Merging of Church and State Disturbing

M O N D A Y , O C T O B E R 0 4 , 2 0 0 4Merging of Church and State Disturbing? Ha,We've Got It Easy!by Michael in New York on 10/04/2004 09:32:00 PMThink the conflation of church and state in the US is disturbing? (Weare, after all, one of the most actively religious countries in the world-- ie, lots of us go to worship all the time.)Well, we've got nothing on Spain where a new Socialist primeminister is tussling with the Catholic Church over restraining itsinfluence in public life."Summarizing the country's mood," wrote the NYT, "José LuisRodríguez Zapatero, the new Socialist prime minister, said the otherday that Spaniards wanted more freedom, less dogma and a greaterseparation of church and state. "They want more sports, lessreligion,'' he said."This has meant equal rights for gays in marriage and adoption,making religious education in public schools optional (!) and so on.Rome is furious.</p><p> The most curious passage:"But marriage rights for gay couples is far from the only issuetroubling the Catholic Church," says NYT. "Further government plansinclude liberalizing abortion laws, allowing embryo research fortherapeutic purposes, making divorce easier and cracking down ondomestic violence."The Catholic Church is disturbed by a crackdown on domesticviolence? There's got to be some explanation -- however far-fetched-- for this statement.</p><p> Anyone know what exactly this refers to? MORE POSTS ABOUT: CATHOLIC CHURCH Add New Comment Logged in as AnonymousUser Logout from DisqusLogged in asusing Facebook Connect (Logout)Type your comment here.</p><p> Daily Kos"Difference isn't a threat" - Dave Neiwert, theblogosphere's leading expert on the eliminationistmovement, has a typically excellent post about theweekend's tragic shooting at Croo...5 minutes agoFiredoglakeConyers Explains Failure to Impeach - The HouseCommittee on the Judiciary Majority Staff haswritten a Final Report to Chairman John Conyers,Jr. last month (March 2009), REINING IN THEIMPERI...14 minutes agoHuffPost PoliticsAllison Kilkenny: Obama, Nukes, and the World -While Obama's pursuit of nuclear disarmamentwould be noble, double standards, favoritism, andfear-mongering are cancerous elements that robthe U.S. of res...19 minutes agoEschatonDeep Thought - Why is Chris Hayes always on myteevee?1 hour agoCrooks and LiarsNCAA Basketball Open Thread - Satire from TheOnion.</p><p> Yeah, yer brackets are in the toilet.</p><p> Openthread for the NCAA Championship game, a regularopen thread appears at 8:30 Pacific Ti...1 hour agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S Pregnancy Resource CenterPregnancy counseling.</p><p> Call today to learnof options.profilehopeforafuture.comHow to Fix Your MarriageGet Free Marriage Help Immediately.</p><p> NewAlternative to Counseling.www.MarriageMax.comFamily Counseling MaricopaFor Family And Group Therapy You CanTrust, See Us In Casa Grande.www.DrClementsCounseling.com www.thegodmovie.comAds by Google AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Mergi...http://www.americablog.com/2004/10/merging-of-church-and-st... 1 of 64/6/09 10:38 PM