My local parish is a Roman Catholic parish situated within the archdiocese of Chicago, which takes in ALL Cook and Lake Counties of Illinois; Illinois has a completely Democrat legislature and Executive branch, and is represented in the U.S. Senate by Democrat Senators Durbin and Obama.
 
Earlier this year, January 23, 2008 to be precise, it appears my parish mailed my wife and to me a single "welcome" note, with chastisement represented that although married civilly by a Judge 20 years ago to preserve my Roman Catholic faith and my wife's Lutheran faith, rules apply which will keep us out of actual "membership" until such time as my wife converts to Catholicism, although we would be free to otherwise attend and volunteer; that same time, my parish requested Insta-Sets in Ohio to send us temporary donation envelopes, although ordering only half the envelopes they could have for the same one dollar cost; we've never received any since of any nature, nor has my parish ever reached to us in any way(s) since; shortly thereafter, I discovered that some in politics appeared to be jockeying to say that if you did not attend ANY faith's Church clergy at which reject the tenets of the Vatican catechism, and also add homosexual conduct to acceptable social units, you may be "of interest" under looming Democrat HR 1955 say-so homegrown terrorist fundamentalism. So even if you went, as long as say my parish says "no, you don't", well...and it's only coincidental the archdiocese clergy, Cardinal objections or not, teach, give up interest in education to allow teaching, and otherwise do this amid Illinois giving them public funds for administering parish activities in communities.
 
Now, at that time I was also informed that no matter how other parishioners appeared or talked, I was THE only one interested in Vatican catechism on social justice...see, as reports for each week's collections show in each bulletin, every week the Church meets or exceeds its weekly budget in collections from parishioners...most are just "slumming". Well, if that were the case, again, why would they NEED State funds at all? Yet, through St. Vincent DePaul, Catholic Charities, and such parishioners "don't need", immigrants are collectivized apart from others and ministered to as if dealing with State welfare and immigration contracted officers, and all the parish asks is for its staff to have luncheons and anything else paid for.
 
Immediately following Easter, I notified my parish and others of my impression Vatican catechism items 1550, 2089, 2120, and 2357 were therein being discarded, that more than once I had noted it to the Church, and thus per New Testament 16 Romans 17, II Timothy 3:4-5, and Titus 3:10 I would no longer provide my presence or funds to my parish or any part of its archdiocese; I have not since nor has my Lutheran wife, and we thought that was the end of it until one day I can attend another archdiocese; I have EWTN in meantime, as well as Vatican and Bishopric faith study materials.
 
Yesterday someone showed me online that my parish, for the April 13, 2008, bulletin, printed "Mr. and Mrs. (my name)" as new members; CLTV on local cable today represented Obama as recently having said anyone going to Church clings to faith as they're bitter over direction of the domestic USA...so now if a Church says I AM a member I'm some little "bum" unlike other parishioners who "hates immigrants", something like that? Does that extend, say, to those in public office, even those in the United Church Of Christ?
 
So the archdiocese, ipse dixit, needs NO State funding of any kind, as their parishoners' contributions without it will prove where they stand on gay activity and all other things, and avoid looking like they politic for Obama and related whether or not parishioners agree or even know. Oh, and my parish remains in lockstep with the rest in the archdiocese in not mentioning that EWTN or the Papal Visit exist.
 
I would suggest that beyond my own self, the bigger idea HAS to be that per Carter inter alia foreign Islamic terror is unbeatable and thus must be negotiated with...worked for Carter and the world in and since 1979, eh? Then, Democrats through Obama types can set up that only scum likes the Vatican catechism, and by leaving the Mid East to terrorists of course they'll act up, they being fundamentalists or unemployed, so by parallel inference to "prevent homegrown" you just pick up anyone in the USA who simply is unemployed or even waves at some Pope or similar clergy. Progress, dignity, security...yeeeaaarrrrrgggghhhh!!! Hmm...still seems to need work on the rough edges prior to Conventions, readers on the Left.
 
Speaking for myself on faith, I was baptised at birth as a Roman Catholic in 1960; I was therein confirmed 1973; I follow with all my heart The Vatican's version of everything. One of a number of them, my RC faith was started 2,008 years ago, and has transcended oh so many good and bad times, this and that ideologies...all with the same sort of devotion to God as now expressed by Pope Benedict XVI; I have so conducted my life no matter what era, what age, what economics...national or personal. And I shall continue to pray for each and every one of us on this planet, as I continue to live by the Vatican Catechism of the Catholic Church on behalf of all our goods together.