“Judge not lest ye be judged.” This was and order from Jesus Christ to his followers in the New Testament of the Bible. Sadly, Christian leaders never read this instruction. Most Christian leaders and the majority of their followers are very judgmental. This is the primary reason I rejected Christianity more than 50 years ago. There are many more reasons, but I truly resented one man standing on an altar telling me what was right and wrong, and how to live my life.

I believe that all women and men are born with a sense of morality; of right and wrong. Our choices in life make us good or bad people. Not participating in organized religion is a choice and has no effect on my lifelong search for spirituality.

Joe Biden is a Catholic. He is not a perfect man; no one is. However, he has a certain set of principles; beliefs he has chosen throughout his 76 years on this planet. One of his beliefs is that women have the right to decide the mental and physical health of their own minds and bodies. The Catholic Church does not agree. In most Christian religions women remain second-class citizens.

On Sunday Mr. Biden attended mass at a Catholic Church in Florence, South Carolina. He was denied Holy Communion.

Father Robert Morey, the pastor at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, told the Florence Morning News that he had denied Biden communion because “any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”

“Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that,” Morey said in an email to the newspaper. He said that “as a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care, and I must do so even in the most difficult situations. I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers.”

This is a perfect example of how religion is harming our nation and why all churches should be taxed. The Christian religious right owns the Republican party. If the right-wing would support the first amendment, they would not be allowed to influence our government. Issues including abortion and same-sex marriage would be personal and private issues; not political.

The first amendment guarantees every woman and man the right to practice the religion of their choice or none at all. American is not, and is forbidden to be, a “Christian country.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey

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