Catholic mother admits she has questioned her faith — and believers respond by heaping abuse on her

Sonia Guizar used to attend mass regularly and teach at a Catholic school. But her Catholic employer’s refusal to cover birth control brought her an ill-timed pregnancy and a child with developmental challenges that stretch her family thin. When she publicly shared her experience and questioned Church teachings in a Washington Post story, what she got was a heap of abuse from fellow Catholics whose urge to defend religious dogma and authority trumped their kindness and compassion. Guizar’s story may be a very distant echo of the horrendous slaughter being perpetrated by Jihadis shouting “Allahu akbar!”—but it is an echo nonetheless. One of religion’s most heinous characteristics is that it elevates defense of faith above compassion, inspiring mean and aggressive behavior in the names of gods.

The American Supreme Court is considering a “religious freedom” claim by a Catholic charity, the Little Sisters of the Poor, that wants to deny contraception coverage to employees in their chain of nursing homes—mostly working poor women who can ill afford either out-of-pocket birth control costs or a surprise pregnancy. They further want to block the same employees from gaining access to free contraception via an “opt out” mechanism, a religious exemption already established under Obamacare. With the case making news and drawing protests, Guizar shared her own experience of needing birth control that she and her husband couldn’t afford. Fearing she would be fired by her Catholic employer if she tried to get the IUD recommended by her doctor, Guizar and her husband tried to make do with “natural family planning” and ended up pregnant. Their son, born from that pregnancy, has developmental delays and requires therapy multiple times weekly; and the whole ordeal has caused her to question her faith.

Her story is both ordinary and heartbreaking, and most people reading it would ache for her. But in dozens of comments, Catholic defenders of the faith saw fit to instead question either the legitimacy of her devotion, or her strength or integrity:

This is such an obvious hit piece–no catholic would ever say “I no longer celebrate mass” every catholic knows that only a priest can celebrate a mass. [not true]

You couldn’t afford birth control? Really? That’s ridiculous [not true] . . . . And you call yourself a ‘devout’ Catholic and NOT following their doctrine? Again, you don’t know what either devout and/or Catholic means. —Angie Sharp

Then you really were not a Catholic to begin with. Now you just write really dumb stuff! Congratulations you are progressing. I’m sure God will forgive your idiotic apostasy.—Wasachnorth [See No True Scotsman Fallacy]

The Apostle Paul was shipwrecked, tortured and thrown in different jails. You? Well you were told to not use birth control and your faith crumbled. —Give-me-Liberty

The amazing and great thing about America is that you can change your employment! Yes, I know it sounds incredible, but it can be done! If The Church has a tenet that you do not agree with, and it does, then you can adopt a creed more to your liking or get another job. Problem solved. —Steve Fotos

Go find another job. You signed an employment agreement. —Robert PS

I can’t believe this lady ever was a devout Catholic, she may have though she was, but it is obvious she has little understanding of faith and a great understanding of the secular world. . . . If she were really a devout Catholic she might try to follow the example of Mary in saying yes to God, instead of the example of Eve who said no to God and yes to the Snake! —Yvonne Yadler Bean
#
Natural planning is just as effective as any other birth control method. [not true—1 in 4 annual pregnancy rate vs 1 in 2000.] . . . . If you really are devout catholic, you should known what the church teaches and if you don’t like it work somewhere else. —pattyanna

Sonia is missing the boat as a “devout” catholic. She says she would have as many children as God intended but cant afford??????????? If her faith in God is solid, then he will take care of the financial “burden” that comes with having kids. As a fellow Catholic . . . .—Hannah Pharis

Perhaps you should read the bible again. JOB would have loved to have been hit with the issue of contraception as opposed to having this faith tried by the loss of his entire family! But you are devout? —Jane1000

If you don’t like your faith because your employer doesn’t pay for contraceptives, than you’ve never had one in the first place. Go demagogue somewhere else.—Pete r Gray



There are many morals or themes that could be drawn from Sonia’s story: The enormous human cost of the Vatican’s anti-contraception stance, especially when it leaves families struggling to care for children with developmental issues (think Zika). The fact that a modern IUD or implant (both of which have bonus health benefits) can be life changing for a woman and her family. The crass dishonesty of any person or institution claiming to be a friend to the poor (or “Little Sister of the Poor”) while denying poor families the means to delay or limit childbearing. The fascinating psychology of religion that compels people to lie to themselves and others once they accept a dogma. The fact most American Catholics follow their own conscience and use modern contraception at some point despite Papal edict. The fact that Catholic tradition itself is conflicted about individuals making this decision.

