The most recent news that has taken over America is that the Roman Catholic Church, via Providence, Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin, told U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy, of JFK and RFK heritage, that he should no longer accept communion from his church. All because of Kennedy’s stance as a U.S. Congressman on abortion.
Tobin spoke with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews yesterday, and went so far as to outright say that if your job interferes with your religion, you should quit your job. Grasp that concept for a moment. With unemployment already at 10.2%, I suppose a lot of those folks who are currently unemployed would be happy to switch jobs with any Catholic whose job in some way, shape, or form is incongruous with their Catholic faith.
Anyone working in a restaurant that serves lobster or oysters would have to quit their job. Anyone working in a manufacturing plant that makes fabric would have to quit their job. Anyone who works on a Sunday would have to quit their job. Of course, anyone who works for a company that provides benefits to same-sex couples would have to quit their job too.
I imagine the 10.2% unemployment that has crippled this country would suddenly skyrocket, as a large majority of the estimated two hundred twenty-five million Catholics in America would suddenly find themselves forced to obey every doctrine of their faith, as Bishop Tobin would have it. Don’t forget, a lot of folks are forced to work two jobs, so those numbers would ratchet up even faster for, say, the hotel worker, who enables same-sex intercourse by checking in a gay couple, who then goes to her part-time job as a sales associate at the Gap, forced to wear her employer’s poly-cotton wares.
But wait, there’s more.
Tobin actually said that people of any and all faiths should quit their job if their job conflicts with the teachings of their faith. So, essentially, the only people who will be employed will be atheists and the Amish. (With all due respect to people of both groups.)
Congratulations, Bishop Tobin. You’re just what America needs right now. Yet another ideologue who is more interested in serving a doctrine than serving humanity.