Do Catholics make bad politicians?

[mcliffor]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country. At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

 

[Victorious]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country. At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

I don’t think Catholics necessarily make bad politicians (cf. St. Thomas More, the coolest saint in the entire heavenly court), but many politicans make very bad Catholics (no need to name names).

 

[Catholig]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country. At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

Mcliffor, the fact that a catholic president would be subject to the pope is only a bad thing if you disagree with the positions of the catholic church. In any case every single politician is subject to his own beliefs, and the plateform on which he runs. For example while your friend may think (rightfully I hope!) that a catholic would do his best to pass laws making it impossible for homosexuals to get married, a liberal politician would also do his best to pass laws to allow it, and possibly force this on everyone by anti-descrimination laws. Each would believe he is doing what is right.

And by the way many things the president deals with don’t deal with morality. They concern taxes, bills, and other stuff which you are allowed to hold your own opinion on so long as they aren’t immoral.

 

[1ke]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country.

This is untrue. There are three branches of government at the federal level in the US-- and 50 state governments. Neither the President nor the Pope “control” the country.

At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

Your friend wrongly assumes that the Natural Law is “Catholic”, but it is universal. Hence the fact that these offenses mentioned above are not only against Catholic moral teaching but other world relgions as well.

The examples you give-- abortion, gay marriage, and birth control-- are all harms to society. Laws are made to preserve and uphold society, not a specific religion.

Because the Catholic Church holds the fulness of truth, of course laws passed reflecting Catholic moral teaching will have the fullest benefit to society.

And again, the President alone cannot change the laws, that takes both houses on Congress plus the President.

I suggest you review the Catechism on the subject of Authority to get a better understanding of Catholic teaching in this area.

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry,

Cardinal McCarrick did not threaten to excommunicate John Kerry. Your friend has his facts wrong.

which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians

As this event never occurred, the rest of his assertion is meaningless.

and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

A Catholic always has free will. He can choose to be obstinantly, publically opposed to Catholic teaching, but then he has freely chosen to leave the Catholic faith by doing so.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication

Kerry was not singled out. Nor does your friend understand excommunication.

when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

That is an overly general statement with no basis in fact.

 

[Epsilon_Omega]

First of all, cough Kennedy cough. Second of all, I would say all christians with a lot of faith, would bad politicians (From the voters- some athiest, view point). It all gets back to the separation (sp) of church and state, and how much morals the politician would be allowed to use. Personally, separation (sp) of church and state is blown out of proportion. Getting back to the question. I believe true catholics are good people, but politics is very crooked and the catholic would have to do unchristian things to survive. If you watch TV before an election, whoever gets elected is usually the one who has the cleanest record (meaning the one whose image was smeared the least by hate campaigning). A christian is supposed to turn the other cheek, and with the christian being smeared by the negative ads against him, he would look like a horrible person when compared to the horrible person who did all the negative ads. (When I say he, I also mean she )

So a catholic would make a bad politician, because they are too nice.

 

[Karianne]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country. At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

Well, I think that some do and some don’t. Henry Hyde was the worst possible example of Catholicism, in my opinion.
I didn’t think that the threat to Kerry was a political stunt, but I thought it was a ridiculous move, mainly because it left the bishop and the church vulnerable to the very charges that your friend made.
The bishop should have done some “if-then” thinking before he spoke.

 

[Karianne]

Mcliffor, the fact that a catholic president would be subject to the pope is only a bad thing if you disagree with the positions of the catholic church. In any case every single politician is subject to his own beliefs, and the plateform on which he runs. For example while your friend may think (rightfully I hope!) that a catholic would do his best to pass laws making it impossible for homosexuals to get married, a liberal politician would also do his best to pass laws to allow it, and possibly force this on everyone by anti-descrimination laws. Each would believe he is doing what is right.

And by the way many things the president deals with don’t deal with morality. They concern taxes, bills, and other stuff which you are allowed to hold your own opinion on so long as they aren’t immoral.

