Posted on 04/27/2007 4:22:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
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The editorial cartoon appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer in the wake of the Supreme Court decision upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. It featured the nine justices sitting on the bench. The five Catholic justices who voted to uphold the ban are depicted wearing bishops’ mitres. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is Jewish, is staring at them with a horrified look. So are the three Protestant justices.
The cartoon’s message was clear: The Catholics had voted, not to uphold the law, but to impose their personal religious views. It’s a graphic example of anti-Catholic bigotry.The Philadelphia Inquirer was hardly alone. Now, it’s not surprising when irresponsible commentators like Rosie O’Donnell make bigoted remarks about Catholics—as she did. Well, at least she won’t be on ABC for a while. But it is shocking when more respectable observers do so.
For instance, Geoffrey Stone, former dean of the University of Chicago law school, writes that “all five justices in the majority in [this case] are Catholic. The four justices who either are Protestant or Jewish all voted in accord with settled precedent”—note that. And then he adds: “The five justices in the majority [that is, the Catholics] . . . failed to respect the fundamental difference between religious belief and morality.”
If you uphold a law approved by both parties in Congress and supported by most Americans, you are imposing your morality. But if you vote against the ban, you have nobly kept your religious views from interfering with your job. The ugly implication here is obvious: that it is not possible for faithful Catholic judges to carry out their responsibility to interpret and uphold the law.
Imagine the reaction if a cartoonist had suggested this of other religious groups—if they had portrayed justices wearing yarmulkes or holding the Koran. Joseph Cella, head of a Catholic pro-life group, is right in saying that the Philadelphia Inquirer cartoon is “venomous, terribly misleading, and blatantly anti-Catholic.”
Protestants have a special duty to condemn anti-Catholic bigotry. Shamefully, at one time many Protestants accepted the vile teachings of Paul Blanchard, author of American Freedom and Catholic Power. They supported the anti-Catholic agenda of the group for which he was general counsel: Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Our Catholic brethren should not have to wait to hear our voices forcefully raised against the bigotry now directed against them.
That’s why I am circulating with some other Christian leaders a statement calling on Protestants to join us in condemning this bigotry.
We also call on groups that present themselves as the enemies of prejudice to join us as well. And in particular, we invite Americans United to do so. Let us know once and for all: Are they selective opponents of prejudice? Do they regard anti-Catholicism as an acceptable form of bigotry?
It is appropriate to demand an apology when people in public life use their position to engage in bigotry—just as we did with Don Imus. Subscribers to the Inquirer ought to drop their subscriptions, or boycott the products of their advertisers, until an apology is forthcoming.
All forms of bigotry are vile and must be exposed for what they are: attacks on the very character of a civil society. Apologies are called for. |
From Chuck's lips to your ear!
I’m glad you mentioned that. What many Americans have failed to realize is that for over forty years we have been unknowingly paying professors to indoctrinate our children in college and university classrooms in anti-American, anti-Christian, antisemitic Communist/Leftist/Liberal/Socialist propaganda. And we wonder where the "Ward Churchills'" of the world come from or all this "hate America" philosophy is borne? It originates in our own colleges & universities. And we're paying for it! Who says "Communism is dead!"?
“Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink.”
P.J.O’Rourke
“Unlike others on this thread, I neither “know” or pretend to “know” what is in the hearts & minds of others much less what they need to be “reminded of.””
A good way to know what’s in the hearts and minds of people is to read what they write and intend to communicate to others, such as:
“Protestants have a special duty to condemn anti-Catholic bigotry. Shamefully, at one time many Protestants accepted the vile teachings of Paul Blanchard, author of American Freedom and Catholic Power. They supported the anti-Catholic agenda of the group for which he was general counsel: Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Our Catholic brethren should not have to wait to hear our voices forcefully raised against the bigotry now directed against them. “
Maybe it’s just me, but when Colson says that I have a “special obligation” I take it to mean that he thinks that I am guilty of bigotry against Catholics.
I have no such “special obligation” over anyone else if I am not guilty of the behavior in question.
The issue is not anti-catholicism, the issue is bigotry against conservative, traditional religious belief. This time it was directed against Catholics. Catholics are in good company with conservative, devout protestants when it comes to being targets of ridicule, derision, and outright bigotry. But hey, nobody said it would be easy.
