Abstaining from voting

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Here’s something that may sound extreme, but I’m going to say it. I do not recommend anyone do this… BUT…if Pope Benedict XVI said it’s time to lock and load for real, would you?..I know for a fact that I would give my life because this is cause for just war. Voting on such an issue is actually insane. There’s no such thing as a vote for who gets to live. That is deeply disordered. I’m being irrationally rational about this situation. What will you do if “Pro-Life” candidate gets into office and then sandbags us again? I’ll be writing letters to the ends of the earth. I will do my best to influence folks, by waking them up. I’ll be pushing for Pro-Life Democrats and Republicans and Independents and everyone else. This is the only way we’ll ever get laws that stay put to protect life
I think we all can relate to this frustration. However, I’d say it’s a safe bet that our beloved Pope, who has called the US to the carpet for her involvement in Iraq, is certainly not going to ask Catholics to “lock and load”. I shudder whenever anyone even entertains such ideas.

This is where our faith in God MUST be called upon. No matter what WE do, ultimately, He is still in charge. WE will not end abortion without His cooperation. For whatever reason, this atrocity continues, despite so much heroic effort. I don’t think God requires the majority to agree for Him to work a miracle. I believe that as long as we continue to fight for justice for the unborn, we will see this country, and others hopefully, return to their senses.
 
I disagree. Not only should we be voting our conscience. But every Saturday I show up for praying in front of an abortion clinic I see maybe 20 at most 30 individuals…Catholic and a hand full of protestants typically irritated at all the Marian attire…and rosaries. I propose we show up in hundreds and thousdands until this is ended. So why if religious leaders, lay ministers, Protestants, Catholics, Jews, whomever, …why are they not showing up in thousands every single day or even weekends? This is frustrating. The people that embarrassed me at church a couple of weeks ago don’t even show up for the prayers in front of the abortion clinics. You can’t be prolife just when you talk about it. You have to live it.

That is the real sin here. Not the voting. We expect someone else to change the law. We have to take responsibility for our actions. I was speaking metaphorically about lock and load… I’ve got 10 years military of my own, not counting my dad’s service when I was a young military brat. So the jargon sort of always follows me and of course it sounds violent. The early Church leaders did not speak mildly much of the time when confronting sin. Penance could last a lifetime. I’m just showing my allegiance to the Church and if the Church wants us to vote Republican…then foowy on the tax exemption and just say it. Stop being luke warm…we know what the bible says about being luke warm.

What I’m saying is most men have blood all over their bodies, much more their hands in this culture of death. We grow up in a playboy mentality of I’ll get what I want and then dump and move on to the next. Some of us are better than others at resisting it. Women also fall into this sinful culture of death trying to mimic the playmate mentality…reduced to just flesh even though it is extremely humiliating. I’m saying we need to stand up to every organization that pushes this culture of death. Support candidates that promote pro-life and then hold them accountable on it in big ways, by not supporting them financially, don’t buy their companies products or their friends products. This is war. So then why do we go to amusement/entertainment franchizes in Florida, Texas, California…where ever? We don’t want to really sacrifice…we say vote this way or that way. If we put our money where our mouth is we’d get results…proven results… Not a weapon would ever have to be raised in violence.

This is sort of blackmale the way it’s being put in front of our noses. I’m hearing some of you say the vote your conscience and leave it alone…then I hear to other massive others on here and at church say the Party line vote…but the bishops and priests never just come out and say it out of fear the Church will lose its tax exemption status??? I used to belong to an ecclesial community that paid taxes to make their point and do what they thought was right. Now I’m not suggesting that we just give up that status… I’m just making a point. I love to argue just to argue sometimes to spark higher thought in those that can’t seem to see the big picture here. It’s not nearly as black and white as people love to make it sound. I could easily make the case for my candidate…but I still don’t trust him…he has a history of backing down when he really shouldn’t just on principle.

