One problem with Dolan's religious zealotry is his misplaced certitude about the Catholic "natural law" moral theory regarding sexual morality. Dolan has made the mistake of believing the Catholic propaganda about the so-called "natural law." He apparently believes that Catholics have discovered the "law" regarding, for example, contraception. But Catholic "natural law" moral theory is a conceptual construct constructed by fallible human beings. Catholic sexual morality consists of mistaken tenets (i.e., mistaken constructs). However, properly indoctrinated Catholics such as Dolan evidently are incapable of thinking for themselves. Thus for the purposes of Catholic religious zealotry, the mistaken tenets of Catholic sexual morality are certitudes and are worth dying a martyr's death for, if necessary.
Let's review.
On the one hand, the designated adversary in the Catholic culture war today is secularism. Secularism is operationally defined by the pope and bishops to include whatever they say it includes. See how that works?
On the other hand, there is Catholic doctrine and being properly indoctrinated to hold Catholic doctrines, including of course Catholic doctrines (i.e., teachings) regarding sexual morality. When you have been properly indoctrinated as a Roman Catholic, then you carry your Catholic thought-world around with you as a portable prison-cage, because your Catholic indoctrination imprisons you in the Catholic thought-world. And your Catholic indoctrination leads you to believe that you should be willing to die a martyr's death for your religious faith, regardless of how foolish the doctrines of your religious faith may be. Of course you are indoctrinated not to examine the foolishness of the doctrines of your religious faith. See how that works?
As we examine how Catholic indoctrination works, we might expect that Catholic indoctrination could trigger religious zealotry, albeit non-violent religious zealotry. Under the circumstances, we might wonder if any Catholics could emerge from Catholic indoctrination without becoming religious zealots. In any event, I do not share the religious zealotry of the Catholic bishops today.
In the recent controversy about the Obama administration's initial regulations regarding the contraception mandate, the Catholic bishops exercised their right as American citizens to criticize the government's contraception mandate. Next, President Obama once again proved that he will cave in to pressure. He stepped back from the initial mandate. At first, Dolan said that this was a first step in the right direction. Subsequently, however, the USCCB undercut Dolan admittedly short statement and renewed and expanded its original critique of the initial contraception mandate to cover Obama's compromise. The USCCB's rejection of Obama's compromise shows the religious zealotry of the bishops at work.
Initially, a lot of properly indoctrinated Catholics supported the bishops' critique of the contraception mandate. (But I did not. I think the initial contraception mandate is the right way to go.)
However, after the USCCB rejected Obama's compromise, some Catholic who had initially supported the bishops had second thoughts about the bishops' rejection of Obama's compromise.
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