31 - 40 of 48 Comments

1. Rob

   11 months ago

   Amen David. We have yet to accept the fact that all we really have to look forward to in regards to pro-life issues is the status quo. Obama's abortion record stands on it own, but so does the other sides on their inability to get anything done. And just like Catholics blindly voting for dems, conservatives pretend that they are really getting anywhere. At the federal level the game is not to rock the boat. Fiscally and socially they will always pick the route of least resistance. I will believe our government is serious about this issue when they throw the weight, time and effort to this issue as they do tax cuts. Guess we'll see where we are if Romney get's elected after a first term.

2. Brian D.

   11 months ago

   Regarding Michael Joseph’s comments- where did you get your information? The safety net has not been torn down as there are dozens of sources for government and private assistance. Maybe flipping hamburgers does not pay a “living wage”, but those types of jobs were not designed for breadwinners. Maybe you don’t earn as much as you think you are worth-“a living wage”; if not, take you skills to someone who values them as much as you do. You state we now have the greatest number of children living below the poverty line- maybe, but you can qualify as poor and retain your big screen TV, cell phone, car etc. Our poor are middle class by the world’s standards. You claim Wall Street people are making more money than ever- but that does not mean they are the cause of others going into poverty. You have bought into the liberal Democratic spin of class warfare. And you set up a false argument when you state “What is the greater evil-killing someone outright or letting them die a slow painful death?” The real facts are that the vast majority of people born into “poverty” do not remain in poverty but move upwards to the middle and yes, sometimes, the upper income levels. Killing outright allows no chance to move upwards economically. No economic/political system has ever come close to matching the combination of democracy/capitalism that has existed in the United States in allowing people to raise themselves up out of poverty- no system comes close. But our president believes that a more central run economy works best- he is absolutely wrong here. And no politician has been more if favor of killing innocent babies that Barack Obama- no one. How can anyone who believes in God think that aborting an innocent child can be justified? Please give some serious thought to the morality of our current president. And please become more educated on the facts of economics. Do yourself a favor- read anything from Dr. Thomas Sowell or go to YouTube and listed to Dr. Sowell to discover the truth of economics.

3. j

   11 months ago

   @Michael Joseph...forgive me MJ but you seem to be looking for guarantees rather than at free will. You say, "the greatest number of children in our country's history are living below the poverty level..." And that "fat cat wall street types are living in luxury." So, from the statement we are to gather that rather than allow those children a chance at life, you would at worst choose to end their lives before birth or to look the other way while others continue to abort innocent lives? And as to the "fat cat types", are you including those who give millions to those in power, regardless of party labels? Don't we the living have a personal responsibility to assist in helping those in need? All kinds of organizations within the church give us that opportunity. It seems to me that regardless of party affiliations, as Catholics we must adhere to a reliance on God and his commandments and to follow the teachings of the church. We must also in groups as well as individually pray daily for divine guidance and assistance. I can think of no better place to do so than before the Blessed Sacrament!

4. Susan

   11 months ago

   In response to George F Somsel:
   
   "hell-bent" definition:
   hell-bent
   adjective [ predic. ]
   determined to achieve something at all costs : why are you hell-bent on leaving?

5. Michael Joseph

   11 months ago

   While I agree that human life should be protected at all stages of life yet, NEVER hear about how, once born, the infant/child/teenager is to be cared for and nurtured. Our legislatures have torn down the safety net of social programs, companies don't pay a living wage. The greatest number of children in the history of our great nation are now living below the poverty line whereas Wall Street types are making more money than ever! Where is the social justice in all this? Why isn't the Catholic Church organizing a Fortnight for Living Wages rather than aligning themselves with the fat cat donors?
   Read the WHOLE bible where the Prophets continually condemn Jewish society for neglecting the widow, orphan, immigrant, downtrodden. Yes, Israel was sent into exile for not keeping covenant with God concerning social justice. Isn't that what the LCWR is being criticized by the Vatican for doing?
   You can't have your cake and eat it too. If the children are born they need to be taken care of - if not by the parents then society. Wasn't it Hilary Clinton who wrote the book I paraphrase .... It takes a village to raise a child?? That is what primitive societies did - why as a "civilized" society do we do so much less? Isn't our sin greater? Forgive them Father for they know not what they do - I think we as individuals and as a society we know right from wrong in this case.
   What is the greater evil; killing someone outright or letting them die a slow, painful death? Either way it is sinful. Neither way follows the Gospel message. I don't have the answer - do you?
   To blame one person - whoever that person may be - again is sinful. There is corporate and personal sin. We ALL share the stain of sin. Whoever is without sin let him/her throw the first stone. May God Bless America. May God Bless the President. God Bless you.