I think I’m finished kicking this horse. Someone needs to bury it now. But let me leave you with a confession. My mom pushed my brother’s ex-girlfriend many years ago…about 1993 to get and abortion. She threatened to never have anything to do with her or the baby if she gave birth to the child. She was worried the woman was going to take my brother for everything she had already put in my brother’s name to prevent me and my older brother from getting once she died. That’s partly why my older brother committed suicide in a drunken state. His whole world crumbled in front of him. Long story. But my surviving brother, who’s tried suicide twice, still doesn’t know God. I’ve tried to teach him a little here and there…as much as he can take before pushing away. I lost a neice or nephew… as well… This is personal to me… And I’m angry that I hear all this rhetoric about voting… Well I say put your money where your mouth is and also put your rosary where your mouth is and show up for those prayers in front of abortion clinics…public places…everywhere you can get out the message. Where pro-life clothing all the time. Rub it in until you really get them angry… They’ll make martyrs of us and then…then something will begin to happen. Maybe this nation will turn back to God.

Rant over.

PAX Christi tecum.
 
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JLongoria wrote:
The moral theology of the Church is based around natural law ethics.

I can speak with some level of confidence (though it is amateur compared to some others) because I’ve been required to take undergraduate courses in biomedical ethics and philosophy of religion.

The point I’m trying to make in this discussion is the qualifying principle of double effect, which essentially states that, “it is morally permissible to perform an action that has two effects, one good and the other bad” so long as four criteria are met.

  1. *]An act, considered apart from its consequences, must be permissible.
    *]The bad effect cannot be avoided if the good effect is to be achieved
    *]The bad effect is not a means of producing the good, but only a side-effect.
    *]The good and the bad must be “proportional”; that is, the bad effect must at most be equal to the good effect, but preferably less
    With this being said, we can evaluate the case:

    First, voting in and of itself is morally permissible; I don’t think anyone disagrees here. Second, the bad effect (abortion in cases of incest, rape, etc.) must occur for the good effect (the prevention of millions of more abortions) to be achieved.

    Third, our intent is to prevent the deaths of millions of babies, not the other way around. In hoping to prevent the death of millions of children, there is a bad side-effect, namely, that abortions can be performed in cases of incest, rape, etc.

    The third criterion under the principle of double effect embodies the importance of intent in our reasoning. We do not intend for the bad effect to occur; but it must occur in order for the lives of millions of babies to be saved.

    Fourth, the amount of abortions procured in cases of rape and incest is far less than that of those seeking abortions in general.

    All four statements have been satisfied, so we can reason that it is morally permissible to vote for a candidate with the intent that millions of babies’ lives will be saved; unfortunately, there is still a bad effect.

    Take the argument now and apply it to not voting, and you’ll see that it violates the fourth criterion.

    This, of course, does not shut the door on the issue. We still reason that abortion in and of itself is completely and utterly morally impermissible.

    Yet that is a different argument altogether: I think everyone here agrees that the act of abortion is inherently evil.


  1. This makes me realize that people are being extremely judgemental against Catholics who just don’t get it. At the same time…this ends my struggle for who to vote for. Even though I dispise the man that I beleive lies like the norm I’ll vote on principle because at this point it’s all that is really left. Voting a third party makes sense too to build up momentum for later. It is wrong to tie peoples hand together or point a gun to their head to coerce them to vote your way. But to just cast a blanketed rediculous vote seems wrong too now after reading this. I have much to learn…and I have tons of college. I guess you need a degree in philosophy and theology to be qualified to vote. Just think what the average Catholic does not have education wise and then try to figure out why that can’t make the connection. What to do next? 🤷 Beat people that claim to be pro-life over the head with judemental statements like “I didn’t see you at the abortion clinic praying with us.” But that would sound uncharitable wouldn’t it? But then, they are being judgemental to all those other people who don’t get what they are saying either…and beating them over the head…That’s not charitable either. Hmmmn…what to do?🤷 Well, at least I found what I needed. Prayers for the rest of you out there wondering what happened to my rant. But I will be looking for you out at the abortion clinic with your spiritual swords…rosaries. Next time you think about criticizing someone ask yourself when is the last time I prayed for the end to abortion. When is the last time I wrote a letter to a political candiate or government leader about this issue. Talk is cheap. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.
 