But during a month of jihadist violence—executions in Ivory Coast, a bombing in Brussels and a bombing in Istanbul, all by people who see themselves as defending the one true faith–what strikes me most about Sonia’s story is the mundane cruelty of her detractors, the fact that even on a topic as ordinary as family planning or a setting as minor as a Washington Post comment thread, religious belief has the power to trump humanity’s deepest shared ethic—the Golden Rule—and our most cherished moral emotion: compassion. I have written in the past about “religion’s dirty dozen,” twelve really bad religious ideas that have made the world worse. The idea that religious beliefs themselves matter more than love and kindness, more than our shared humanity, should be at the top of the list.

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light and Deas and Other Imaginings, and the founder of www.WisdomCommons.org. Her articles about religion, reproductive health, and the role of women in society have been featured at sites including AlterNet, Salon, the Huffington Post, Grist, and Jezebel. Subscribe at ValerieTarico.com.


http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/catholic-mother-admits-she-has-questioned-her-faith-and-believers-respond-by-heaping-abuse-on-her/


Hence why again religion does little good and is hugely damaging

Religion does a lot of good. If you don't want to have religious faith, that's up to you, but stop interfering in the faith of others.

Raggamuffin wrote:Religion does a lot of good. If you don't want to have religious faith, that's up to you, but stop interfering in the faith of others.

When you say religious did you mean blind??????????????????????????????????????????

Raggamuffin wrote:Religion does a lot of good. If you don't want to have religious faith, that's up to you, but stop interfering in the faith of others.

Really? 
The only good it does is around comforting those who have lost.
I take issue with like here idiots attacking this woman based on the most stupid aspects of that faith

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Religion does a lot of good. If you don't want to have religious faith, that's up to you, but stop interfering in the faith of others.

Really? 
The only good it does is around comforting those who have lost.
I take issue with like here idiots attacking this woman based on the most stupid aspects of that faith

Send her a letter then. There's no need for you to slag off all religious faith because you don't like what a few people said.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:


Really? 
The only good it does is around comforting those who have lost.
I take issue with like here idiots attacking this woman based on the most stupid aspects of that faith

Send her a letter then. There's no need for you to slag off all religious faith because you don't like what a few people said.

I do not need to when can counter back the idiots that have attacked her with their hate

I can criticize religions as seen here if they are damaging and allow people to be utterly hateful

Best you get used

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Send her a letter then. There's no need for you to slag off all religious faith because you don't like what a few people said.

I do not need to when can counter back the idiots that have attacked her with their hate

I can criticize religions as seen here if they are damaging and allow people to be utterly hateful

Best you get used

You're criticising a whole religion based on the opinions of a few people though.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

I do not need to when can counter back the idiots that have attacked her with their hate

I can criticize religions as seen here if they are damaging and allow people to be utterly hateful

Best you get used

You're criticising a whole religion based on the opinions of a few people though.

Yes because that religion is a crock of shit, is dangerous in its literal belief and 2000 years of history prove this

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You're criticising a whole religion based on the opinions of a few people though.

Yes because that religion is a crock of shit, is dangerous in its literal belief and 2000 years of history prove this

You're clearly bitter about it, but it brings joy to many other people.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Yes because that religion is a crock of shit, is dangerous in its literal belief and 2000 years of history prove this

You're clearly bitter about it, but it brings joy to many other people.

Nothing to do with bitter but showing how abhorrent these Abrahamic religions are.

I mean Christianity is nothing more than a death cult

Why should an employer pay for birth control anyway? What people do in their own homes isn't their responsibility. She didn't have to tell them if she got free contraception, or she could have paid for it herself. Alternatively, she could have kept her legs together.

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You're clearly bitter about it, but it brings joy to many other people.

Nothing to do with bitter but showing how abhorrent these Abrahamic religions are.

