As many of you know, I am graduate student studying social work. In the classes that I take, one thing that they emphasize over and over, is that you should not make politics personnel. When you make it personnel, it is a sign of weakness and it becomes a vendetta.
Last week, I believe that politics did become personnel when an ill-advised bill was introduced and then withdrawn. The bill was a bill to increase the number of parishioners on parish councils to give the parishioners control of the church finances. I am on the side of the church; I think that it was unconstitutional. However, instead of arguing the bill merits they made it an attack on the co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee.
The Fairfield Advocate said, “It was supposed to be a fight over church sovereignty, but it quickly devolved into a gay-bashing bonanza and a platform for Catholics to blame two openly homosexual lawmakers for every setback their political agenda has suffered.”
By making it personnel, they made it into a vendetta, weakening their position and stirring up hate
As a ex-Catholic, hurt by their behavior and theology in my past, and the sexual predation by priests (I come from the Boston area),I can understand the distrust by many towards the Church. Catholic parishoners need controls over the Diocese/Vatican run top-down edifice. But I understand the state-church issues as well.
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