FEMALE PRIESTS
"I am a lifelong Catholic and I don't know exactly what to make of this. Instinctively, I do not see the problem with women as priests. I read the church's official stance on the issue and I do not find it terribly convincing. For example, I think it is something of a reach to claim that because Jesus did not ordain any women, he did not intend for any women to ever be ordained. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that some of the earliest priests, including St. Peter himself, were married, so obviously the church's position on who can be ordained can be subject to change."It just seems to me that it should be possible for the church to change some things about its 'infrastructure' without changing its core beliefs and values."
NIGHT OWL, Templenightowl.blogspot.com
"There are still those who wish to betray 2,000 years of church history, a strong tradition of conservative theological interpretation, and an unwavering testimony of sacred scriptures affirming that women must not be ordained to the ministry of the gospel.
"One historical dimension that came to my attention recently concerns the religious atmosphere of the first century. Historical records prove that the first century was replete with priestesses. Some - today - assert that if the cultural norms of the day were more favorable to women in places of authority - such as in our own day - then Jesus would have been more prone to ordaining women as apostles. . . . Jesus would not have been the first to ordain women to places of authority in his ministry. However, he chose 12 male apostles. Jesus was a taboo-breaker and it would have been a simple task for him to choose women who were among his followers. But the divine pattern prevailed; a pattern begun in the older covenant. Jesus shows that the nature of the church and the scriptures is that the authority to administer word and meal be limited to men only."
URI BRITO, Apologus.wordpress.com
"The Vatican's position continues to be that women cannot become priests because Jesus did not have female apostles. Well guys, I don't believe Christ had any sexual predator apostles either, yet your efforts to keep them out have been less committed and successful than keeping spiritually infused women out. What's up with that? I am only left to assume that institutional sexism and keeping women in their place is sadly a higher priority."
BR T, Streetprophets.com
OBAMA'S TRIP
"Swing voters are eager to vote for change, but one of the questions holding them back is whether Barack Obama can lead America in a dangerous world. More than anything else, this week's trip will allow them to imagine Barack Obama as commander in chief - to get a sense of how he looks on the world stage."ROBERT CREAMER, Huffingtonpost.com
"Make no mistake, Obama's trip is newsworthy. But sending the lead anchor is a move the networks usually reserve for the most important world events - say, a sitting president's first overseas excursion. Having the anchors trail a mere candidate on what is primarily a photo-op trip is just bizarre. John McCain couldn't get the network anchors to follow him if he journeyed to the moon."
ALAN STEWART CART, Donkelepheant.com
"Barack Obama will appear this week before the American public in a new role: as an American abroad. And he's putting the stress squarely on 'American.' In a presidential campaign where the Democrat faces an especially intense variation of a familiar Republican assault that he is, in some sense, not 'one of us,' the trip abroad represents an opportunity for Obama to assert that he is, rather, not one of them."
BEN SMITH, Politico.com
