A Rising Catholic Tide of Resistance May Determine the U.S. Presidential Election

2/2/2012

(Page 2 of 2)

solidarity with over 50 million of our neighbors killed by legal abortion, President Obama released that horrid statement! What about our daughters and sons killed by legal abortion Mr. President? They did not get to fulfill their dreams!

I will not remain silent as the Nation I love continues down the wrong path. I believe that the American founders got it right in that Declaration and there are Truths which can be held and rights which are inalienable.

Our insistence as Catholic citizens of a recognition in the positive law of the fundamental Human Right to Life is about the future of authentic freedom. Human rights - such as the Natural Law Right to Life - and human freedoms such as the freedom to be born - are goods of human persons. When there is no human person to exercise them all the rhetoric extolling them is nothing but empty air and sloganeering.

That statement from the White House should remove any doubt. This President and this administration oppose the fundamental Human Right to Life. The champions of abortion on demand as "health care" have a President who is using their language and leading their effort.

This administration has also failed to defend Religious Freedom as a fundamental human right. It has proven its disregard in its denial of conscience exceptions to Catholic institutions under the so called "Affordable care Act".

We are living under what Pope Benedict XVI called a "Dictatorship of Relativism". When there is a wholesale effort to deny the existence of anything objectively true which can be known by all and form the basis of our common life, then there is no real freedom. Instead, we teeter on the brink of anarchy.

The effort to paint all our moral positions as "religious" and thereby force us to stay behind our Church doors is virulently anti-Christian and unconstitutional. Our insistence that the Right to Life and the Right to Religious Freedom are rooted in the Natural Law -which should inform truly just positive laws - is at the heart of our deeply held convictions as Catholic Citizens.

The Natural Law is a participation in God's Law. At its foundation is the recognition of the Right to Life which affirms the dignity of every human person from conception though the entire continuum of life and until natural death. All men and women are created in the Image of God and have an inherent dignity which must be recognized, respected and received.

Any Nation which allows the intentional killing of its young in the first home of the womb and calls that intrinsically evil action a "right" has lost its soul and jeopardizes its future. Medical science confirms what our conscience has long confirmed, the child in the womb is one of us, our neighbor, and it is always wrong to kill our neighbor.

In addition, our insistence that marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman open to the bearing and rearing of children is accepted across cultures. It is also objectively true. Our insistence upon defending the institution of marriage is also NOT simply because of our religious faith. Yes, for those of us who have faith, faith informs our position.

However, this truth about the nature of marriage is also confirmed in the Natural Law which is written on every human heart and knowable through the exercise of reason. The administration's effort to force us to call what can never be a marriage to be a marriage under threat of punitive sanctions is another example of a growing tyranny and intolerance.

We are living under what Pope Benedict XVI called a "Dictatorship of Relativism" in the West. The culture stumbles, drunken on the false notion of freedom as giving some people a "right" to kill the innocent, divorced from norms to guide the exercise of human choice and govern our behavior. In addition, it blurs the beauty of marital love and turns people into objects of use in the name of "sexual freedom".

I do not consider myself first a "conservative". I am certainly not a "liberal" or "progressive", within the current meaning of those terms. I am a Catholic. I simply affirm the classical Christian assertion that there is a law written on every human heart which can be known by the exercise of reason and should inform our positive or civil law. It is the foundation upon which a truly free society must be built.

Then there is the ever expanding role of the federal government and its intrusion into every area of life. It is a threat to good governance. The principle of subsidiarity insists upon bottom up governance beginning with the family. The family should be helped (subsiduum in latin) by other governing units and mediating institutions. It must not be replaced or usurped by them.

This is the ground upon which morally coherent Catholics support "limited" government. Not because we think government is "evil" but because we value self government and insist that the family is the first government.Good governance beyond the family must be closest to those being governed and defer to an objective morality which helps to ensure it remains good.

We affirm another existential and objective truth; human persons are by nature social. We cannot be truly happy, pursue happiness, or even be fully free without one another. We were made for relationships. This has implications in every area of life, including economics and the market.

In the economic arena, we insist that economics is not in the first instance, about capital, it is about human persons. A truly free economic system recognizes that freedom is a good of the person. Only human persons can be free because we are capable of making free choices.

