which served to remind us that everyone is deserving of forgiveness. Everyone.

That's a hard pill for anyone to swallow, but I think the conservatives will take it the hardest.

I'm very curious as to whether will eventually see changes on the role of women in the church, as well as the church's stand on birth control (at least upon condoms, if not other forms).

vince said...

I agree that the pope isn't liberal, but given how many Republicans have called out Boehner as a traitor and a RINO, the reaction to his visit by many Republican leaders and Republican faithful is unsurprising.

David said...

This Pope is not liberal, but by focusing on issues of economic justice and poverty he is articulating a position that says "You can be a good Catholic and not have to support the Republican Party." The GOP may be anti-abortion, but it's not really pro-life in the encompassing sense that the Catholic Church tends to be (anti-death penalty, anti-poverty, etc.). Catholics opposed to abortion may have felt a need to accept the rest of the GOP platform in order to get that one thing.

That is what he is threatening here, and my guess is that there are more than a few Catholics who have felt the tension between being opposed to abortion and accepting the GOP. This gives them the out to leave the Republican Party - they can be good Catholics and support a party that promises to work on alleviating poverty, taking care of the sick, and taking care of the environment, even if that party tends to be pro-choice, since now neither party has the full approval of the Church while both have some approval.

That's a dangerous thing if you're a Republican strategist.