[This is a letter I sent to Cumberland Times-News in response to commentary by Nancy Thoerig and column by Cokie and Steve Roberts. Note link to Thoerig's letter, not to Cokie.]
What an amazing juxtaposition of viewpoints in Wednesday’s, March 30, edition, between Nancy Thoerig’s bigoted screed “Authentic Catholics do not support gay marriage,” targeting liberal Catholics, gay legislators, gays who want to marry, gay adoptive couples, children of lesbian couples, and atheist legislators (did I leave anyone out?), and Steve & Cokie Roberts’s op ed headlined, “America becoming more tolerant nation.” What a contrast!
I would like to ask Ms Thoerig how she dare set herself up to judge who is or is not an “Authentic Catholic.” “Judge not, that ye be not judged…” Well, strike that. Did someone grant onto her the same infallibility attributed to the Pope? She is incensed at the people who promoted the bill to allow same-sex marriage in Maryland, especially those who are “liberal Catholics,” and you can almost hear her scathing tone as she refers to the eight openly gay members in the legislature—who let them in, anyway? She forgets that our government is secular; it is neither to control, nor to be controlled by, any church. Of course, citizens have every right to call, visit, and write to their legislators about an issue that concerns them, but the Catholic Church seems to believe that the government should be guided by their doctrine. Who recalls when John F Kennedy had to face down fears that if a Catholic were elected president, the Pope would be taking over our government? How far have we come now, when Catholic priests forbid communion to any politician who advocates for women’s reproductive rights, or to anyone who voted for Obama unless they go to confession and pray forgiveness; now, I suppose it will be to any politician who advocates for gay marriage. Although the same strictures do not seem to apply to those who support the death penalty or the war in Iraq, even though the Vatican opposes both of those policies.
To cap it all off, when Ms Thoerig brings up Senator Jamin Raskin (D-Montgomery) leading the floor debate on the issue, she has to take a gratuitous slap at him for being an atheist. Well, I guess that is worse than being an unauthentic Catholic. What book did he get sworn in on? By the way, speaking of books, you could do worse than to read Jamin D Raskin’s “Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court vs. The American People,” New York, Routledge, 2004. Written, as you can see, before the infamous Citizens United ruling.
By contrast, there are Cokie and Steve Roberts, married 45 years, he Jewish and she Catholic; they have written a book “Our Haggadah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families.” They discuss the greater acceptance today of interfaith marriage, and then state: “Social acceptance of diversity extends far beyond interfaith marriages,” citing a Washington Post/AB C News poll that shows 53 percent of Americans supporting gay marriage, up from 36 percent five years ago. They point out that same-sex couples are seen as bringing the same devotion to their relationships as do heterosexual couples.
Our government, and our Constitution, exist to protect individual rights and liberties, not to deny them.
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