Sarah Posner Doesn't Want the Nuns

Sarah Posner, writing at Religion Dispatches, offers a bunch of reason why she thinks Sr. Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus should not be featured at the Democratic National Convention. She argues, among other things, that the nuns are pro-life and not committed to LGBT issues, which is at least an ironic charge seeing as many conservative critics of women religious argue that are not pro-life enough and too silent on defending traditional marriage.

Posner's nastiness is not new, although it remains a mystery to me why someone would spend one's life writing about something, religion, she obviously hates. It is even more of a mystery why any editor would publish someone whose views are so stale and predictable. But, I call attention to Ms. Posner's screed for a reason. The next time someone tells you that there is no substance to the idea that there are people in the U.S. who really hate the Catholic Church, people who wish to minimize the role of religion in society, people who dismiss all the Church's ministries to so many, many people because they don't like the Church's teachings on this or that issue, just consult Ms. Posner's writings and the comments she elicits. How we respond to this is up for debate. The existence of enemies of the Church is not up for debate.