OFFICE OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP

Reformed Catholic Church

www.reformedcatholic.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27th, 2022 

To the Faithful of the Reformed Catholic Church and all People of Goodwill: 

The main premise at the heart of Catholic moral teaching has always been the supremacy of conscience. On Friday, June 24th, the Supreme Court of the United States, in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, permits individual state legislatures to deny individuals of the right to make informed decisions of conscience regarding their reproductive health. Instead, this ruling permits states to make such decisions criminal and subject to civil or criminal penalties people who can bear children plus their doctors, pharmacists, friends, and family members who support them. 

 A gospel-informed conscience most certainly validates the dignity of all persons and the responsibilities of society to nurture life through all of its stages by insuring adequate resources to take care of basic needs, education, livelihood, health care, and inclusion and participation in society. However, a gospel-informed conscience would not, in our understanding, advocate punishment or sanction based on reproductive health choices of those who do not share traditional Catholic beliefs about when life begins. 

Even more concerning is the judicial reasoning at the heart of the decision in Dobbs. This decision was not premised on states rights. Instead, it strips away protections under the 14th Amendment deemed implicit by previous courts. It was clear in Justice Thomas's concurring opinion that other individuals will be targeted to have their rights to decisions of conscience taken away, causing further damage to persons who can bear children (Griswold) and the LGBTQI+ community (Lawrence and Obergefell). The court is now willing to privilege one vision of religious orthodoxy on people of all traditions, permitting states to impose criminal and civil punishments on anyone whose sincerely held moral beliefs do not conform. 

As a prophetic church, called to welcome and affirm historically marginalized populations, the Reformed Catholic Church affirms the right of persons who can bear children to follow their conscience in terms of reproductive health. We denounce the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs and support efforts to nullify its impacts through direct action, legislative remedy, elections, and individual efforts to support all who can bear children. 

Sincerely in Christ, 

The Bishops of the Reformed Catholic Church

More thoughts on SCOTUS

 Today the supreme court of the United States did something they had never done, they removed a right that had been granted and was considered as solid as any of the rights granted by the Bill of Rights.  What they did was to take rights away from a whole gender and make them subservient to males, politicians, and state governments.  They also made a women's health control by a very small group of what I consider radical extremists in Christian churches.  

Before you yell at me, which won’t happen as no one follows this blog, keep in mind this is strictly my opinion.  The churches, ministers, clergy, and priest making the loudest noises are quoting scriptures that fit their agenda and never quoting the full scripture, just the part they want.   The original Roe v Wade had nothing to do with politics or religion.  It was strictly to save women's lives.   The number of back-alley abortions being done and women dying from botched ones done with clothes hangers and other tools not meant for it was staggering.   It was done to protect the mother's health and life.  Over time a small group of radical fathers that wanted a woman they had impregnated it carry a child to full term for their selfish reasons caused the movement into the quagmire we have now. 

Do we need to control when you can not do it anymore, yes, should we also prevent a woman from having to carry a child from rape or incest, yes If that is what she needs for her complete health, mental and physical, then yes.   If it is being used as a means of birth control, then that needs to be looked at to see if our failed system can be fixed so there will be no need for that.

What I am really worried about is the long-term fallout.   Are we going to get programs to help young moms that are now forced into motherhood, I do not think any of the churches yelling alleluia right now will help them?  Will we have better sex education and condoms made available so that unwanted pregnancies or reduced?  How about social services to help feed, clothe and care for those forced into motherhood.   It appears to me, that the Republican far right, the conservative Christian right and five of the Justices feel the need to make women into the new slave class of citizens.

This is a sad, dark time for the United States.  We have taken a Holy Book and used it as a political tool to subjugate an entire gender to make a large swath of insecure males feel better tonight.

Just my humble opinion.

SCOTUS ruling

 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)

37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;  Luke 6:37 (ESV)

In the next few weeks as people wrestle with what the Supreme Court did with their rulings and the various reaction that will come from it, remember the above in your dealings with those you disagree with. 

Taking Jesus out of his niche

 Jesus was very much a master of the Socratic method of debate and conversation.   He was the intellectual equal to any of the great thinkers of his time and all times after, but most do not take the time to remove him from a niche we have put him in to revel in his brilliance, and an orator, debater, teacher, and philosopher.   I think it is time he is taught in both aspects.   But that is just me.

A thought on faith

 In the gospel, Jesus is asked 187 questions.  He answers maybe 8 of them, no more than that.

Conversely, Jesus himself asks 307 questions. 

Why do you think that is?  The answer is in his questions.  He answers the questions he was asked with a question back to them to help guide the person to their answers.

Maybe Faith isn’t about certainty, but learning to ask – and sit in the complexity of – a good question.

Something to dwell on.

06/11/2021

 No type of creation has been a painless process. Miracles like that or in general should leave a mark so that we can remember how precious they are.

The Trinity, a observation

 Thoughts for discussion only and not to take a side on anything. I found this interesting in my research for a white paper/essay.

The most widely accepted version of Matthew 28: 16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

From the oldest known complete verified text of the same

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son,
20 and remember our holy spirit as you teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Interesting how a scribe to make it flow better could have easily moved the holy spirit, or as laid out in several books the translation of several words might not have been easily translated. Either way, in my humble opinion it is clear that the focus of the commission is his teaching and to help prepare as many as would accept those teaching for heaven. I do not think it was to start 1000-plus years of disagreement of trinity or not. It is only when we try to put the current understanding and desires in the way of a message from 2000 years ago do we find ourselves in disagreement.

Appropriate

 

This seems to be an appropriate statement for our current times.