Well, I honestly don’t think that the Church can dictate my opinions on anything, nor do I think that it tries to.
Furthermore, the day that any Church is forced to allow any marriages that they don’t consider moral, that’s the day the entire Constitution would be thrown out.
Homosexuals should be allowed to have Civil Unions. The Catholic Church could never be forced to perform or to recognize those unions as the sacrament of Matrimony.

 

[Rach620]

I personally think good Catholics make the best politicians, though not usually the most successful (see Rick Santorum).

Politics today seems to be heartless, soulless power grabbing. But what we need to remember–Catholics especially–is that there is a proper order to things. Contemporary US politics–that’s not how politics should work. It doesn’t take into account those who are governed as persons, nor does it realize its role as simply that of allowing people to reach happiness and fulfillment in lives of faith and virtue.

Separation of church and state is good in that it keeps easily corruptible politics from corrupting faith. Where the problems come in is when we attempt to marginalize faith and completely divorce religion from politics–something that is impossible because issues are not so black and white for a faithful polity, like many of us in America.

Politicians who somehow avoid the corruption of the system and really try to do some good, guided by the moral authority of the Catholic Church, I think, are exactly what this country needs. Whether they can get (and stay) elected is an entirely different story, but as others here said, I don’t think any voter needs to worry that America is going to be ruled by proxy by the Pope.

 

[johnnycatholic]

Catholics don’t make bad politicians; politicians make bad politicians.
Also, your friend is a bigot. Would they also never vote for a black person because Jesse Jackson would be running the country and he’d change our national anthem to rap? Would a Jew ban pork and make us all wear yarmulkes? I’d rather have a good firm Christian of any denomination in office than one of these career politicians whose opinions change with the payoffs from special interest groups.
Does your friend fear the Pope would order all US women into their homes to breed continuously till death? Would we take down the statue of liberty and put up a giant Mary for all to worship? I mean, your friend basically says we’re all automoton storm troopers for Herr Popen and it’s not okay for our faith to impact the way we live and act in this world. I am sure they haven’t followed it through that far, but it’s a pretty hateful thing to say when you see the logic behind it. Pray for your friend and ask him or her out of curiosity what they fear life would be like under the Pope’s regime. Nevermind, there’s probably a South Park episode about it already.

 

[mark_a]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president.

And there you have it. The straight scoop. His honesty is truly appreciated

At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

I guess this person slept through government class, because he appears to have no clue as to how this government works.

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

The bishop was not exiling him, he was telling him his voluntary beliefs were not compatible with his voluntary membership in the Catholic Church.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

Many Catholics have unknowingly excommunicated themselves, precisely because their views and actions are not public information.

 

[Catholig]

Well, I honestly don’t think that the Church can dictate my opinions on anything, nor do I think that it tries to.
Furthermore, the day that any Church is forced to allow any marriages that they don’t consider moral, that’s the day the entire Constitution would be thrown out.
Homosexuals should be allowed to have Civil Unions. The Catholic Church could never be forced to perform or to recognize those unions as the sacrament of Matrimony.

I disagree. Homosexually should not be allowed to have Civil Unions, it is not a right, and to vote to allow them to have them would be an error on your part. I’m positive that it would just lead to further cultural exceptance of homosexuality, then to homosexual adoption, and a whole slew of “anti-discrimination laws” which’ll get any priest that opposes it locked up like it the netherlands (if I remember correctly).

Catholig

 

[mary_bobo]

My friend told me why he would never vote for an orthodox Catholic president. A good Catholic listens to the Pope, which means the Pope would be the one controlling the country. At the same time, a Catholic would change the law to force his own “Catholic” definition of the natural law on everyone (by making abortion, gay marriage, and birth control illegal),

He brought up the bishop of DC who threatened to excommunicate Kerry, which he thought was a political stunt and an example of the Church trying to control Catholic politicians and replace their own will with the Church’s will.

He argued that there was no reason Kerry should have been singled out for excommunication when the large majority of American Catholics are heterodox (he didn’t use that word, but that’s what he meant).

I’m sure your friend must be too young or too uninformed to remember the John Kennedy years. We heard this same falsehood during the election of 1960 and what happened along these lines that your friend mentioned? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.