The Catholic Church is slowly imploding on itself, and I don't even think it realizes it. Sean Cardinal O'Malley is borderline psychotic with delusional ideas. Read here . Let me pull out some of my favorite quotes.
"I think the Democratic Party, which has been in many parts of the country traditionally the party which Catholics have supported, has been extremely insensitive to the church's position, on the gospel of life in particular, and on other moral issues," O'Malley said.
Where to even begin on this one. Separation of Church and State issues aside, who does this man think he is, and what "church" does he think he is talking about? Because the Catholic Church is hardly a powerful force in the country today. If I were running for public office, I wouldn't give the Church much consideration before deciding my platform. The Church has had it's heyday of power, and that is long gone. Centuries ago.
Acknowledging that Catholic voters in Massachusetts generally support Democratic candidates who are in favor of abortion rights, O'Malley said, "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned."
Hello, pot? Hi, um, you're black. A Catholic voter casting a ballot for a democrat is scandalous? Really? Here I was thinking that grown men molesting little boys was a scandal. Huh. Voting a strict Republican ticket is not overturing Roe v. Wade. It's not a magic cure for the legal banning of abortion. That will take a lot more work than just checking off all Republicans on your ballot.
Here comes the best one yet:
O'Malley made his comments in an interview just after the US Conference of Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to approve its quadrennial statement offering guidance for Catholic voters, declaring abortion, cloning, and embryonic research to be "intrinsically evil" and warning that support for such acts could endanger a Catholic voter's salvation
Oh. My. GOD. Is he serious? Maybe this was "play a joke on the Globe day". The Catholic Church is actually telling people how to vote?? Does anyone else see a problem here? And they are telling me the God won't let me into heaven because I did my civic duty and voted and out of my choices, I dared vote for someone who might support something that is actually legal in the United States? Does this man actually think I will vote the way he tells me because if I don't, a group of bishops has decided God won't love me anymore? That God won't let me into heaven because I made the best choice I could for the good of the country? Hello, there is a war going on, which is something that I would like to end before I will worry about abortion - and I don't even support abortion rights. Does these bishops realize that the majority of Americans are educated? I don't need someone to tell me how to vote, because I understand the issues. And if I didn't, I know how to educate myself. This isn't 1265 where no one knows how to read.
And someone tell me how cloning and embryonic research is intrinsically evil? Also, as we've already discussed abortion is legal. I would think it is intrinsically good, as so many people could be cured of diseases if this kind of research were properly funded. But, yeah, I get the moral issues conundrum of being anti-abortion and pro embryonic research. What can I say, I'm an enigma wrapped in secret sauce.
So yeah, I won't be going back to the Catholic Church. Ever. I'm too smart for that. Maybe someday I will find a Protestant denomination that doesn't suffer from fatal hubris.
3 comments:
Excellent points. One thing to add:
"Acknowledging that Catholic voters in Massachusetts generally support Democratic candidates who are in favor of abortion rights, O'Malley said, "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned."
Obviously the A-B is a bit confused with the general concept of cause and effect. He seems to think that voting for Democrats is something that Catholics do in Massachusetts. First of all, I'm quite sure they do it everywhere. But more importantly, voting for Democrats is an affliction that ALL people in Massachusetts seem to have been bitten with, not just the Holy Rollers (to borrow a Chris Casey Favorite).
Ok, I'm too worked up to really respond effectively...
Well, it's the middle of the night here, and since not much happens on night shifts, I have plenty of time to change gears and pick a fight with you instead of Matt (he needs to stop writing about taxes, I know everyone else finds our arguments boring but even I can't get riled up about economics). That said, I have a few points of order to submit.
First, I know everyone likes to throw cries of "separation of church and state!" around whenever religious leaders inject themselves into the political process, but I think you're blurring the difference between Catholic leaders encouraging the faithful to be conscious of Catholic teaching when voting and some kind of "power grab" by the Church to gain secular political power. That's not what's happening. Every major election year, the Church reminds voters of her position on significant social issues. It doesn't pick candidates and say "vote for Joe Schmuckatelli and his party or you go to hell." Instead, it reminds Catholics that the Church teaches X on abortion, Y on gay marriage, and Z on capital punishment. To remind believers of the values and beliefs of their organization is hardly a war crime. Putting Cardinal O'Malley's comments aside, if you actually read the document published by the American bishops, it says much about civic responsibility but nothing about going to hell if you vote Democrat. If bishops endorse particular candidates, they're overstepping their authority and deserve censure. However, pointing out that Group X's list of values doesn't match up with one's own is not abusing secular authority; it's saying our lists aren't compatible. It's a simple comparison and statement of fact.
