Thank you for this whole post!
I’m really glad you found it helpful!
I’m going to say some stuff to hope it can help you understand the Bishops. Having said that, you indicate that you believe Church teachings, so there is certainly no reason for you to leave the Church!
Regarding the other issues, not trying to sway you on your vote, but hoping to help you understand where the Bishops are coming from…
Even after Roe v Wade, I also voted Democrat for a good many years. But then I realized something: if there was a candidate who I loved on every single issue, but he believed we could kill any child up until, say, the age of one…or, instead, believed that after a certain age we should be allowed to be euthanized by our family, or any other life issue like that, I would not be able to vote for that person. That’s when I stopped voting Democrat. If we had any pro-life Democrats in our state (there are some in other states) I would still likely vote for them.
I also realized everybody has their own one-issue potential. For instance, if the government ever said they were going to completely get rid of Social Security and everybody now on it would be on their own to survive, how many people who depend on it to live would vote for that candidate, no matter his/her stance on other issues?
The Church didn’t push so hard in the early days to vote pro-choice, but look how the laws have changed over the years. It gets increasingly easier and easier to abort. We have paid for abortions in other countries, and we now spend money to encourage it elsewhere, not just in the United States. The problem is that this affects everyone, and affects attitude as to the sanctity of life.
Then the democratic party went on in support of euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research (even after adult stem cell research seems to be much more effective), cloning, and other life issues. These are all really big. Yes, we badly need to feed the poor…and the Church does, and encourages others to… but we have to look at where all this is leading us as a culture. It is much better to be poor and end up in heaven than to not be so poor but lose our salvation.
A role of the Bishops is to lead us, so they have chosen to lead in these areas, by reminding us of important issues. Our faith is lived in everyday life, which is why it is good for our leadership to be involved in politics. They need to do what they can to save souls, and they perceive that abortion and these other issues lead us away from God’s plan, in a way potentially very harmful to our souls.
Regarding the lawsuits, that is a necessity. The mandate in the health care law is essentially doing two things; forcing Catholics and others to sin (note that non-Catholic businesses have also sued) and taken away our first amendment rights to practice our religion. If one constitutional right can be done away with that easily, what about the rest of our constitution?
We cannot stand alone. The Bishops are seeing a very real threat, and are doing what they can to help us all to keep our freedom intact, and for that I am very grateful. (Don’t forget; they are actually for some kind of universal health care and, if it wasn’t for the mandate, would likely be supportive of the Health Care Act.)
Freedom is very important; important enough that God gave us free will.
Again, this is not necessarily written to try to persuade you to change your vote, but to understand why the Bishops are doing this. It is different times we live in. I wish there was a way to do this without alienating you and others, and I certainly wish others didn’t tell you to leave the Church. Yet I am very appreciative that the Bishops are fighting for our freedom. We do need their leadership and help with this.
I hope that somehow this can help you see why bishops and priests are talking about this stuff, and hope it helps you to feel less alienated. They are doing their best to lead us to God, and to keep our freedoms intact. You may not agree with them on those issues, but when they feel things are this important, they have to act.
