Posted on 03/15/2016 11:09:37 AM PDT by GonzoII
He's pro-life, backs traditional marriage, and favors religious freedom — among other key beliefs
The frenzy of Establishment politicians and influence peddlers desperate to stop Donald Trump has reached new heights. Pope Francis may have backed off his head-scratcher of a veiled attack on Trump, but that didn’t stop a group of Catholic elites who have pronounced Trump “manifestly unfit to be president of the United States.”
In an open letter to “Our Fellow Catholics” and “all men and women of good will,” they claim that a Trump presidency will endanger the Catholic priorities of the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, traditional marriage, and limited constitutional government informed by the Catholic principle of subsidiarity.
This attack will likely boost Trump’s standing with the American people, as did the embarrassing attacks last week by Mitt Romney, but let’s review:
Human life: Trump was once pro-choice. Now he’s pro-life. Romney traveled the same path. But I never saw on Romney’s face the look I saw on Trump’s face when he reacted to the Planned Parenthood undercover videos. He was sickened by the commoditization of helpless human beings and sale of aborted baby parts. He says consistently he would not fund Planned Parenthood “as long as you’ve got the abortion going on.” So, he would halt taxpayer funding of the largest abortion provider in the United States unless it ceases doing abortions altogether. That’s a good start — something the pro-life movement and all common sense Americans have long sought.
Religious freedom: After winning the Michigan primary, Trump decried our culture’s “chipping away at Christianity.” He repeats the cheery Reaganesque promise, “We’re going to say ‘Merry Christmas’ again.” That’s shorthand for: You will be free to exercise your faith, not just in church, but in the public square. He boldly states that Christians are being persecuted and exterminated in the Middle East while others are able to escape.
Traditional marriage: He says consistently that he favors it, correctly notes that marriage laws are left by our Constitution to the people of each state to decide for themselves, and denounced strongly the judicial activism of the Supreme Court imposing same-sex marriage as an invented right. Pressed by a reporter about his own status as twice divorced, Trump offers no defense, no doubletalk. He says he was at fault. And Trump’s hard-working, serious, charitable children speak volumes about the job their parents did raising them.
Limited constitutional government: The Catholic principle of subsidiarity teaches that "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions." Respecting the role of states, communities, and families and freeing them from the massive, overweening bureaucracy is something Trump wants to do — and importantly, can do. One can see him finally closing the Department of Education that Ronald Reagan had hoped to close, and taking no prisoners in reforming the Veterans Administration to end the red tape for those who deserve the best after serving our country.
Trump is "speaking for the millions of Americans who’ve lost faith in the political process," as Reihan Salam said. He’s forging a historic realignment of American politics, breaking down the traditional party lines that really served the Establishment on both sides.
Trump speaks for the forgotten middle and working classes, and for those who wish they had work but don’t. When he says, "we love the poorly educated," he really means "love." (Note: Love is a Catholic value.)
So what’s left of the Catholic intelligentsia’s critique? Trump exhibits "vulgarity, oafishness, shocking ignorance, and … demagoguery." In Catechism class, we teach that name-calling is not a Catholic value, but there’s a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black here.
The Catholic leaders accuse Trump of appealing to "racial and ethnic fears and prejudice." But Trump’s three immigration reform principles sound like they’re distilled from America’s founding documents:
1.) A nation without borders is not a nation.
2.) A nation without laws is not a nation.
3.) A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.
This blueprint is perfectly consistent with Catholic, and all Christian, teaching (as of course, the American Constitution itself is).
Our greatest leaders have been accused of "divisiveness" in their time for pointing out truths that the less bold preferred to avoid. Such was the case with Lincoln’s famous anti-slavery speech: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." In 1858, Lincoln told the Republican State Convention in Illinois that either America would be entirely free, or the Democrats would establish slavery everywhere in the United States. This shocking message was in contrast to the moderate, middle ground that the elites of the time in both parties preferred, in Democrat Stephen A. Douglas’s doctrine of popular sovereignty.
Lincoln historian David Donald said the "house divided" speech was understood at the time to be "an extreme statement" and "an implied pledge on behalf of the Republican party to make war upon the institution of slavery" in the South.
Lincoln wasn’t Catholic; he was born a Protestant, like Trump, and his vaguely Protestant faith was not expressed in regular church attendance or affiliation. But both have a way of stating, simply and clearly, principles of right in troubled times.
Our country is being torn apart again, by broken borders, by a lack of good jobs, by a global economy that does not operate on American principles and free markets, by the relentless press of Islamic terror. We can’t keep going this way. The American Experiment — and the hopes and dreams of many Americans for themselves and their children — will soon end, unless we find a leader who will speak the plain truth about what is wrong and how to fix it.
Let’s pray that our fellow Catholics — and all Americans of good will — trust their own good sense in electing that man as our next president, and that he will say of all Americans, as Lincoln did at his first inaugural: "We are not enemies, but friends."
Wendy Long is the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for the United States Senate in New York.
Uh....No thanks!
No core we can depend upon.
Considering the sort of far-left wacko Liberal Democrats around here who never met a late-term abortion they wouldn’t fund, who nonetheless draw the vast majority of the Catholic vote simply because they have a “D” next to their name.....I don’t have a problem voting for Trump.
