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COMMENTARY: Quandry for Catholics At Election Time
Catholic online ^ | 6/7/08 | Dr. Robert Stackpole

Posted on 07/06/2008 3:32:45 PM PDT by tcg

The Catholic Bishops make it very clear in “Faithful Citizenship” that not all issues facing Americans today are of equal value. In section 37 of their document they write: “In making decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight,” and they specifically emphasize “the special claim on our consciences and actions” of “the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts.” Section 42 is particularly striking:

As Catholics, we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient grounds for a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil such as support for legal abortion or racism may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.

Most of my readers will instantly recognize that, on this reckoning, Barack Obama is definitely a supporter of an intrinsic evil: the legalized killing of unborn children.

(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abrotion; catholic; mccain; obama
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To: tcg

I’m not in any quandry whatsoever. On the MOST important teachings of the Church, the Republican party is the one whose candidates most closely ‘fit’. Even if there were an individual Democrat whose views were close to those of the Church, I’d be hesitant to vote for that person, because, by doing so, that person would give the Democrat party more power in the Govt. Since that party’s stands are AGAINST what the Church teaches, I wouldn’t want to give them any more power.


81 posted on 07/07/2008 9:58:59 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: mountainbunny
When there are but two choices, the Church teaches that we choose that person who will cause the least evil. Just because McCain thinks that embryonic stem cell research is OK, I haven't heard him talking about putting tax money into the program. And this is an issue on which he could be persuaded, if shown enough science to bolster our point that using embryonic cells are not better than using adult stem cells.

If we stay home because McCain supports embryonic stem cell research, we are, by our actions ALLOWING more babies to be killed. If Obama wins, not only will he support tax money for Embryonic stem cell research, he'll also push for tax payer funded abortions, and he'll appoint extremely liberal Justices to the Supreme Court who will wipe out ANY gains we've made over the last 15 years.

82 posted on 07/07/2008 10:05:39 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Conservativegreatgrandma
The title indicates there may be some reasons to vote for a Democrat. What would those be? I can’t think of a single issue that would excuse anyone to vote for a Democrat.

There are Catholics who are fixated on 'Social Justice' issues, and consider the Democrats much more compassionate on them than Republicans. These issues would include housing for the poor, food for the poor, education for poor children, etc. They can't see that Republican solutions would be better for poor people, because they're not designed to KEEP those people in poverty. Democrats declared a War on Poverty in the 60's, which they lost long ago. Democrat policies are designed to keep people poor so they'll continue to vote for Democrats, so they'll keep the gravy train going.

Those 'Social Justice' Catholics look at abortion as just one issue among many, and don't think it's any more important than taking care of folks who are already here. They also tend to be anti-war, so they use the War on Terror as a reason to vote against Republicans.

83 posted on 07/07/2008 10:12:09 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: genxer

The Northeast and Midwest are heavily Catholic, and are also heavily UNION. These union members voted largely Democrat, because they considered the Republican party to be the party of the ‘bosses’, and the Democrat party to be that of the ‘workers’. The Democrats, being for the ‘little guy’, would always protect them. This attitude is hard to shake, because there have been generations of union workers, and their party loyalty was passed down through their families. Also, since John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic president, and he was a Democrat, that only cemented that attitude in peoples’ minds.


84 posted on 07/07/2008 10:15:57 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Son House; Glenn

If white Catholics voted like white Baptists, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massholechusetts, and New Jersey would be solidly Republican states in presidential elections.


85 posted on 07/07/2008 10:19:17 AM PDT by Clemenza (You Shoot Me in a Dream, You Better Wake Up and Apologize)
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To: genxer
About 40-45% of New Jersey is Catholic, followed by non-believers (like me) at 15%, followed by Baptists at 9%.

When you combine union members, ditzy soccer moms, government employees, immigrants from all over, and morons who still refer to themselves by their ethnic heritage even if they don't speak their ancestral language, you have a Democratic leaning state.

86 posted on 07/07/2008 10:22:10 AM PDT by Clemenza (You Shoot Me in a Dream, You Better Wake Up and Apologize)
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To: flyfree

Is Deal Hudson still trying to seduce interns?


87 posted on 07/07/2008 10:23:05 AM PDT by Clemenza (You Shoot Me in a Dream, You Better Wake Up and Apologize)
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To: Linden1209

The American POWs are dead. We have been recovering many remains as of late. I feel bad for you if your family member was not recovered yet, and all my sympathy is with those who have yet to recover a loved one from SE Asia. Nevertheless, the probability that American POWs are still alive in Nam is slim to none.