I mean Christianity is nothing more than a death cult

I hope you can back that up, otherwise you're accusing all Christians of being involved in a death cult.

Raggamuffin wrote:Why should an employer pay for birth control anyway? What people do in their own homes isn't their responsibility. She didn't have to tell them if she got free contraception, or she could have paid for it herself. Alternatively, she could have kept her legs together.

Of course an employed should pay for birth control
We live in a world where the population is spiraling out of control
That is why there is a mass population explosion in Africa based on Catholicism teaching

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Why should an employer pay for birth control anyway? What people do in their own homes isn't their responsibility. She didn't have to tell them if she got free contraception, or she could have paid for it herself. Alternatively, she could have kept her legs together.

Of course an employed should pay for birth control
We live in a world where the population is spiraling out of control
That is why there is a mass population explosion in Africa based on Catholicism teaching

Does your employer pay for birth control then?

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Why should an employer pay for birth control anyway? What people do in their own homes isn't their responsibility. She didn't have to tell them if she got free contraception, or she could have paid for it herself. Alternatively, she could have kept her legs together.

Of course an employed should pay for birth control
We live in a world where the population is spiraling out of control
That is why there is a mass population explosion in Africa based on Catholicism teaching

do YOU know of any employer HERE (in the uk) that pays for birth control?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Nothing to do with bitter but showing how abhorrent these Abrahamic religions are.

I mean Christianity is nothing more than a death cult

I hope you can back that up, otherwise you're accusing all Christians of being involved in a death cult.

Easy, a man like many other death cults like Osiris etc all died and then were risen from the dead.
They are all centered on death and Resurrection

Lord Foul wrote:

Didge wrote:

Of course an employed should pay for birth control
We live in a world where the population is spiraling out of control
That is why there is a mass population explosion in Africa based on Catholicism teaching

do YOU know of any employer HERE (in the uk) that pays for birth control?

Its free in the uk on the NHS

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I hope you can back that up, otherwise you're accusing all Christians of being involved in a death cult.

Easy, a man like many other death cults like Osiris etc all died and then were risen from the dead.
They are all centered on death and Resurrection

Please explain how I am involved in a death cult.

Take your time.

Didge wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:

do YOU know of any employer HERE (in the uk) that pays for birth control?

Its free in the uk on the NHS

The NHS is your employer?

thats cos we is sensible....

however if it wasnt....would you really expect an employer to pay for it?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Easy, a man like many other death cults like Osiris etc all died and then were risen from the dead.
They are all centered on death and Resurrection

Please explain how I am involved in a death cult.

Take your time.

I just did, its based on death and Resurrection, which requires death first in order to have then a belief of an after life

Watch the video

Take your time

Lord Foul wrote:thats cos we is sensible....

however if it wasnt....would you really expect an employer to pay for it?

Which in the US they have health policies through work, so to me then birth control should be a fundamental part of that

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Please explain how I am involved in a death cult.

Take your time.

I just did, its based on death and Resurrection, which requires death first in order to have then a belief of an after life

Watch the video

Take your time

Explain in your own words, not via some random video you just found.

I mean Christianity is nothing more than a death cult

First of all, what is your definition of a "death cult"?

Didge wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:thats cos we is sensible....

however if it wasnt....would you really expect an employer to pay for it?

Which in the US they have health policies through work, so to me then birth control should be a fundamental part of that

Well it wasn't. I guess she didn't read the small print when she went to work for them.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:


I just did, its based on death and Resurrection, which requires death first in order to have then a belief of an after life

Watch the video

Take your time

Explain in your own words, not via some random video you just found.

I mean Christianity is nothing more than a death cult

First of all, what is your definition of a "death cult"?

Because Christianity looks forward to death and then being able to have the next after life.

That means they grave the next life thus wanting death in this one.

Why do you think there is a the view of the second coming?
Where Christians yearn for this

Take your time

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:


Which in the US they have health policies through work, so to me then birth control should be a fundamental part of that

Well it wasn't. I guess she didn't read the small print when she went to work for them.

And companies provide health insurance do they not?

Take your tim e

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Explain in your own words, not via some random video you just found.



First of all, what is your definition of a "death cult"?

