Catholics at the polls

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CCCatholic17

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Consider these facts:
• Catholics make up 26% of the electorate.
• A higher proportion of Catholics than Protestants turn out to vote.
• Catholics are more likely_ to vote for “liberal” candidates: In 1992, 44% voted for Bill Clinton, while only 34% of Protestants did so. In 1996, 53% of Catholics voted for Clinton, while only 35% of Protestants did so. In 2000, over 50% of Catholics voted for Al Gore.
• Two-thirds of American Catholics-66%-support keeping abortion legal. :eek:
• More than half of them-56%-support euthanasia or assisted suicide.
• 34% support fetal stem cell research.
• 47% support homosexual “marriage.”
• Tellingly, 55% of American Catholics do not attend Mass regularly.
• And the Catholic population is concentrated in states (such as California, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) that have a high number of electoral college votes.
(Catholic Answers)

*Check out how many Catholics vote…but look at what they are voting to support! Catholics can really make or break any election. Just think of what would happen if all Catholics voted as they should…
 
I have also considered these facts many times before, which in my country, Spain, are even higher than in the US. And I have also made such reflexion to myself.

Here, the Catholics are the vast majority and despite of this (and because our revolutionary-socialist government) in the last years laws such as the same-sex “marriage”, the divorce “express”, have been passed, besides the continuous attacks against our Faith.

It is incredible how Catholics don´t vote as they should. I think this is a huge problem of education. Many Catholics don´t believe in their Faith or they don´t understand why the Church teach what she teaches. I think this is a kind of tragedy that we ought to fight against.

Bless you!

Pd.: I apologize for my language mistakes (I´m not a native english speaker)
 
The Church at least in my area hasn’t done a very good job of educating the faithful. Education in the faith was left to the individual. Preaching and homiles were never about the faith or how it is to be practiced by the faithful. They are more about how great God love spans. Which is a great subject to teach about but not for forty years without teaching the faith to the faithful. Examples were not set. I need two hands to count the liturical abuses under the GIRM and now the cannon in my parish even today. I’m betting that I could ask five question that any Catholic in good standing should know of the entire parish and have only 20% get all five right.

There was at least a forty year gap in the teaching of the faith in it’s proper context. Two years ago the bishop admitted and apologized for this “gap” in our local Catholic newspaper. Some parishes have been slow to respond to the need to educate the faithful in the faith. It is not the fault of the Priest entirely. People are more secular in nature. Is this a result of the “gap”? Maybe, who knows. Some Priests’ while extremely busy seem to desire to not ruffle feathers/offend the offenders. Instead of teaching the black and white stances of the faith it is acceptable to allow people to believe what they will: viewing it as being in the gray area.

Forty years, give or take, spans at least a couple of voting generations.
 
Where do you think we should concentrate efforts:
  • Educate Catholics and persuade them to vote in line with the faith?
  • Persuade Catholics to stay away from the polls?
1/2 🙂
tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
Where do you think we should concentrate efforts:
  • Educate Catholics and persuade them to vote in line with the faith?
  • Persuade Catholics to stay away from the polls?
1/2 🙂
tee
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Teach Catholics to be Catholic. The rest will take care of itself.
 
Well, many Protestant pastors will all but tell their congregation how to vote. BTW before I get jumped here I’m not implying that Protestants don’t think for themselves, I’m just saying that Protestant Church leaders really get involved in politics.

Evangelicals especially practically combine political outlook and theology into a single thing. Now typically I have been against this as I have always felt it was degrading to bring base politics into the sanctuary. However, after looking at those stats I’m a taken aback.

Do you think our bishops and priets should start speaking more directly to politics?
 
rtconstant said:
(…)

Do you think our bishops and priets should start speaking more directly to politics?
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I don´t know how the Bishops and priests in America talk about politics, but I think that there´s a universal (catholic) and clear doctrine about important issues like abortion, same-sex marriage that every single catholic should know. The Church is never going to tell people which party or candidate to vote, but there are some basic rules that everyone ought to have in mind before giving his support to someone that doesn´t respect any basic principles or values that we stand for, e.g. Sanctity of Life, real Marriage, etc…

As Sean has said, this is time to teach catholics to be catholic. The rest will take care of itself. I completely agree with him!
 
Change the seminaries that produce liberal priests who eventually become liberal bishops and then change can happen.

Without changing the seminaries no matter how conservative any pope may be–the bishops will remain liberal at heart–but hiding it just enough so they will be appointed bishop by conservative popes.

