Cardinal Dolan's Response to the Al Smith Dinner Reaction Calls for Change Comments
The approach in the words and tenor of some of the articles, blog posts and commentaries on the Al Smith Dinner reflected a phenomenon I have referred to in the past as the "Catholic circular firing squad". It is too often present in this age of blogs, apps, social media and instant access to media. Some Catholics seem intent on figuratively shooting at other Catholics with hurtful words while the new Rome of a decaying Western culture burns ... Continue Reading
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It makes one wonder, reading the negative comments about Mr. Romney on this thread, just where the poster have gotten their information, such as Karl VDH calling him a "snake"? Could it be the campaign implying that he was responsible for a womans cancer death, the suggestion by using the word "felony", and the hateful means employed to define this man before the electorate had a chance to see for ourselves? The point, I understand was to "kill Romney", according to sources inside the Obama campaign.
Watching and listening to the speakers at the convention caused me to come away with a MUCH deeper sense of this Mitt Romney's sincerity as well as capability of dealing with problems. He didn't brag, he expressed his concern for this country and his willingness to put out his abilities and time to work at solving the immense problems we face. As Americans, should we not listen carefully, not only to him, but to those who step forward to show their own experiences with this good and decent man? As citizens, don't we owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to be objective?
His character has been assassinated, including by many on these threads, and I would question why? For those objecting on his Mormon faith, does his living his life as an honest and good servant of God, but with a different faith belief disqualify him? Obama was acceptable, even among 54% of catholics who, if truly living their faith would have avoided someone who has no respect for life at all, and has a voting record in the legislature to prove it.
There seems to be some hypocrisy flowing when it comes to Mr. Romney. This man , depicted as evil, cannot be such when one looks at the fruit of his tree. Only a truly good man could raise a family like we were graced to see with him and Ann, and the testimonies of his acquaintances and business associates reinforced that truth. He has worked for success and shares it with others as well as his church, where I understand he tithes. I wonder how many of his critics actually tithe?
Operatives had negatives trotted out before the hour was over. The same was done to Mr. Ryan. It about rises to the level of slander.
Personally, I am anxious to read the posts after this next convention when the platform is stated and the promises are regurgitated. Will the Intrinsic values matter?????
One wonders if Mr. Obama be sainted by those who are so quick to condemn Mr. Romney? Anxiously awaiting certain names to appear.......should be interesting.
Judy: Thanks for your response to Karl. I've lost my patience with people like him. You can only relay God's truth so many times. After that, it's time for the Holy Spirit to take over. Keep posting. God bless.
Judy, thanks for offering a bit f clarity and talking like I'm a real person. No, I don't see Jesus as somc "cosmic hippie" or anything. I do say HE was pretty clear that this is NOT upposed to be a world that's comfortable for US, that our focus isn't supposed to be on politics as if one candidate or party held the answers for Christian living, and that flat out- Romney is as big of a phony and a snake as Obama is, and we're all either fooling ourselves or fooling each other when we pretend he's the solution. My point isn't "vote for Obama" no matter how much our resident psychics like Vance and Joann say it is: my point is that it will not matter a WHIT which of them gets elected; they're two sides of thr same counterfeit coin, and unless we Christians wake up and start living like Jesus did, and carrying out His commands regardless of who's in power without demanding that a secular government make our faith and ideals the law of the land, we're NEVER going to do or be anything real or worthwhile. Christians in China can be locked up indefinitely for just owning a Bible. In the Southern Sudan, Christians have been literally CRUCIFIED. And we're freaking out over... which wealthy American sits in the Oval Office? This nonsense about "slavery" and how "evil" Obama is and the rest... it's NONSENSE, and so is the idea that Romney is where we should be putting our hope and trust. YES, we WERE put here to do something: and that is to leave this world with as many other people as it's in our power to share the Gospel with... and that's NOT something that's going to happen because one is a Republican or a Democrat. If your faith goes no further than Sunday mass and the voting booth... if you can seriously say one pro-choice candidate is going to save the country over another pro choice candidate, or that this country, our church or our faith are so unbelievably weak that one man or the other for four yyears are all that stand between us and oblivion, if you can seriously buy into the histrionics of Joann or the partisan boobery of Vance, then you're to be pitied, because your faith is little more than wearing a hat with your favorite team's logo on it. GOD IS IN CONTROL. He is NOW. HE will be, whatever happens in November. But I'll not sit here and pretend Romney is a swell guy battling the forces of evil; it's ridiculous and untrue.