88 posted on 07/07/2008 10:25:10 AM PDT by Clemenza (You Shoot Me in a Dream, You Better Wake Up and Apologize)
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To: Clemenza

Tacky. Do you believe in repentance and forgiveness?


89 posted on 07/07/2008 10:29:18 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Salvation; Canticle_of_Deborah
No Catholic Can Vote for Obama. If they do they are basically excommunicating themselves from the Catholic Church

someone needs to clue doug kmiec in on that truth!

90 posted on 07/07/2008 10:30:21 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: SuziQ

I’ve done things just as bad as Mr. Hudson, but I never put myself forward as the spokesman for moral propriety.


91 posted on 07/07/2008 10:32:40 AM PDT by Clemenza (You Shoot Me in a Dream, You Better Wake Up and Apologize)
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To: Clemenza

I refer you to, “POW/MIA’s - Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs United States Senate, January 13, 1993 -Ordered to be printed. Filed pursuant to Senate Resolution 10. 103d Congress 1st Session, Report 103-1.” It has an olive green cover. Also, the hearings were on CSPAN.
Our people, military and civilian were not only held in S/E Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) but also taken to the Soviet Union, see pps. 426 and 427 among others.


92 posted on 07/07/2008 11:22:45 AM PDT by Linden1209
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To: ncalburt

I refer you to, “POW/MIA’s - Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs United States Senate, January 13, 1993 -Ordered to be printed. Filed pursuant to Senate Resolution 10. 103d Congress 1st Session, Report 103-1.” It has an olive green cover. Also, the hearings were on CSPAN.
Our people, military and civilian were not only held in S/E Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) but also taken to the Soviet Union, see pps. 426 and 427 among others.


93 posted on 07/07/2008 11:24:36 AM PDT by Linden1209
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To: mountainbunny

“How is killing a fetus for abortion wrong but killing it for research is fine?
Please explain”

I’ll take a stab. It isn’t.
However, how many millions of unborn babies pay the price because we don’t do the political math. That is not negotiating at all. There are different levels of evils in the Church...If there are 5 life issues and McCain is correct on 4 outof 5, that is clearly an ethical and Catholic vote.


94 posted on 07/07/2008 11:31:19 AM PDT by rbmillerjr ("bigger government means constricting freedom"....................RWR)
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To: SuziQ

I agree with you and the premise of the title is absurd. There is NO issue on which the Democrat solution is preferable to the Republican solution. Therefore, the author has little credility. He is telling Catholic voters that he understands that Democrats are correct on many issues but they’re wrong on abortion and therefore they should vote against the Democrats.


95 posted on 07/07/2008 11:56:15 AM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: SuziQ
there have been generations of union workers, and their party loyalty was passed down through their families.

What they don't understand is that union bosses are all about extracting wealth from the union and care just about as much for the workers as the Democrats, which is nothing. They want the power.

96 posted on 07/07/2008 12:14:49 PM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: Clemenza

I wouldn’t say he’s put himself forward as a spokesman for moral propriety lately. He’s just trying to educate Catholics about their place in the ‘public square’.


97 posted on 07/07/2008 2:56:45 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Conservativegreatgrandma

So true. I grew up in the South, but the only prejudice I ever had was against Unions, because some union thugs came to our house when my Daddy was at work, and tried to ‘convince’ my 8 months pregnant Mama to talk my Daddy into voting for the union that wanted to ‘represent’ the workers at his place of employment. The vote happened to be that evening, so he and a few friends went, they made sure everyone was in the room, then his friends stood in front of the doors while he went to the front of the room, and told everyone what had happened. Needless to say, the union wasn’t allowed in, and I don’t think they ever got in.


98 posted on 07/07/2008 3:12:29 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Conservativegreatgrandma

Later in the article, he repeats the silly mantra about the Iraq war being a ‘war for oil’, and saying that since McCain supports it, that’s a mark against him as far as Catholic teaching is concerned, so he lost credibility with me, even if he recognizes that Obama is worse than McCain.


99 posted on 07/07/2008 3:21:28 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: xsmommy

**someone needs to clue doug kmiec in on that truth!**

That’s the truth!


100 posted on 07/07/2008 3:41:51 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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