They in turn will make sure that they are succeeded by liberal bishops because the pope doesn’t get involved until after liberal bishops have already vetted candidates and propose ones to the Holy See that look OK but are in fact liberal.

Look at all the bishops John Paul II appointed and we still have many American bishops trying to push as much Inclusive language as possible against the Holy See’s intent.

If the bishops that John Paul II appointed were as conservative as him you wouldn’t see this happen.

I think that Pope Benedict XVI not only needs to keep a closer watch on seminaries but CHANGE the process of bishop selection to where current bishops would have no part in self perpetuating their liberalism which is hidden by a conservative mask but shows itself in what they actually do!

If conservative bishops really wanted to deny communion to congressmen who support abortion and if they really wanted their priests under their charge to give homilies telling the faithful that supporting those who support abortion is wrong they could do it!

The fact that they don’t shows where their true heart is on the matter and it isn’t conservative!
 
I don’t think liberal bishops are the problem. Where are the so called orthodox bishops? What are they doing? Making little books and sticking them in the back of church obviously isn’t working.
 
Isn’t it true that most Catholics voted for Bush in 2004, despite the fact that Kerry identifies himself as a Catholic?

Also I personally think that people who support abortion, euthanasia, and gay “marriage” can’t be Catholic. Rather, they are heretics at best, and more likely apostates since many liberal Catholics don’t believe Jesus was perfect (therefore denying his divinity.)
 
I don’t know I find all of the Presidential Candidate difficult to pick… most of them I am still investigating their positions on certain issues like;
  1. Abortion.
  2. Defending Traditional Marriage.
  3. Stem Cell Research.
  4. Euthanasia.
  5. Iraq War.
  6. War on Terrorism.
  7. Environment
  8. Economy.
  9. Social Justice issues.
  10. Foreign Relations.
I am looking for a candidate who is against abortion, defend traditional marriage, opposes same sex unions, opposes stem cell research, end the Iraq War, Environment to combat Global Warming, Economy plans like jobs, social justice like improving the quality of life for the poor here and in third world countries, and better relations with our European allies that was damage from the Iraq war…

Which candidate fit this description? If none fit the role, I don’t see myself voting this coming Presidential election.
 
Mannyfit75 said:
I don’t know I find all of the Presidential Candidate difficult to pick… most of them I am still investigating their positions on certain issues like;
  1. Abortion.
  2. Defending Traditional Marriage.
  3. Stem Cell Research.
  4. Euthanasia.
  5. Iraq War.
  6. War on Terrorism.
  7. Environment
  8. Economy.
  9. Social Justice issues.
  10. Foreign Relations.
I am looking for a candidate who is against abortion, defend traditional marriage, opposes same sex unions, opposes stem cell research, end the Iraq War, Environment to combat Global Warming, Economy plans like jobs, social justice like improving the quality of life for the poor here and in third world countries, and better relations with our European allies that was damage from the Iraq war…

Which candidate fit this description? If none fit the role, I don’t see myself voting this coming Presidential election.
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Not in every single issue you pointed out, but in most of the them, and catholic, Brownback would be a good choice.

Anyway, this may help you in your investigation:

ontheissues.org ; votesmart.org/index.htm ; acuratings.org/
 
I saw Obama in Oakland yesterday. He seems to have a very strong moral judgement regarding major issues. Since this coming election will be my first one as a voter, I hope my parish or diocese hands out voting guides to help me with this process. As long as it isn’t Hillary I think we all will do alright.
 
Two-thirds of American Catholics-66%-support keeping abortion legal.
• More than half of them-56%-support euthanasia or assisted suicide.
• 34% support fetal stem cell research.
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Sorry but I just do not believe this statistic…unless you are counting lapsed catholics…this then explain why they are lapsed:rolleyes:
 
CCCatholic17 said:
I saw Obama in Oakland yesterday. He seems to have a very strong moral judgement regarding major issues. Since this coming election will be my first one as a voter, I hope my parish or diocese hands out voting guides to help me with this process. As long as it isn’t Hillary I think we all will do alright.
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I hope this is helpful to you (source: ontheissues.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm ) :

Sen. Barack Obama:

**He strongly favors:
**
  • Abortion as a woman’s right
  • Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws (although he opposes gay marriage, he is a supporter of civil union & gay “equality”)
He Opposes:
  • Death Penalty
Besides:

Voted No to on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. And No on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Here, the text of the amendment: thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:1:./temp/~c109EkJfE1:: )
 
Wait?!?! I thought Obama is against abortion!

JEPI–Thanks for telling me that!
 
Thank you very much. I have heard of California and of course San Franciso.only because of the song 🙂
 
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