Because Christianity looks forward to death and then being able to have the next after life.

That means they grave the next life thus wanting death in this one.

Why do you think there is a the view of the second coming?
Where Christians yearn for this

Take your time

That's not a death cult. Why do you object to what they believe?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:


Because Christianity looks forward to death and then being able to have the next after life.

That means they grave the next life thus wanting death in this one.

Why do you think there is a the view of the second coming?
Where Christians yearn for this

Take your time

That's not a death cult. Why do you object to what they believe?

That is fundamentally a death cult

What is even worse you do not recognise that it is

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

That's not a death cult. Why do you object to what they believe?

That is fundamentally a death cult

What is even worse you do not recognise that it is

No it's not.

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Well it wasn't. I guess she didn't read the small print when she went to work for them.

And companies provide health insurance do they not?

Take your tim e

Contraception isn't necessarily a health issue.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:




That is fundamentally a death cult

What is even worse you do not recognise that it is

No it's not.

You have offered zero to counter my points other than think you are in a Pantomine

So why does what Christians believe about what happens after death "abhorrent"?

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

No it's not.

You have offered zero to counter my points other than think you are in a Pantomine

You haven't made any sensible points.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:


You have offered zero to counter my points other than think you are in a Pantomine

You haven't made any sensible points.

Copout

Try again

Didge wrote:

You have offered zero to counter my points other than think you are in a Pantomine

Are you saying that Raggamuffin is the back end of a horse????????????????????????????????????????

Go find another job. You signed an employment agreement. —Robert PS

That seems like a reasonable comment to me. This isn't about Catholic beliefs, it's about a woman complaining about her employer.

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You haven't made any sensible points.

Copout

Try again

You try again. So far all you've come up with is some nonsense about death cults in order to justify your bigotry.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Copout

Try again

You try again. So far all you've come up with is some nonsense about death cults in order to justify your bigotry.

Failed to counter

Try again

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You try again. So far all you've come up with is some nonsense about death cults in order to justify your bigotry.

Failed to counter

Try again

You failed to make any sensible points.

Try again.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Failed to counter

Try again

You failed to make any sensible points.

Try again.

Failed to counter again my points

Try again

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You failed to make any sensible points.

Try again.

Failed to counter again my points

Try again

Stop disrupting the thread or I'll report you. One more chance.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Failed to counter again my points

Try again

Stop disrupting the thread or I'll report you. One more chance.

Oh dear tantrum time again it seems

I mean how ion earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Stop disrupting the thread or I'll report you. One more chance.

Oh dear tantrum time again it seems

I mean how ion earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Reported for disruption.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

Oh dear tantrum time again it seems

I mean how ion earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Reported for disruption.

You are the only one disrupting and acting like a child and nobody is going to even bother with your PM here as they will see you are being a child, so report all you like

You mean you failed to answer the point

I mean how on earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Reported for disruption.

You are the only one disrupting and acting like a child and nobody is going to even bother with your PM here as they will see you are being a child, so report all you like

You mean you failed to answer the point

I mean how on earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Reported.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:

You are the only one disrupting and acting like a child and nobody is going to even bother with your PM here as they will see you are being a child, so report all you like

You mean you failed to answer the point

I mean how on earth do you not think human sacrifice is not a death cult?

Reported.

I will take that as you conceding to the fact, Christianity is a death cult

Thanks

Didge wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Reported.

I will take that as you conceding to the fact Christianity, is a death cult

Thanks

Reported for disruption, baiting, and trolling.

Anyway back to the point at hand

How on earth do these people claim to even follow the teaching of love of Jesus by their hateful views?

Didge wrote:Anyway back to the point at hand

How on earth do these people claim to even follow the teaching of love of Jesus by their hateful views?

It's about employment issues, it shouldn't be an excuse for you to spout your hatred of religion.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Didge wrote:Anyway back to the point at hand

How on earth do these people claim to even follow the teaching of love of Jesus by their hateful views?

It's about employment issues, it shouldn't be an excuse for you to spout your hatred of religion.

They are the ones spouting hate to a woman, I think you will find

Second US companies do offer health insurance so the company if it does not is failing this woman completely

Religions are a desease