Okay...KarlVDH, Lei us say, for all practical purposes, I agree with you. Jesus was and did exactly as you said. In that case, I would ask you, "Are you making Him to be "a Free Hippie" of His age? Sounds like it doesn't it? A leader of a cult who had the money to pay other mens taxes. My, he is a great cult leader isn't He? We have had a few great ones in our time.
But you appear to forget that He is man And God. That He is not of our Time. Governments were not the same. If he were mere man, your theory might hold True. But he was not. And He was not of our time. He would expect us to live like Him to a point. As for the rest, He has Freely given Free Choice and to most Free Will. (Here I exclude those mentally challenged). He taught His Disciples...who scattered, to teach Our Lord's Message. We, some of us, live it to the best of our ability. Seeking refinement of our souls wherever and whenever we can.We are hungry for it!
What I have understood so far in my mind, is that we each were put here for a purpose. The more we are quiet, and listen to the still voice inside of us, the one that whispers, the more we know what we are to do or perhaps receive an "ah-ha" answer to our question/s. I know I live in This world, but am Not of this world. I know that in order to "know more" I must live my spiritual nature and human nature, as God created, and that the balance at times, is not always easy. I know since I am a Daughter of God, I have that "light" that must "shine". And that I must do that in every avenue of Life that I encounter. I also know, that being a Daughter of God, that there is only a piece of flickering flame, compared to what Jesus' Light was.
Jesus, did the best he could, explaining things to puny insignificant man. The way my puny brain understands, is: Live Life to the Fullest w/Christ! Make a Christ-like difference! Get involved! Jesus did! Blessing...
Rob: "You vote for a Dem, you know eactly what you are getting." Then you know and support that this administration is taking us straight to communism/slavery. Is that right? The so "transparent" president and his comrades have told us that he wanted to downsize the US, downsize the military, downsize the economy, downsize our weapons in an effort to take the US to the table at the UN as just another State and you agree with that? You know that the Dems today are NOT the Dems of our fathers? At least, NOT my union member father's party. They have turned into the entity that Jesus prophecied was coming. You are telling me that every Dem, knows exactly what this administration is doing and are condoning it? I prefer to believe that they are so party biased that they refuse to take off the blinders. They won't admit that they have put the "enemy" in Washington to take down our Republic because they just can't believe that could happen the US. Nikita Kruschev once said "You Americans are so foolish. One day you will drop into our hands like ripe fruit." And people like you and KarlVDH are going to let America do that without one bit of remorse. How sad for your ancestors and all of America's ancestors. Our Founding Fathers and all the people that shed their blood on the ground of this great continent to keep her and us free. All that blood wasted and they are looking down on us thinking why did we do it if it is going to be for nothing. Because of people like the both of you, our families will be living in slavery for God knows how long. Remember, the Israelites lived in slavery for 400 yrs. before He sent Moses to deliver them. How long will we have to wait for deliverance? For me, it doesn't matter. At my age, I'm just grateful that God gives me another day to enjoy my family and the blessings He has given me. But I grieve for my family because of the unenlightened citizens of this great Nation who are sentencing them to a very ugly life. I think mostly of my great grandaughter. What will her life be like? I think of my grandson (who re-enlisted for the 4th time) who has been fighting for our freedom in vain because he knows who he is and where he came from and what an exceptional country America is. I weep everyday because of what is happening but I also celebrate because I know we will win in the end. I just hope God will have mercy and not let the coming affliction last for 400 yrs. God bless.
