May 23, 2012--Onanism
Sensing that the current Supreme Court may strike down all or part of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), further, feeling that perhaps the Court is so ideologically and politically conervative that it will look favorably on all challenges to Obama's initiatives, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (the political arm of the Church in America) has joined a host of non-church catholic institutions in a law suit to overturn the Obama's administration's requirement that places such as Georgetown University and Notre Dame not be required to allow their healthcare insurers to pay for contraceptive services for their employees--even though the institutions themselves are not beíng asked to pay for them.
Their argument, one that we have heard recently--that this infringes on religious freedom and the separation of church and state--conveniently ignores many issues.
First, some of these same players are not such defenders of the separation of church and state when it serves their purposes. For example, they claim we are a Christian nation and the Constitution does not say anything about issues such as prayer in school. Thus, they would like to reinstitute it. They say, get the government out of the classroom and get it out of telling us what kind of healthcare we need to provide.
Places such as Notre Dame and Georgetown, to be consistent about keeping the federal government out of their business, would make a better, consistent case if they turned down all forms of governmental involvement.
If they did, half their students would have to drop out because they couldn't secure federally guaranteed loans or Pell Grants. If it weren't for all the government contracts and grants they have secured through the years, they would have to shut down most of their research projects. And their hospitals would go out of business if it weren't for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. All taxpayer funded.
Further, what is this centuries-long obsession about contraception? There is very little in the Bible that addresses the issue.
Yes, God calls for humans to "be fruitful and multiply." And also in Genesis, and only there, there is one story that can be construed to be about contraception--the story of Onan and his sister-in-law, Tamar.
After his brother, Er, died, his father, Judah, directed Onan to impregnate Tamar so that the family line would continue. (His father, by the way, did not tell Onan to marry Tamar--just to get her pregnant.) Onan is then described as having out-of-wedlock sex with her but withdrew before he ejaculated, "spilling his seed on the ground." As a result, God killed him for his "wickedness."
That's it: two references wide open to interpretation by biblical scholars--be fruitful and multiply and, claimed subsequently by the Church to apply all men under all circumstances, do not spill your seed on the ground.
Ironically, there are three forms of birth control permitted to observant Catholics--their preferred, abstinence; second, the rhythm method; and, if all else fails, coitus interruptus--or onanism.
The good news--none of these require medical insurance. Nor does the onanist have to be put to death.
Their argument, one that we have heard recently--that this infringes on religious freedom and the separation of church and state--conveniently ignores many issues.
First, some of these same players are not such defenders of the separation of church and state when it serves their purposes. For example, they claim we are a Christian nation and the Constitution does not say anything about issues such as prayer in school. Thus, they would like to reinstitute it. They say, get the government out of the classroom and get it out of telling us what kind of healthcare we need to provide.
Places such as Notre Dame and Georgetown, to be consistent about keeping the federal government out of their business, would make a better, consistent case if they turned down all forms of governmental involvement.
If they did, half their students would have to drop out because they couldn't secure federally guaranteed loans or Pell Grants. If it weren't for all the government contracts and grants they have secured through the years, they would have to shut down most of their research projects. And their hospitals would go out of business if it weren't for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. All taxpayer funded.
Further, what is this centuries-long obsession about contraception? There is very little in the Bible that addresses the issue.
Yes, God calls for humans to "be fruitful and multiply." And also in Genesis, and only there, there is one story that can be construed to be about contraception--the story of Onan and his sister-in-law, Tamar.
After his brother, Er, died, his father, Judah, directed Onan to impregnate Tamar so that the family line would continue. (His father, by the way, did not tell Onan to marry Tamar--just to get her pregnant.) Onan is then described as having out-of-wedlock sex with her but withdrew before he ejaculated, "spilling his seed on the ground." As a result, God killed him for his "wickedness."
That's it: two references wide open to interpretation by biblical scholars--be fruitful and multiply and, claimed subsequently by the Church to apply all men under all circumstances, do not spill your seed on the ground.
Ironically, there are three forms of birth control permitted to observant Catholics--their preferred, abstinence; second, the rhythm method; and, if all else fails, coitus interruptus--or onanism.
The good news--none of these require medical insurance. Nor does the onanist have to be put to death.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:02 AM
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