Can you be Catholic and American?

[sergius89]

My question is this: Is it possible to be a devout Catholic and a good American Citizen at the same time? I know that the church promotes good citizenship but many of the aspects of American society run counter to the tenants of the faith. Unbridled Capitalism, almost unlimited freedoms, etc. Could someone tell me how they reconcile their faith with being an American.

Thanks

 

[1ke]

My question is this: Is it possible to be a devout Catholic and a good American Citizen at the same time?

Yes, of course it is.

I know that the church promotes good citizenship but many of the aspects of American society run counter to the tenants of the faith. Unbridled Capitalism, almost unlimited freedoms, etc.

There is no requirement to **participate **in activities that are unjust or sinful.

Could someone tell me how they reconcile their faith with being an American.

Certainly:

Obey just laws, and work to change the unjust laws. Live your baptismal call to be priest, prophet, and king in your daily life. Pray unceasingly. Live according to the Gospel, doing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Foster virtue in your life and that of your family.

 

[crazzeto]

My question is this: Is it possible to be a devout Catholic and a good American Citizen at the same time? I know that the church promotes good citizenship but many of the aspects of American society run counter to the tenants of the faith. Unbridled Capitalism, almost unlimited freedoms, etc. Could someone tell me how they reconcile their faith with being an American.

Thanks

I’m not sure whether you understand what it means to be a “good american”. Few, good american’s promot “unbridled captiolism”, the suggestion here being “unchecked, pure capitolism”. We all beleive in some regulation, the argument is “how much”. Freedom is getting to be somewhat of a muddy issue, but I would put forward that “unchecked” personal freedom is not a tennant, traditionally of “Americanism”. Rather, freedom of the people as a whole, as well as a sense of duty to others.

You reconcile the two by answering the Vatican’s call to always remember your moral grounding and faith in your political support. You reconcile the two by not quietly standing idoly by while pro-choicers continue advancing the issue of abortion and of concraception and premarital sex on our childeren. I can continue listing ways in which you reconcile the two, but I think at this point you should have a good idea of where this is all goes

 

[CDNowak]

My question is this: Is it possible to be a devout Catholic and a good American Citizen at the same time? I know that the church promotes good citizenship but many of the aspects of American society run counter to the tenants of the faith. Unbridled Capitalism, almost unlimited freedoms, etc. Could someone tell me how they reconcile their faith with being an American.

Thanks

As already stated laissez-faire Capitalism is not the American economic system. However, I fail to see how “unlimited freedoms” is anything contrary to Catholicism. It is the objective state of mankind as we have free will, how we use that God-given freedom is another question.

 

[crazzeto]

As already stated laissez-faire Capitalism is not the American economic system. However, I fail to see how “unlimited freedoms” is anything contrary to Catholicism. It is the objective state of mankind as we have free will, how we use that God-given freedom is another question.

Unchecked personal freedom is not something taught by or supported by the church. Abortion is not a freedom, it’s a moral traidgy, this new “free your breasts, free your mind” movement out in California (movement to allow women walk around topless anywhere) is not supported by the church, contraception is not supported by the church.

The church supports freedom as freedom from sin and death. Freedom to grow as an individual, particularly in faith in God.

 

[CDNowak]

Unchecked personal freedom is not something taught by or supported by the church.** Abortion is not a freedom,** it’s a moral traidgy, this new “free your breasts, free your mind” movement out in California (movement to allow women walk around topless anywhere) is not supported by the church, contraception is not supported by the church.

The church supports freedom as freedom from sin and death. Freedom to grow as an individual, particularly in faith in God.

emphasis mine

Sin is not freedom, however if this is the standard we are using then America certainly does not fit the bill of unchecked freedoms (as that would be a lawless state). Rather the American ideal leaves the freedom of man, within civilized bounds, to be limited by the responsibility that comes with making those decisions.

There is also the question of why man is free: If man were constrained so that he could not sin, he could not love either. God left man free to sin, so that he could be free to love. If the Church limits *this *freedom (and I would ask for citations, if you don’t mind) then it is actively constraining man’s ability to love.

 

[crazzeto]

emphasis mine

Sin is not freedom, however if this is the standard we are using then America certainly does not fit the bill of unchecked freedoms (as that would be a lawless state). Rather the American ideal leaves the freedom of man, within civilized bounds, to be limited by the responsibility that comes with making those decisions.

There is also the question of why man is free: If man were constrained so that he could not sin, he could not love either. God left man free to sin, so that he could be free to love. If the Church limits *this *freedom (and I would ask for citations, if you don’t mind) then it is actively constraining man’s ability to love.

Perhaps we are reading the OP’s comment differently. I read it in a sense of the current trend of placeing speacial emphisis on personal rights, rather than the sense of a lawless state. If he really did mean what you understood, then I do agree with your position.