O'Malley's statement on Catholic Democrats in Massachussetts and "scandal" is a little over the top, given the recent child abuse scandal in that state. I'd point out, however, that he is not Cardinal Law, under whom the scandal occurred, and while I admit I know little about O'Malley, unless he had some hand to play in the affair, it is grossly unjust to hang him with the sins of his predecessor. He also says "as far as I'm concerned". He speaks for himself, not the Church as a whole. And while we're on the subject of clerical abuse: nothing can excuse the priests who engaged in such behavior, or those who covered it up. But many people tried to throw out the baby with the bathwater, claiming that the abuses of individual clergymen somehow made the Church illegitimate as a whole. This is faulty reasoning, because such logic would inevitably condemn every human institution at some point in history. The Church had crooked priests; police departments have crooked cops, legislatures have crooked politicians. Any institution in which humans participate will always have a flavor of our own weakness and inclination for corruption. But that doesn't mean the entire institution is fundamentally flawed or its laws wrong. A legislature can still seek the good of a country and pass good laws even though some of its members are corrupt. So it is with the Church.
Finally, on the bishops' warning about endangering a Catholic voter's salvation: they are not, in fact, stating that God "won't let you into heaven because you did your civic duty and voted." They instead are reminding us that, as Catholics, we are expected to follow certain rules in both our private and public lives, and that violating those rules carries consequences. These rules are not made up by a group of bishops who decide who goes to heaven; they come from the gospel of salvation as preached by Christ, the Son of God, who alone passes judgment on us. But the job of the bishops is to explain those rules and guide the faithful in their observance. This is what they are doing. And they are not going to sugar-coat the consequences of failing to follow those rules. If one doesn't like the rules, or think them unfair, then he or she is quite free to part ways with the Church (I find it funny, though, how many people who leave the Church for "imposing morality on others" then turn around and try to impose their own morality on the Church). But if you decide to leave, it's hardly your concern anymore if the Church seeks to guide those who remain.
Some shorter points: you criticize the Church for its opposition to abortion by noting that it's legal in the States. Just because something is legal does not make it right, and I'm willing to bet you know that. Men are capable of legalizing all kinds of horrible things, and we should be thankful, not bitter, that there are men and women of faith (not only in the Catholic Church) who try to keep those horrible things from happening.
Finally, I think it's grossly inaccurate, not to mention insulting, to condemn the Catholic community as stupid and uneducated. You don't agree with the Church's teachings: fine. But calling your opponents names isn't an arguement, it's a playground squabble. I happen to disagree with many planks in the Democratic platform, but I don't think Democrats suffer from some collective mental or intellectual defect. And good for you, understanding all the issues and knowing exactly how to educate yourself on them. Not everyone has your political clarity. And I don't see how a faithful Catholic, honestly seeking moral guidance on current social issues from his priest or bishop, is different from any other citizen who, say, goes on the Internet to research which candidate has a better tax plan. It isn't a question of knowing how to read. And guess what: fully understanding the body of Catholic teaching is going to require a LOT of reading.
And now I'm done. I hope this was at least mildly interesting. And I hope no one can ever accuse you of fatal hubris.
Firstly, I left the Catholic Church years ago, it wasn't this article that prompted it. Though I think I did word the end of the post incorrectly, so I see where that confusion came from.
Also, I didn't condem the entire Catholic community as being stupid and uneducated. I said that the clergy is treating the Catholic community as if they are stupid and uneducated. That's a big difference. It isn't right for any organization to give instructions on how to vote. It's a secret ballot. People have died for that right, and it's a right that should be respected. It's not up to Cardinal O'Malley to tell anyone (or even nudge nudge wink wink) how to cast their ballot.
I'll agree that abortion is wrong. I won't agree that I'm a bad person by voting for someone who isn't anti-abortion. There is no candidate out there who is perfect, no one will ever think exactly like me. There are many many many other issues that I feel strongly about and I have to vote my conscience. If I want to vote for a Democrat who is pro-choice because I truly think that person is the best candidate, God will love me. I'm sure of it.
And you and I believe in two very different deities if the God you believe in would actually deny someone Heaven because they consistently voted Democrat. You point out that only God can pass judgement. I can guarantee you that none of these Bishops have met God. He doesn't send them emails telling him what he's thinking. So you'll excuse me if I don't take their opinions as fact, and critize their often shady judgement.
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