Rights of women or wrongs of bishops?

Annie Laurie Gaylor is one of the co-presidents of the American body, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), along with her ex-minister husband Dan Barker.

Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor of the FFRF

If you want to hear Annie Laurie and Dan in action, try listening to the podcast "Freethought Radio" as I do every week.  Although it is very much focused on issues surrounding the 1st Amendment to the US constitution (and in UK we have no such constitution) I find that they often have guests with interesting opinions.

Last week, Annie Laurie and Dan wrote a hard-hitting 'open letter' to 'Liberal' and 'Nominal' Catholics, and published it as a full page advert in the New York Times on 9th March.  Here is a copy of the letter which points out many of the evils represented by the church.

I think this goes a long way to confront the claim that the church does more good than harm.  Of course 'other' christians will cheerfully dissociate themselves from these Catholic evils.  Whatever their disagreements might be, many christians will stick together in the face of a realistic and rational challenge to the beliefs that they share.  They always do.

Much of the message is relevant to the comments left last weekend on my latest post in the series 'Things Christians Say Part 6'.

Full page advert by FFRF in the New York Times

Why is this relevant?  It all comes down to the one and only proven cure for poverty in the world.  Any society that gives women control of reproduction naturally becomes more prosperous.  This goes very much against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church - and several other notable religious movements. 

After all . . . AIDS may be bad, but condoms are a greater sin.

So, "Do you choose women and their rights, or bishops and their wrongs?" is rather a good question isn't it?