Recently there was an excellent piece in the Washington Post by Joe Feuer, expressing the views and the dismay of many mainstream U.S. Catholics about the increasingly draconian announcements being made by their bishops. Catholics are increasingly being told that (a) the question of abortion is the most significant moral question currently being debated in American politics; and (b) a Catholic who votes for a candidate who does not oppose abortion (regardless of the other positions the candidate takes; and regardless of the moral and spiritual reasoning the voter has engaged in to reach his or her decision) risks his or her “salvation.” This is yet another step taken in what appears to be a determined march by the Catholic hierarchy to drive itself into utter irrelevance, soon to be followed by extinction. Joe’s response, and the response of many other educated, thoughtful, and compassionate Catholics, tells us that the bishops are living in a dream world, a world in which bishops and priests remain fully capable of commanding obedience by manipulating the most deeply held fears and hopes of their people. In this time and culture, that world is fading fast.
Here are excerpts from Joe Feuer’s piece:
· Like most Maryland Democrats, I voted for Sen. Barack Obama in the recent Potomac Primary. By doing so, according to the leaders of my church, I put my soul at risk. That's right, says the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops -- tap the touch screen for a pro-abortion-rights candidate, and you're probably punching your ticket to Hell.
· Now the [U.S. Catholic] bishops have raised the stakes: "It is important to be clear," the bishops said in a 44-page statement titled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," "that the political choices faced by citizens [emphasis added] not only have an impact on general peace and prosperity but also may affect the individual's salvation."
· To Catholics like me who oppose liberal abortion laws but also think that other issues -- war or peace, health care, just wages, immigration, affordable housing, torture -- actually matter, the idea that abortion trumps everything, all the time, no matter what, is both bad religion and bad civics.
· [For the U.S. Catholic bishops], war, peace and economic injustice have become largely afterthoughts. Bishop Michael Sheridan spoke for many of his peers when he wrote in a pastoral letter that the "right to life" is an "issue that trumps all other issues."
· As to the death penalty, immigration, the war in Iraq, health care and other social justice issues, these fall into the realm of "prudential judgment" -- areas where Catholics of goodwill, say the bishops, can disagree. This, naturally enough, provides convenient cover for Catholic candidates who support the war, think the death penalty should be expanded, would leave millions uninsured and oppose immigration reform.
· So what's a pro-life, pro-family, antiwar, pro-immigrant, pro-economic-justice Catholic like me supposed to do in November? That's an easy one. True to my faith, I'll vote for the candidate who offers the best hope of ending an unjust war, who promotes human dignity through universal health care and immigration reform, and whose policies strengthen families and provide alternatives to those in desperate situations. Sounds like I'll be voting for the Democrat -- and the bishops be damned.
Do you only parrot the anti-Catholic rhetoric or have you ever actually read why and what the Church really teaches? Or is it only about the poor me, I don't get to do what I "feel" I deserve? Try reading the National Catholic Register for once.
ReplyDeleteIf we cannot protect the smallest of people, how can we ever hope to help any one?
No where has the Church said that immigration, the death penalty, the poor or any other truly desperate person is to be swept under the rug.
You actually, and this is just terrifying, agree with someone who would close his article with "and the bishops be damned".
Christ did not use a democratic process in deciding what was truth or what should o should not happen. God did institute a democracy in Israel. Ever wonder why? Because truth is not subject to the hims and fancies of the majority. It is absolute. Otherwise you have chaos.
Abortion's one truth is selfish desire. It feeds off of people believing that their own well being trumps any one else's. No matter how you try and disguise it, the truth is abortion is the ultimate ego trip. "Keep your hands off my body" sort of reminds you of, "Stay out of my country" or "I made this money, I'll keep it to myself".
Believing you can change society without first destroying the falsehood of abortion, you are simply attempting to put out the Sun with a squirt gun.
"So what's a pro-life, pro-family, antiwar, pro-immigrant, pro-economic-justice Catholic like me supposed to do in November?"
ReplyDeleteAnswer: Since you are pretty much anti-Catholic it sounds easy. Quit being a hypocrite and become an atheist - you'll sleep better.
Thanks Anon! You'll be happy to hear that I am sleeping just fine. I hope you are, too. If you aren't, you might want to take a look at whether the name-calling you are indulging in is tugging a bit at your conscience...
ReplyDeletePeace be with you!
Hey you got it all wrong, its all history. Just look back in time and you will see you mistake.
ReplyDeleteWell of course when Jesus Christ assembled His 12 Apostles and doing so that he would have a democratic institution called “The Catholic Church” which would have establish regular debates to determine appropriate behavior that people should follow in order to get to heaven. This particular debate discussed the multiple parables that Jesus had told the 12, and they responded with amendments on how to make church laws regarding earthly behavior necessary for entrance into Heaven.
After Christ died and returned from the grave, he came back to see if they held up to the agreed upon bi-laws and said that it was up to the apostles to determine what God the father wanted. Before He ascended into heaven all the apostles and disciples gathered in a section of Jerusalem for a vote either for Jesus or for Moses. Jesus won, however, immediately after his ascension Peter decided to have Vatican II in Rome so that the average person would not have a conflict with the modern cell phone and internet technology taking time away from daily prayer.
Now the Mass was in question, and whether to say it in Hebrew or Latin became the most debated issue. Considering they were all Jews at the time, the question of have the prayer for the Jews on Good Friday became a primary discussion. Furthermore Jesus being pro-life warned those about Roe vs. Wade, and Stem Cell research, as well as bishops bringing the market place into the structure of the church. Jesus thought that those bishops who sold SUV’s and Vacation packages in the Church should be whipped with a Cat of Nine tales. Many disagreed with Jesus and so they decided that selling Cell phones and Ipods.
Finally, Jesus suggested that His mother Mary may send a few messages in the later times warning them about Marxism, and abnormal sexual behaviors if Catholics didn't pray a new set of prayers that would be called the Rosary. After that He rose to Heaven, leaving the apostles telling them that if they don't get it right the Holy Ghost (Spirit for some) would come down and slap them on the side of the head.
After the Holy Ghost (Spirit for some) came, slapped, and inspired, many disciples are becoming dismay[ed] of many mainstream U.S. Catholics Bishops about the increasingly draconian announcements being made by their bishops.