We insist upon the primacy of moral values at the foundation of our life together. For example, government should support the family, foster ingenuity, provide incentive, promote and reward creativity and innovation, expand participation, provide for private ownership, and foster human flourishing and advancement.

That is the reason the recent social teachings of the Church have extolled the potential of the market economy and the free market system; it has the better chance to promote human flourishing and open the door to human advancement.That is if we recognize that the market was made for man and now man for the market.

Finally, we truly are our brother and sisters keeper. We have an obligation to one another. That is what is meant by solidarity. How that truth works its way into public policy requires the recognition of what was discussed earlier. It also leaves room for the application of prudential judgment in many areas of application.

However, this is where so many Catholics were deluded by Barack Obama. In his rhetoric he uses language which sounds as though he agrees with Catholics on this issue. However, his administration has acted in a manner which proves the opposite. The most egregious example is his failure to hear the cry of the children in the womb, but there are many more, including his denial of religious freedom and his failure to defend marriage and the family and spociety founded upon it.

This President and his administration espouse a rapidly expanding Secularist State which fails to respect fundamental human rights including the Right to life and the Right to Religious Freedom. A rising Catholic tide of resistance may determine the outcome of the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Catholic Vote, Sebellius, Obama, Catholic Action, Pro-Life, Religious freedom, abortion, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul, Romney, Campaign 2012, faithful citizenship, Keith A. Fournier

NEWSLETTERS »

Previous Page 1 | 2

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 10 of 73 Comments

Kathy
1 year ago
I guess, I really see things from a different point of view. All of these programs to help make things better for people, when in reality, the problem is the people. We are fighting a battle with satan, clear and simple. Our countrys young, have two things on their minds...sex and money. Just think of all the problems avoided, if people, did the right things in life. We who try...believe me I am no Saint, but I do try to do the right things.....we who try, are always there to pick up the pieces for others.....those who know that others will be there to pick up the pieces. There is no accountability or self restraint or self responsibility. I know that in my dreams, that there will be virtuous young women, or men who are nothing but gentlemen.
We must pay more attention to teaching the young to act Godly...in the long run, this would help the problem.
Rob
1 year ago
Big Ed, I'm with you, but out of curiousity, what is the percentage of parishoners in your parish that actually tithe? In our diocese it's about 30%. The idea of people taking care of themselves and those around them sounds great in practice, but it requires everyone to agree. And they won't. If we can't get 100% of parishoners to tithe then how in the world do we get our neighbors to front the costs of Joe's cancer treatment?? Just another example of we Catholics not living our faith....and now we are being called out for it.
Big Ed
1 year ago
My frustration is this; back when National Health Care was proposed by the then presidential candidate Obama, I personally witnessed many Catholics, to include clergy at all levels, swoon to his promise because this would help the poor.

Now, they resent the very program they elected him for. Did you not see the devil in the details, even when they were pointed out? Did you really expect the “leopard” to change his spots once he was in office? . . . . . Really?!?

Government should help, within limits, but you and I are the ones that should be providing the charity, not leaving it up to government. We should be giving of our time, treasure and talent to help the poor, not rely on government. This is where many made the mistake in believing that it should be left to government, when in reality we as a Catholic community should be helping one another; establishing the Catholic Hospitals, Daycare, Orphanages, etc., not relying on government. Now we have to contend with what so many Catholics originally gleefully welcomed.

