The US is religiously diverse. So one would think that Fox News, as America's red, white, and blue newsroom, would reflect that diversity. You might assume that the concerns of a variety of religious groups are featured on the "fair & balanced" network. In a nutshell, wrong!  That Fox News seems to have become the media arm of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops political agenda is evident in its ongoing promotion of the bishop's "religious freedom" crusade which encompasses their belief that all Catholic employers should be able to deny birth control coverage for their women workers. As articulated by Roger Ailes faithful handmaiden resident priest Fr. Jonathan Morris, the bishops are fighting mad and urging Catholics not to obey "unjust laws" like the HHS birth control mandate. And just to make sure that Catholics know for whom to vote, Fr. Morris, during his weekly Fox & Friends sermonette, used a Catholic video as an aide for instruction on Catholic voting as well as getting in yet another word about the bishop's main rant - you guessed it - "religious freedom."  Wonder when they'll be hosting the "Rev Al" for his advice on voting?!

Dave Briggs started the holy ball rolling with his comment that "Catholic Call to Witness" has "released an election ad on its website that is rocking the internet" - dubious claim given that "Test of Fire" has 235,626 views as opposed to 20,939,810 views for Jennifer Lopez's "Dance Again" and 14,762,692 for Nicki Minaj's "Beez in the Trap." The chyron reinforced the agitprop: "Powerful Election Ad Urging Catholics To Vote In November." Part of the "rocking" video was shown in which lugubrious music was played while a woman walked down a dark corridor into a dark voting booth. "Issues" (jobs, life) were shown as branding irons in a fire (video has no branding irons with the words income inequality and poverty) with the word "non-negotiable" superimposed on the scene. Briggs asked if this "powerful imagery" will bring out the vote.

Fr. Morris "summarized" the "well done" video's points that while the economy is open to debate, but others are "non-negotiable" such as life, marriage, and religious liberty. (Translation - Voting for candidates who support gay marriage, abortion rights, and the HHS mandate is a big, fat sin.) Morris cited a video quote from - ready for it - Cardinal Dolan. Morris informed us that Dolan wasn't involved in the making of the video. In his best dramatic voice and jazz hands, Morris predicted that Catholics will "respond to the bishops' cry to get involved and to fight back where religious liberty is under attack." More chyron agitprop: "Catholic Election Ad Discusses Jobs, Economy, and Freedoms." He referenced the bishop's recent document, issued last Thursday and pimped by Morris on Friday's "America's Newsroom," which, according to Morris, cites areas where "religious liberty is under attack." (As I reported, two of the areas involve court decisions and one involves the Catholic Church's refusal to abide by several state's non-discrimination laws involving gays.)

The little padre got positively orgasmic about the Bishop's "unprecendented" call for two weeks of prayer, before July 4th, to protect religious liberty and the Constitution. Clayton Morris noted that the video wasn't done by the bishops. Morris gushed that faithful laypeople shouldn't have to ask the bishop's for permission to do these things to "influence politics, culture, and the workplace with values you believe in." In response to Alysin Camerota's question about what the "fighting back" will encompass, Morris spluttered that the two weeks of prayer will be a protest against "what the bishops consider to be violations of" - wait for it - religious freedom." Briggs said that unlike negative ads, "this just pulls at what's inside of you."

The 501C3 behind the ad is "Catholics Called to Witness" which consists of three Florida Catholics one of whom, Adriana Gonzalez is the head of a "parental rights" group dedicated to passing a "parental rights" amendment to the Constitution. What are "parental rights?" These are folks who believe American's will eventually be forced to abide by the unholy UN "Agenda 21" which, according to the conspiracy will indoctrinate children and revoke all American parental rights unless this amendment is passed. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. Somehow, I don't think this video will be a game changer. All I know is that historically, when the Catholic Church used a "test of fire," Jews and heretics got very severely burnt! Given Fox News' promotion of Catholic dogma, one wonders if Roger Ailes is the new Torquemada?