Are your hearts hardened?

Ann Marcotte resigned from John Edwards' campaign. She made some remarks that are extremely offensive to Catholics, and perhaps to other Christians as well. I've been following this story in the blogosphere for the past couple of days. As usual, people are divided into two camps. There are the Christianists who take Marcotte's statements as proof that the left is corrupt beyond salvation. Then there are the strident feminists who react to the Christianist attacks as an attempt to put women back under the veil. They are both missing the point. Marcotte's statements were absolutely offensive and based on an incomplete understanding of the Church. She called Pope Benedict XVI "Pope Ratz". That is patently offensive and frankly, reveals much more about Ms. Marcotte than about the Church that she so callously reviles. I have to wonder about the wisdom of a politician who would hire a blogger who is blatantly disrespectful of an entire faith - a faith that encompasses approximately 1/6th of the world's population. What is to be gained by that manner of profanity except offense? Perhaps instead of attacking the Christianist camp, the feminists ought to be looking at a way to "speak their truth quietly and clearly", so that others might actually hear the message. Why waste all this time and effort defending disrespect? As for the Christianists, they are painting with too broad a brush (again). One woman, or even a handful of women, does not speak for all women any more than the Christianists speak for all Christians. The actions of one angry woman do not discount valid liberal ideals - ideals that have benefited all Americans. By using Ms. Marcotte to viciously attack the left, the Christianists are giving one woman's words too much weight. They are making her more important than she really is. She's one woman, hired to blog for one campaign. Why waste all this time and effort attacking words that do not really offer much of a threat? Today's gospel reading (which I did not hear in church - I wouldn't want to be dishonestly pious here) is about Jesus getting frustrated with his disciples. They were missing the point again. He asked them, "Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?" I think it's an appropriate gospel for today. Correction: It's Amanda Marcotte. My apologies.