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This makes me realize that people are being extremely judgemental against Catholics who just don’t get it. At the same time…this ends my struggle for who to vote for. Even though I dispise the man that I beleive lies like the norm I’ll vote on principle because at this point it’s all that is really left. Voting a third party makes sense too to build up momentum for later. It is wrong to tie peoples hand together or point a gun to their head to coerce them to vote your way. But to just cast a blanketed rediculous vote seems wrong too now after reading this. I have much to learn…and I have tons of college. I guess you need a degree in philosophy and theology to be qualified to vote. Just think what the average Catholic does not have education wise and then try to figure out why that can’t make the connection. What to do next? 🤷 Beat people that claim to be pro-life over the head with judemental statements like “I didn’t see you at the abortion clinic praying with us.” But that would sound uncharitable wouldn’t it? But then, they are being judgemental to all those other people who don’t get what they are saying either…and beating them over the head…That’s not charitable either. Hmmmn…what to do?🤷 Well, at least I found what I needed. Prayers for the rest of you out there wondering what happened to my rant. But I will be looking for you out at the abortion clinic with your spiritual swords…rosaries. Next time you think about criticizing someone ask yourself when is the last time I prayed for the end to abortion. When is the last time I wrote a letter to a political candiate or government leader about this issue. Talk is cheap. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.
Wow. That was a God shot if ever I saw one!
God bless you for keeping an open heart and mind.
 
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This makes me realize that people are being extremely judgemental against Catholics who just don’t get it. At the same time…this ends my struggle for who to vote for. Even though I dispise the man that I beleive lies like the norm I’ll vote on principle because at this point it’s all that is really left. Voting a third party makes sense too to build up momentum for later. It is wrong to tie peoples hand together or point a gun to their head to coerce them to vote your way. But to just cast a blanketed rediculous vote seems wrong too now after reading this. I have much to learn…and I have tons of college. I guess you need a degree in philosophy and theology to be qualified to vote. Just think what the average Catholic does not have education wise and then try to figure out why that can’t make the connection. What to do next? 🤷 Beat people that claim to be pro-life over the head with judemental statements like “I didn’t see you at the abortion clinic praying with us.” But that would sound uncharitable wouldn’t it? But then, they are being judgemental to all those other people who don’t get what they are saying either…and beating them over the head…That’s not charitable either. Hmmmn…what to do?🤷 Well, at least I found what I needed. Prayers for the rest of you out there wondering what happened to my rant. But I will be looking for you out at the abortion clinic with your spiritual swords…rosaries. Next time you think about criticizing someone ask yourself when is the last time I prayed for the end to abortion. When is the last time I wrote a letter to a political candiate or government leader about this issue. Talk is cheap. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.
We don’t disagree.

Since I see you’ve had a revelation, I won’t beat a dead horse. But I do want to add that you should consider those working for the pro-life cause that are NOT on the front lines, visible to you.

My dear friend is out there in front of the clinics. He has that charism necessary to do that work. He apparently has that calling as well. I, OTOH, would not be an asset to anyone doing that work in that way. Instead, I support from behind the scenes by:
  • praying
  • following the press coverage they get and posting comments when necessary
  • writing to my state representatives (they know me by my first name!)
  • spreading the word within my own circle of very liberal friends
    At the 40 Days Rally last night in Seattle, 100 people turned out to pray and prepare for the long weeks ahead. That may not sound like many, but for every one of them, there are likely 4 or more people behind the scenes doing the same thing as I. And who knows how many people they will reach?
God is working through all of us, in His own clever way, using our talents to their best advantage.

God bless and PEACE to you!
 
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