Nice try Kelly. Mahoney is a bishop. He speaks for the Catholic Church - in spite of your lame attempt to avoid accountability. As to my knowledge of Catholic doctrine and history, most people can look that stuff up. It doesn’t take a Ph.D.
Not really, but I see you are also trying to change the subject to illegal immigration.
“He speaks for the Catholic Church?”
Your ignorance of the Catholic Church & Catholicism is laughable.
Only the pope “speaks” for the Catholic Church.
BTW, his last name is spelled...M A H O N Y...
gezzzzzzzzzzzzz the IQ level drops by the minute around here.
Now quit bothering me with your inane posts.
Nope.
.
Once upon a time, for nine whole months, you were unborn. Think about that for a while.
That’s too funny.
Actually Mahoney is a Cardinal. His opinion means very little to faithful Catholics.
And there is also a lot of Catholic bashing and anti-Catholicism being spewed even here on FR. I am amzed that it is permitted.
When you have to play the bigot card, your religion is in sad shape.
Colson and other's like him (Billy Graham, Chuck Swindel, Van Impe etc) have the blood of those Roman Catholics who would have been saved had they been preached the true Gospel, on their hands (Ezek 33).
No doubt they regarded it as a medical procedure, but that doesn't mean it was a legimate one.
I have not heard any pro-abortionist ever describe a scenerio where the physical health of the mother was in danger if the fetus was not killed before it exited the birth canal.
The Democrats agreed to the ban if the 'health of the mother' was put into it.
Note, not the physical health, just the 'health', so the woman's 'emotional' health could be used as an excuse.
Just because the precedure has 'medical' before it, doesn't make it legimate.
Frankly, I am not concerned with the reasoning the Justices used to remove the procedure.
The defenders of this ghastly procedure never made a case that the physical life of the woman was in danger if the fetus was allowed to live.
And for the record, I was talking about those who Colson said were 'Protestant'.
So Gingsburg wouldn't be one of the 'men' I was referring to-now would she.
Amen!
Anyway, Baptists have also been maligned and railed against on many occasions. I think that instead of sniveling about everyone's "bigoted" comments, we should grow up, and act like adults. By whining about name calling and/or others political expression we are putting ourselves on the same level as the protected classes of people who get special attention.
Amen.
What would the "false" Gospel look like? There is only the Gospel, one and the same for orthodox and reformed. When you suggest that only the reformed understand scripture truly, I wonder what your justification for saying this is. It seems either you are making yourself "the measure" of the content of the Holy Book, or you must be relying on some other authority. In either case, it seems that the Holy Book is reduced to some kind of "instruction manual": Understand the Book in this particular way and you'll be good with God. If you don't understand it in precisely this same doctrinal way, then you are damned to hellfire. This is a prescription for divisiveness in the One Body of Christ and to be deplored. It also possibly may signify the raising of an idol in the place of God....
The Holy Bible is not merely a compilation of Christian Truth, it is an invitation to active participation in the Life of God, which leads to a life of holiness in His Spirit. It is not just words on paper, to be analyzed as so many intellectual propositions, of which we can say they are either true or false. The Holy Spirit acting in us is what validates the Truth of scripture, not any particular doctrinal understanding. Doctrines are "closed" things; what the Christian needs, however, is openness of one's spirit to the Spirit of God, which leads us unto Truth and salvation in Christ.
I'm not sure I explained that very well.... But I did try, and I hope you take it kindly; that is, in the same spirit in which it was offered.
If I might extend my remarks WRT this divine "leading unto Truth." As my very dear friend Alamo-Girl is fond of reminding us, God gave us four Revelations of Himself: The revelation of His Son in Jesus Christ; the revelation of the Holy Scriptures; the revelation of the creation itself -- "The Book of Nature" as it were; and the revelation of the Holy Spirit in the souls of persons open to His divine appeal, or invitation. We find God in all these ways.
Well FWIW, that is my understanding. And so it seems to me the best thing is always to seek after God, and -- rather than pronouncing damnation on people who don't agree with us -- to leave the Judgment solely to Him.
In short, we are called to live His two great Commandments: Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength; and love one's neighbor as one's self. Then are we Christians.
Thank you very much for writing, fortheDeclaration. May God ever bless you, and grant you His peace and light.
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