KarlVDH: Whatever! Believe what you want. You'll find out soon enough if Obama is re-elected. Folks like you can't see the forest for the trees. You're as bad as St. Paul when he had scales on his eyes. God bless.
vance, maybe the things you say about the left are right. But at some point you need to focus on your own house because it the right that is letting you down. The left makes no pretense about what they support. You vote for a dem you know exactly what you are getting. It's the right that tries to play both sides of the fence. If you can't see that by now, I can't help you.
It's the primary reason that at heart I'm strongly independent. Since I want to vote in primaries I am still registered republican, but I hold no illusions about what their priorities are, and they aren't life. Maybe individually these guys are pro-life. I hope so. But in the real policies they pursue, the policies they hang their political fortunes on, they are not pro-life issues, at least not anything we'd call a frontal assualt on Roe v Wade. These men collectively have the power to do something. It's the reason we vote for them.
There is no doubt that when it comes to pure platform, the GOP is the more moral party. But if that platform never becomes policy, who cares. As long as the status quo remains, they have failed. We can't throw the stones of failure at Obama for every jot and tittle of his platform and ignore 40 years of abortion! At some point we Catholic voters are going to have to have the courage to begin calling these men and women out. If we vote life then they sure better act on it. If it's the number one priority of my vote, then don't I have an expectation that it be the number one policy of their work? If it's not, then we'd better stop criticizing people for their vote. Informed people will vote for what they believe politicians will actually do, not based on a campaign commercial. Obama will lose this election because of the economy, wouldn't it be great if someone lost an election because abortion was still the law of the land? It's clear what god is really worshiped in this country.
Vance, if you know so much, are so well schooled and have me so figured out, (you're entirely wrong, of course, but nonetheless...) how come you've spent so much time on ppersonal insult and attack on ME that you've not yet even tried to refute a single word I've said about the subject at hand?
I guess when all you are is a partisan cheerleader, personal attack, speculation and false accusation are easier than actual discussion or debate. Know who employed that same tactic, Vance? The Pharisees.
And that weak, foolish attitude, my friend, is why this country is stuck now with a choicebetween Obama and Romney. You're no different from what you're objecting to, Vance. All image and no substance.
Ok, I'm ready to be judged now.
JoAnn... are you serious? Jesus Christ, who promised us NOTHING ut tribulation and struggle in this world, who, with ten out of twelve of his disciples was executed- MURDERED- willingly forthe sake of the Gospel,would expect us to "fight for freedom of religion?" Are you kidding? Jesus expects us to soldier on doing what HE said was religion, not playing at politics of this World, as if THI were supposed to be our home! Your priorities are incredibly wrong here!
And you and Judy are BOTH wrong... Jesus wouldn't vote for communism. He wouldn't vote for socialism. Guess what... he wouldn't support capitalism, either. Because unlike you two, politics and money were extremely LOW on his list of priorities. Jesus didn't fight the government. He didn't instruct us to, either. He paid his taxes without complaint, and paid Peter's when he didn't have the money. He certainly didn't work a wage earning job. In fact, there's no record of Jesus ever even having had a trade or a business. (Believe it. Joseph was a Carpenter. there's not a word in scripture that suggests Jesus ever was.)
Get your priorities straight, quit worrying abut what you need to accuse me of, and re-read what I've actually written. You're both wrong.
KarlVDH, Thanks for your kind forgiveness and prayers. Karl, I've worked and hung around with left wing liberals like yourself.for many years. So, I know you guys almost better than you know yourselves. I.m schooled in all the left-wing con games and yours is TOO OBVIOUS. You left-wingers were cheering for Romney during the primaries because you were calling Santorum, Gingrich, and Bachmann radical right wing extremists. Romney is a MODERATE who passed Romneycare and supported abortion. Now that you have your man you predictably are now throwing stones at him. Save the "Both Sides Are Evil" con game because we know what side you are on- Obama and the Party of Deceit and Death.