Recently, I wrote a blog post, One Southern Baptist I Can Agree With.

Since I wrote that post, I got complaints via email from Southern Baptists who said I am over-generalizing my religio-political issues concerning Southern Baptists and inquiring whether I, myself, have a religious bias.

I need to answer that, yes, I have a religious bias. I am Roman Catholic, and my religious bias tends to my Roman Catholic faith.

Am I anti-Southern Baptist? Well... my personal experience with Southern Baptists has been greatly influenced by the radical right-wing politics of the public face of Southern Baptists; and so that has colored my understanding of who Southern Baptists are. I am willing to accept that my understanding of the faith of Southern Baptists is incorrectly influenced by the "political face" of Southern Baptists. I accept that because I know that, today, the face of Catholicism in America is often filtered through that same political paradigm.

So, to those Southern Baptists who are sincere in your faith and who do not meet the stereotype I blogged about, I am really sorry. I meant to challenge neo-con politics, not your sincere faith.

I also hope that you would agree with me, and all of us at Catholics for Democracy, that the human person -- as the image of God -- deserves not only life, but the opportunity to live life fully and to be free to discover who God is without compulsion from idaealogues or from the State.