We are not the members of a democracy, Father. We are the members of an order.

I've mentioned many times that I don't like pope Ratzinger.

As a fallen catholic I've sort of decided that in most cases it doesn't matter what the catholic church does as long as they stay out of the rest of the world's business. Live and let live.

But condoms and AIDS prevention in Africa are very much the world's business. The pope is once again asserting a morally indefensible position and shaming the entire catholic church in the process.

I know individual catholics have nothing to do with that man assuming the throne of St. Peter. There are many, many catholics who disagree with the pope who've decided to keep their heads down and focus instead on making their communities better. I admire those people.

Nevertheless; I will not set foot in a catholic church until there's a different, less morally compromised man leading the church.

If might is right, then love has no place in the world. It may be so, it may be so. But I don't have the strength to live in a world like that.

Tristero gives the National Day of Prayer the sucker punch it deserves over at Digby's place. James Dobson's wife and Ollie North don't sound all that "christiany" to me. North is a traitor, after all. I don't recall him apologizing for that at any point in the last twenty years.

It's odd that they've picked May 1st as their National Day of Prayer. A day which has traditionally come to signify the efforts of the workers of the world. A day that has also come to signify the folly of a President starting a war and then prematurely declared it won with "Mission Accomplished."

Still- I have enough fundamentalist Catholic in my old atheist self to not feel a little left out. With that in mind I would humbly suggest that if we're going to pray today to God, the FSM, Zeus or whomever that we use the prayer below which, as far as I can remember, was actually included in that bible thingy.

If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell. And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me.

Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride; Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil; It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true; Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.

Though the prophet's word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end. For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet's word gives only a part of what is true: But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary. When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child. For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me. But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13)

So while Ollie North is like sounding brass in D.C. and while this is not a bible-quoting blog nor I a bible-quoting guy, I still think THAT'S a prayer I can get behind.