Funny thing about this--MA is now the liberal center of the universe... how'd we get from Puritan witch burning to strident "keep church and state separate"?

You learned from your mistakes.

You clearly don't know that much about MA.

I AM Massachussetts, bitch!

No, southern boy, you're not. This state (I'm in Mass right now) is out of control with their prop 2.5 override votes and threats of "closing libraries and senior citizen centers" even though they recorded record revenues last year. The citizens voted to reduce the tax rates to 5% (from the current 5.3%) but the gov't. just won't do it. The property taxes are as high as NH, but NH functions without income taxes or a sales tax. Mass has both. Yet, for some reason, they need more, more, more.

The members of the government here in this state are exactly what people claim to hate - members of the good ole' boys network. They all know each other (for the most part), and of course, they're all hiring friends and family. The MBTA is a joke.

I could go on, but Mass hasn't learned anything except how to waste money.

I bask in the warmth of your liberal denial

Nope...I do see the inherent contradiction of the "Catholic-Liberal" (as well as the hyper conservative (IMO) helmet and seatbelt laws). I just do not see in MA the same kind of Born Again Evangelism that is sweeping the rest of the country.

Thank God

One would think that if Plymouth were the "religious center" in the old colonies, then it would stick around a tad...we have a way of hanging onto old traditions i.e. we are probably amongst the last in the country to still have some blue laws.

edit: our problems with taxes and all that other contradictory shit PJD was referring to seems to me to be a result of having a Republican Gov.

I don't know about MA, but I know the difference between a GOD debate and a TAXES debate.

I was talking about MA, which you were agreeing was a haven. It isn't.

There are lots of churches here too. They like God in MA.

There, happy?

Close enough.

We do like God here in MA...again, the Kennedy influence is still very strong here (at least in the Metro Boston area, I can;t speak for what goes on wesat of the Berkshire mountains). But the Kennedy Catholic Liberal is not only liberal in politics, but also liberal with his/her religion...not the trend in the rest of the country.

I don't know about that - haven't there been plenty of "whackos" holding sit ins to stop a church from closing? That doesn't sound so liberal to me.

In any case, MA is always good for a laugh, so I say "Keep up the good work!!"

Having a sit in to save your church doesn't sound so bad. Why would you be against that?

That doesn't sound like a zealot to you? There are other churches nearby that their churches are merging into.

If you think it's detrimental to your church to be merged into another church, seems like a reasonable means of protest.

Those are all Catholics who are really pissed off at the archdiocese for having moved pedophile priests from one MA parish to another. The Boston Archdiocese is broke and it is because of the pedophile pay out...who wants their chuch closed because Cardninal Law was the hugest pedophile enabler ever? I don't blame them for being pissed and holding sit-in's in their "economically viable and vibrant" church.

It's the "God Hates Fags" and other assorted evangelical groups that are just not all that present in this state.

Just a difference of opinion, I guess. To me, it would be the equivalent of the local Walmart closing because there are 3 on one road.

To me, a church is just a building where a person worships. To consider it otherwise is freaky.

Hey, did you hear about that Catholic school that closed two days early because the priests were worried about a sit-in?

I'm sorry, but I laughed my ass off at that one.

I remember when I was a kid there were a lot of different Christian Churches/Churches of Christ around. There was a non-instrumental one, the Southend, the Northend, etc. Sometimes we varied in philosophy. Sometimes it was just location.

But I could imagine my church leaders deciding to merge with another, resulting in some changes in the way the services are done, or my minister getting the boot, or maybe I'd have to drive across town to get to chuch.

If someone felt strongly enough that those changes would make it more difficult for them to come to church or would lead to changes that they don't think are respectful to God (say the non-instrumental church now has to have pianos ... they consider musical instruments unGodly). I could see someone wanting to stop the merger.

Wal-Mart's a Wal-Mart's a Wal-Mart. Hell, that's what they strive for. Churches are as different as individuals.