The way I see it, Trump is more “Catholic” than the current Pope.
So whom should Catholics support?
Utter nonsense! “All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics” -Pope St. Pius V
“Are you kidding me? He supports Planned Parenthood – bottom line…. Anybody that supports Planned Parenthood, then, it’s not about human life…. He’s not a pro-lifer if he supports Planned Parenthood.” -Elaine Riddick
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3408846/posts
I’ve actually used Trump floor wax. Made with actual Trump oil harvested from Trump here in America, it will imbue a lustrous orange patina to your aged hardwood floors.
Freegards
I wasn't aware that the Vatican had asked Trump for our protection.
Why should any Catholic vote for a guy who comepares going to Holy Communion as eating some cracker as well as ridicule confession ?
Have as many wives as Henry de IIIV, boast about his maritial infidelitys,and even jokingly suggest insest. Worst of all show any comprenension as to that the current strategy ammounts to a war on traditional values fostered by Christians. Because they oppose the Godless movement.
A tradition that stands in opposition to the Godless (remember their 2012 convention) democrat (in name only but in reality socialist) party ?
As far as the Pope goes
CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVES
DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY MEDIA MACHINATIONS
The pope was responding to an accusation loaded question by a reporter from Reuters news agency and actually did not believe those accusations. So the pope never mentioned Trumps name in his lengthy reply. expressed here in abstract; In his reply the pope used the term One, to generalize his example and began with; If actually one said and Pope Francis continued with : One does, one did, one believes : such and such ..
It was meant to be a generalized position applied to anyone who has those views when answering the questions that were presented to him .Yet the US media turned this statement : Those that only focus on building walls and not bridges are not Christian. into: Those who build walls not bridges like Trump are not Christian. Amazed they did not set up a Rubio endorsement who supports amnesty.
Well Francis generalized position got twisted by the media into a personal attack . Which was intended and used, as a left handed Trump endorsement. MSM ignored the constititionalist Cruz who says illegals are out and are to never return position but knowingly used the bombastic Trump who has a round ticket position about amnesty and silence from Trump about any border wall fence funding discussion going on during the GWB administration where the democrats killed the funding. Perhaps he was too busy managing his Trump U. Fleecing trusting souls who are now engaged in suing him for misrepresentation.
The leftist medias anti religious agenda is busy minimizing the Cruz candidacy claiming Cruz can not win by emphasizing Christian values in: Marriage, planned parenthood, abortion and the citing of positions on these subjects taken by Trump. Urge Ted to stay the course and defeat this blowhard . We want back to the days of the constitution and the government out of our bedrooms, kitchens, gas tanks, back yards, as well as our religions. Who will pick justices that keep it that way .
During a Face the Nation interview, Sen. Ted Cruz declared he would not accept the Scalia vacancy. That is not a job I am interested in. Cruz added, The job I am interested in is appointing 3, 4, 5 Supreme Court justices, defending the constitution. Ted Ctuz vowed that as president he would reverse the damages one by Barack Obama to the constitution.;WE NEED TED CRUZ
As expected Trump responded to what he thought was a direct personal attack by the Pope which was shared and agreed to by millions including many Catholics For what they were responding to is Trump in effect telling the pope to go to hell which made the difference. If they voted that way because of that reason They were mislead by machinations of the media not rejection of actions voters thought were made by the pope. THIS PRIMARY DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE GIVE TED CRUZ YOUR VOTE THE ONLY CANDIDATE COURAGIOUS ENOUGH TO
WHAT AMMOUNTS TO A WAR ON RELIGION ...
He says the bible is his favorite book. For whatever that is worth.
When did Trump come out against gay marriage?
Cruz!
Vote Trump, because well... umm everyone else may be better on the subject you value, but vote for him anyway.
I thought we were supposed to indicate in the title line when posting satire.
He’s pro-life...
ahh, he has always been pro-Abortion as a guy with New York values! And he told you he thinks Planned Parenthood does soooooo many good things... not even an “ish” in there.
ymmv
No, no, you don't understand. Trump can be anything *you* want, as well as anything *I* want, as well as anything *your neighbor* wants, even if those *wants* are completely contradictory. The reality, at which you at least hint, is that Trump will be what Trump wants, whether or not you or I like it.
We're well into fantasy land here, with everyone projecting their wants and desires on to the man, without ever considering who or what he actually is.
It's not going to end well.
Because they can go to confession next week, pray the Rosary, say a few Hail Marys and be immediately absolved and told to sin no more?
Number one reason why Catholics and everyone else who is persecuted for their beliefs; Trump has shown an ability to defeat the forces of political correctness. No one else has shown to have that ability. Political correctness stands in the way of taking care of every other problem we face.
Nope. Sorry. Common Core is a war on Catholics and Catholic schools. Ted Cruz had an opportunity YESTERDAY to take a stand by voting against Obama’s pro-Common Core education secretary nominee. Instead, he conveniently missed the vote.
I’ll take my chances with Trump. Cruz can fly a kite.
Cruz is against Common Core.
“backs traditional marriage”
By cheating on his wives and getting divorces.
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