MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe,” this morning hosted a segment on the Obama administration’s recent decision requiring all businesses owned by religious entities, such as a university owned by the Catholic Church, to provide to their employees free contraception services — just as all other businesses are required to do by law. The ruling would not apply to religious institutions directly, rather, to their affiliates and businesses they own or operate.
Joe Scarborough, after the segment ran this morning, wrote via Twitter, “I’m not Catholic but I must say I am stunned by the open bigotry shown toward people of the Catholic faith.”
What an incredibly mind-boggling statement, especially for a journalist, to write.
What an incredible twisting of facts.
Even the New York Times last week finally put the false concept of abused “religious liberty” where it belongs.
Religious liberty does not apply to those who would attempt to take away the rights of minorities. If the Catholic Church wants to implement a program for its members, fine. But they do not have the right to imprint their ancient beliefs on the masses, and use their vast fortunes to do so.
If the Catholic Church says it will not marry same-sex couples, that’s fine. But it’s not fine for the Catholic Church — or any religious institution — to attempt to remove that right from same-sex couples at the secular level. In other words, civil marriage should not be a target of the Church. Yet, it is.
In other words, “religious liberty” does not mean you get the right to apply your beliefs on me.
Does Scarborough not see the blatant open bigotry infused into society by the Catholic Church?
Perhaps Scarborough is unaware of the efforts by the Catholic Church, up to and including the pope, directly, to interfere with American democracy and attempt to prevent gays and lesbians the right to marry?
Joe Scarborough’s willful ignorance and open bigotry against those who are not of faith is stunning.
And shameful.
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There are few things I can’t stand more when our opponents do it more than conflating two issues. It is indefensible when the people I stand with do the same thing. I watched Morning Joe this morning like most any morning Tony Perkins is not on.
You start out your article talking about the issue that was ostensibly the impetus for the tweet (insurance coverage for contraceptives) and then pivot to something completed unrelated (marriage equality). “Religious liberty” belongs in scare quotes where the New York Times put it in any context if its use is not denoting the freedom to practice the religion of one’s own choosing. It does not belong in either of the instances you cite.
Our foes in the struggle for equal rights are the masters of bait and switch. Please do not fall into being like them. It weakens our arguments.
It weakens our arguments.
I understand your point but this is perfectly legitimate. Scarborough did not mention what his tweet was related to, so I took an educated guess, given his timeline and show this AM. But the fact remains that the Church has injected itself into politics and marriage equality is an excellent example, especially given the Prop 8 decision about to come down. Everything is interrelated.
They both deserve to be heard on their own merits. I understand where you are coming from too. I agree with you on both issues.
In one case “the church” (Catholic) is opposed to the requirement that they fund through insurance contraceptive coverage. They are not in this instance trying to abolish contraceptives outright. There is plenty of case law dating back decades establishing this right. Fundamental reproductive rights are not under debate (though I am sure they would like for that to be the case). In the other “the church”(Catholic, LDS, what have you) want to deny the fundamental right for me to marry my partner. There are many degrees of difference in my mind evenif both are wrong-headed
Does standing up for an organization that promotes bigotry, because of bigotry make yo a bigot?
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