If anything, let’s learn, yet again: “A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have...”
Rob
1 year ago
I think the only way that we will ever win the pro-life debate with our politicians is for the pro-life lobby to become as powerful as energy, financial services, healthcare and defense. Because until it is, this issue isn't going anywhere. Citizens United and the birth of these super pacs almost assures it. This is the only plausible strategy given that these laws have remained on the books for almost 40 years. Politicians are never going to get this done unless we can guarantee them an election. I wish we had as much faith in good ole fashion evangelization. Because only when we change the hearts of society will this law be repealed. It requires us to work on changing one heart at a time, but this is the only way this will happen. Otherwise, we need to accept the fact that this issue is great for impassioned debates, raising money and winning elections, but as far as real legislation is concerned, it will never happen. 39 years of inactivity leads me to believe in no other possibility.
Bulbajer
1 year ago
Oldscore, thank you very much for saying that! Likewise.
pat engen
1 year ago
People wakeup, none of these politicians work for us. Everyone of them without exception except Ron Paul works for the establisment. They ALL want perpetual war and to strip us of our rights in order to control us. The abortion issue is just one more attack on our freedoms. Look where the funding comes from for their political campaigns, wallstreet. Sadly, most people don't take the time to educate themselves. Most catholics are so blind they just pick the candidate who conforms to their beliefs yet these men are evil and do not follow what they preach. Ron Paul is pure truth, he will lead us back to our Lord.
Oldscore
1 year ago
@Denise O'Brien, I do not think you understand Catholic teaching and you appear to have a limited understanding of Bush's (and Clinton's) reasons for entering into war with Iraq. You are correct that killing is ALWAYS immoral - it is ALWAYS murder - there are NO exceptions. But, that does not deny a person, or a group of people, the right to defend themselves against a threat. If the self-defense is based upon valid principles, then the guilt of murder falls on the unjust aggressor. But, the validity of that decision is based upon many factors, and is open to debate. Issues like abortion or contraception are never open to debate. Therefore, you CANNOT compare the two as if they were the same, and likewise, expect the same response from Catholics. With regards to Bush's reasons, Bush had only ONE possible valid reason for invading Iraq: Iraq had broken the resolution that ended the First Gulf War in the mid-1990s. By doing so, Iraq effectively resumed a state of War with the United States. The response in the Clinton era was to bomb selected targets in Iraq, and to tighten the noose of economic sanctions (economic warfare with some light military involvement). Additionally, Clinton signed in 1998 (IIRC) a resolution for the United States to remove Saddam from power. Bush then pursued that objective with military force. Both responses caused massive suffering in Iraq. The question of the validity of both responses then revolves around whether or not the *First* Gulf War was valid. Under Catholic teaching, if a nation calls for help to defend itself against an unjust aggressor, other nations can assist the victim nation to repeal the unjust aggressor. The US and its allies entered into the First Gulf War under that mantra -- BUT!!! -- this is the zinger -- Kuwait **NEVER** asked for help in public. This means that we do not know if the First Gulf War is valid or not. Only a handful of select world leaders know the true answer to that question. Thus, we the public do NOT know if Clinton's response or Bush's response were valid. They might be or they may not be. As I stated above, abortion and contraception are not open to debate - unlike this issue of when a war is just or not. Therefore, you cannot compare the two concepts as if they are in the same category. I hope this clarifies for you why you did not see the same type of response from the Bishops regarding US involvement in the Middle East over the past two decades as you do with absolute and undeniable evil of abortion and contraception.
Adolph
1 year ago
Is this the Church's Sept. 11 (1933)? It's 9/11 wake up call to God? But we will fight for the sake of keeping our public life free from those priests who have failed their calling and who should have become politicians rather than clergymen..... I wil be one of the few men in history who have deceived the Vatican.
Denise O'Brien
1 year ago
Where were all you people when Bush entered us into an unjust war based on falsehoods, where we displaced and killed thousands of innocent Iraquis and only worried about Americans killed? Does not God say Thou shalt not kill? Many knew the war was wrong and stayed silent. Where were all the protests on the killing??
Danielle Kelley
1 year ago
Arnetta, a person of color, states the Catholic Church was not around during segregation. Well, I am an American of African descent who is a scholar of history and can honestly state Arnetta needs to read more because Catholics were right there in the movement since the 1600's! Obama, who is Kenyan, raised as Hawaiian, is and was not there in the movement Arnetta is talking about to justify that Catholics are racists. What is deeply troubling to me is that Christians (Black or otherwise) are putting Obama before our Christian morals when evidence shows Obama has pushed, misused the legal system, and even lied to force the Church and all Christians to accept lifestyles and philosophies against our Biblical teachings. The Bible clearly states God said :"thou shall put no other god before me." Arnetta sounds like the group whom has blindly made Obama their "god." Even some Catholic schools are employing teachers (in Religion class) pushing homosexual lifestyles and misinformation that is clearly against biblical teachings. My daughters have attended Catholic schools for 10 years, with the last six being taught false words and teachings; thus we are following many diehard Catholic families (generational Catholics) and leaving the Catholic schools behind for public (at least public won't attempt to teach religion). About time Catholics - stand up for people following God's teachings in 2012 like we, Catholics did in 1776!

Prev12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment