My Church Endorsed a Political Party

[Thomas54]

It listed candidates to vote for if I want to be a Catholic in good conscience.

Am I correct in saying that no Democrats were on the recommended voting list?

If that were the case, I see no problem.

Also, the committee doesn’t follow you into the voting booth.

Just this past week a Democratic church friend was extolling the virtues of Biden. When I asked him how he can vote for a Catholic that supports abortion, he said that he’s not a one issue voter.

I wonder if that rational will wash when he meets his maker?

Thomas

 

[Thomas54]

It violates guidelines put out by the USCCB and dioceses, and very likely US tax law.

It may, but in my neck of the woods, certain churches, not Catholic, have been known to preach from the pulpit who to vote for and drive some members to the polls. They never get into any tax issues.

I have no problem with them driving the members to the polls, but I have a problem with is that the Catholic Church does not push the envelope and also tell us which candidates we should consider voting for.

Really, how hard can that be? This candidate supports abortion and this candidate does not, you folks with in the shout of my voice, do the math

Thomas

 

[Thomas54]

So why can’t we just hear from the pulpit “only one political party supports abortion and thou shalt not vote for it.”

Could the answer be that weekly collections may plummet!!!

20 or more years ago our church had a young visiting priest say mass and after Saturday evening mass we had a potluck dinner and I sat next to him and spoke about a lot of different church topics.

I told him that I would love to hear from the pulpit, on a regular basis, the Catholic position on abortion and how we should take that into strong consideration when we consider voting for any candidate, especially one with a D after their name. He told me that that sermon would never be approved by the bishop.

And we wonder why our church has been bleeding members for years. If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing.

 

[Rau]

So why can’t we just hear from the pulpit “only one political party supports abortion and thou shalt not vote for it.”

I imagine the reason is that voting for a party that endorses an intrinsic evil is not the same as endorsing the intrinsic evil. It would be wrong to vote for a party because they support the intrinsic evil. It would be wrong to vote for a party because you anticipate that their election will cause more harm than good.

The weighing up of consequences flowing from well intentioned acts which are not in themselves intrinsically evil (Eg. Voting), is a matter for the prudential judgement of each of us. Thus, those on the pulpit cannot properly say “Thou shall’t not vote for candidate X”. Those on the pulpit could of course share their own judgement on the matter, though there may be reasons to refrain from even that.

 

[Thomas54]

I don’t see the Democratic Party’s ardent promotion of abortion in any shade of gray. It’s just wrong to promote this evil.

Amen!!!

Yet, 47% of Catholics voted for Biden.

Then there are Bishops that supported Biden also. Our Church needs a housecleaning all the way from the pews to the Bishops. Then maybe we will come back even stronger.

Thoma

 

[Thomas54]

Those on the pulpit could of course share their own judgement on the matter, though there may be reasons to refrain from even that.

Oh, there be a reason.

It’s the Bishops. A young priest once told me that they cannot talk regularly about abortion because it would not be condoned by the bishop since the bishop basically approves homily contact.

#disgusting

Thomas

 

[Shakuhachi]

That is because this election was unlike any other in history. President Trump has been so damaging and so toxic that he broke all standards bringing our nation to an existential crisis. We cant really blame anyone for wanting to bring an end to this chaos.

 

[Thomas54]

I assure you, most people at Mass are sitting next to sinners, but your use of the word “in essence” on this thread is troublesome. If you have a problem, for example, of going to Mass with Democrats, for example, then that is a serious matter indeed.

There is quite a difference between sitting next to someone who steals a loaf of bread and someone who would support anyone that would condone the killing an innocent child.

My family has been affected by abortion as many have, so maybe I have a little more skin in the game than most.

Until our church starts to take a real stand on the sanctity of the womb, I don’t see how we will survive.

Since we are quoting scripture here, we all can quote Rev 3:16, but many don’t know the verse prior to and following:

15: “I know your works, I know that you are neither cold nor hot.” I wish you were either cold or hot.

16: So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

17: For you say, “I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything” and yet do not realize that your are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Our Catholic church, on the abortion issue, talks a good game, but not from the pulpit and not with their support of Pro-Life candidates. In too many cases, money drives their faith. Our leaders do not realize that they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked and until they do, we will continue to bleed members and lose our young to protestant churches where they have pizza parties and youth retreats and take the easy route of sola fide and sola scriptura.

Our faith is based on The Eucharist and John 6:53: "Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

So, in my religious view, if you vote for a party, Democratic, that supports abortion, those innocent children that have been aborted do not ever have the chance to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood.” At least not on this earthly plane.

Thomas

 

[JimG]

That is because this election was unlike any other in history. President Trump has been so damaging and so toxic that he broke all standards bringing our nation to an existential crisis. We cant really blame anyone for wanting to bring an end to this chaos.

Well, he was certainly toxic to Chuck Schumer and many congressional Democrats, especially his stance on judicial nominees and on protection for unborn babies. But he was the first president in my memory to actually act in a pro-life manner unlike some Republican presidents for which I had some hopes. But now, we will return to the standard of pro-abortion presidents.

 

[Dolphin]

There’s a difference between a parish committee saying who you should vote for as compared to the priest himself saying who to vote for.

People get this false sense that the Church or priests can’t say who to vote for. They can’t say who to vote for but they can say what issues are important and worth considering as related to Catholic social teaching and that’s abortion, immigration, refugees, gun violence, racism, criminal justice, helping the addicted, and so many more.

 

[Shakuhachi]

But now, we will return to the standard of pro-abortion presidents.

And those who voted for Biden have an even grater responsibility now to speak out and advocate for life in the womb.

 

[pnewton]

And those who voted for Biden have an even grater responsibility now to speak out and advocate for life in the womb.

Yes, and those who are Democrats and voted for him need to make voice heard within the party until they remove that obnoxious plank from as part of what defined them.