Catholics are shooting themselves in the foot. I was raised Catholic. I went to 14 years of Catholic school. I had some really good teachers (even some nuns) who taught me most of the bible was crap. They told me to take the best lessons from the bible and apply it to my life. I was told you need to take the bible with a grain of salt. Look at the stories as a metaphor, and not a literal truth. The thing I got out of my Catholic teaching was if Jesus was alive to day he would be most aligned with progressive values. If you follow the teaches of Jesus you will believe in universal healthcare, a compassionate judicial system, and use of diplomacy over war.The only thing that is separating Catholics from Democrats is the abortion issue. I know a lot of former Catholics (myself included) who have left the church because of this rift. A lot of these people are joining more liberal churches or giving up on religion all. With liberals leaving the church in droves and the sex abuse scandals, the Catholic church is in bad shape here in America.