6. pcsrocky

   11 months ago

   Excellent article/letter! Keep on writing. I would like to be able to put it at the entrances of my Church. There are many of the parishoners who are "die hard" DFL supporters and Obama supporters. I have a very hard time with the DFL platform, I can't support it at all. I often get asked how Catholics can support he DFL party. I honestly don't know how others can support the DFL, I know that I don't support them.

7. j

   11 months ago

   The question begs the answer as to why so many Catholics voted for Obama back in 2008? So, it isn't dumb at all; at least not to me. More to the point, how will we vote this time around? It seems to me that we are out of excuses, however lame those might be in hindsight! This was an excellent article which I wish every Catholic in America should read. It also seems to me that all Catholics, conservative and liberal should be discussing all of the above.

8. Paul-Emile Leray

   11 months ago

   All it takes for evil to prevail is for a few good people to do nothing, thereby omission can be as dangerous as commission. A few years ago, I was yelled at and saw fellow Catholics so mesmerized by Obama's abilities as an orator that it did take some patience and resolve on my part to educate some. A few years later? Nobody challenges me on what I was saying a few years ago. Practically every tyrant, dictator, war mongering politician on the planet throughout history has been a charismatic orator. Snakeoil salesmen are good speakers. See beyond the facades, polish, red power ties and blue soft toned ties. Look at the content. Criticize it. Analyze it. And realize that for a mobocracy (I mean, democracy) to work, the mob (rather, the citizens) needs to be AWAKE! You will NOT find the truth in partisan politics. It is a power and control game. Solution? The more AWARE and AWAKE the citizenry is, properly aligned, the higher the bar gets raised for the political sphere. And numbers do matter, especially in a mobocracy. Majority is usually wrong, but it matters very much in a democracy. (more honestly, mobocracy) The majority needs to be awake, not only a handful of people. If everyone gets to vote, then everyone needs to be awake. It is depressing when considering how many people are lost, misinformed, mesmerized, easily manipulated, and so forth. The Catholic leaders could do more, generally speaking, as well. Our societies have become overly concerned with feelings, sentimentality, to the point that we have become a bunch of moral, intellectual, entitlement mentality whimps. Oh! It's raining outside. I think I am going to break down and cry and run for my medication and call a counsellor or read another meaningless best selling psychobabbling low intellectual level self analysis book. Politicians? Watch them like hawks! And educate everyone around you to do the same. If democracies don't work well, it's because the citizens are stupid and indifferent. As Winston Churchill once noted, and I paraphrase, it's not a good system but the others are worse. Campaigning effectively does not presuppose governing effectively. Marketing is marketing. The product is the product. Are all well marketed products excellent? A courageous article. Thank you for writing it.
   Paul-Emile Leray

9. KarlVDH

   11 months ago

   Steve-
   I find it very interesting that you wrote "Conservative, Non-Catholic Christians."
   Know why? Your priorities are seriously messed up. Look at the rder YOU chose... "Conservative, Non-Catholic Christian."
   1) political ideology.
   2) Religious denomination.
   3) Christ.
   
   Until you reverse that order ENTIRELY, you will not find peace.
   Be blessed.
   -Karl

10. David Carlon

    11 months ago

    What a dumb question... Both corporatist political parties are lead by the same shepherd of death... God and Truth is never part of their decision metric.

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