The Roar Of A Disillusioned Ex Catholic

  So I'm on the train heading home from work and I'm reading Steve Huntley's column in the Sun Times.  Huntley, who in my view, will never be mistaken for an Obama supporter took the president to task for pushing a federal law that requires Catholic Hospitals, Charities, and Universities to provide all employees with health insurance that includes coverage for contraception, sterilization, and the morning after birth control pill.  Huntley accused the president of waging a war on the Constitution and basically undermining the mission
of the Catholic Church and everything it stands for.  I have a news flash for Mister Huntley and the Catholic Church.  This isn't a matter of constitutional rights.  No, it's a matter of common sense.  Whether the Catholic Church wants to admit it or not, we're living in the age of HIV and AIDS.  Encouraging the flock not to wear condoms is just plain lunacy when there's an incurable disease out there decimating people from all walks of life.  Quick question for Mister Huntley and the Catholic Church?  What is one of the risk factors for HIV/AIDS?  Anyone? Anyone?  The answer is... (drumroll) having sex without....(wait for it) contraceptives.  Then again, why doesn't this backlash surprise me.  I was a Catholic once and then I grew up and I realized what a bizarre ideology I had been bred into.  In my view, Catholicism is an OZ like utopia where mortal men take a vow and are expected to fore sake all of the wants and desires that make them human so they can serve the church without fail.  Love thy neighbor but if that neighbor is gay or lesbian, they have to go down the block to a separate place of worship.  Hell, I was pretty much labeled as a black sheep of my own faith because I had sex before marriage.  Good thing I ignored the thematic ruling on contraceptives; otherwise, I would've brought a child into the world before I was ready.  Look, just because I'm a disillusioned Catholic doesn't mean that I'm declaring war on Catholicism as a whole.  It wasn't my bag and it made my head hurt, being a Catholic, but that's me.  There are those who will agree that Obama overstepped his bounds by forcing all Catholic entities to act in violation of their doctrine.  But what if that doctrine is misguided and archaic?  What if that doctrine isn't exactly a perfect fit for some rather unsettling times on the fornication front?  Whether the Catholic Church wants to admit it or not, there are many people like me out there.  People who, though they were bred to believe in certain commandments, will ultimately stray for the sake of both practicality and free will.  In the eyes of the Catholic Church, I committed a sin.  In my view, I made a choice and then I acted responsibly.  Obama isn't the bad guy here, I don't care what Steve Huntley or the Catholic Church says.  Obama made a choice and that choice is about responsibility and common sense, and ultimately, public safety.  The Catholic Church was or is unwilling to think in these terms so Obama simply gave them a much needed reality check.