S
stpurl
Guest
From what I gather from my own family (we were all brought up Catholic Democrat from our grandparents’ and parents’ tutelage back when the party was more in line with Catholic social teachings; the vast majority of the family have stayed Democrat). What has happened is that most of them have been so faithful to the whole idea of social justice that the ‘turns’ have been presented as ‘still in good standing with the Church’, and unfortunately over the last 50 years with so many of the hierarchy either remaining silent or else proposing ‘seamless garment’ or “who am I to judge’ (not Pope Francis’ words but more the old Mario Cuomo, “I personally won’t shove my beliefs onto others”) along with the truly diabolical emotionalism and ‘testimonies’ and the vicious charges of extremism and the twisting and redefining of doctrine, you have good solid Mass-going Catholics who are absolutely, positively convinced that since nobody is ‘perfect’, and since we can’t judge anybody’s actions since we don’t know their ‘heart’, and since the most important thing is to take care of people and ‘the Democrats’ have ALWAYS done that, it’s perfectly fine to keep supporting Democrats. After all, look how terrible Republicans are. And even if they SAY they’re antiabortion they’ve never done anything, really, and then they lock up children in cages and they hate poor people and they’re racist and sexist and just want to turn the planet into a cesspool. Plus they’re just mean. And they hate women. Etc. Etc.
Most of them don’t even truly carry out the whole thinking because it upsets them; it’s much easier just saying the same comforting mantra and feeling tolerant. Because you know, it’s only the rightists and the Republicans who are hateful and violent and anti everything. They’re so stupid. They have no basis in reality. They want to ignore all the situations and individuals and forbid freedom and love and beauty and kindness. If only they would stop being so hateful Democrats could actually do all the wonders they talk about, instead of having to demonstrate against hate, or racism, or be forced to unfriend and point out all the terrible things Trump and his ilk have done.
Now I’m not saying that Republicans don’t criticise and complain about Democrats and call them vile names as well, and act like jackasses. But we’re asking about how Mass-going Catholics can be comfortable with a Democratic platform that includes abortion as a ‘right’. And since that’s what being discussed, the point is that for most people in the US the whole cultural phenomenon of the Democrat as ‘the party of the people and social justice” appealed to many working class AND wealthier Catholics for decades, and just as many CINO Christmas and Easter Catholics identify as cultural Catholics but reject nearly every dogma, both groups choose to identify as “Democrat” and “Catholic” even if they personally reject huge key points regarding either group. Being a Democrat means more than embracing the whole platform, and being a Catholic means more than ‘accepting all the rules’.
It’s cognitive dissonance and it’s fast reaching a breaking point.
Most of them don’t even truly carry out the whole thinking because it upsets them; it’s much easier just saying the same comforting mantra and feeling tolerant. Because you know, it’s only the rightists and the Republicans who are hateful and violent and anti everything. They’re so stupid. They have no basis in reality. They want to ignore all the situations and individuals and forbid freedom and love and beauty and kindness. If only they would stop being so hateful Democrats could actually do all the wonders they talk about, instead of having to demonstrate against hate, or racism, or be forced to unfriend and point out all the terrible things Trump and his ilk have done.
Now I’m not saying that Republicans don’t criticise and complain about Democrats and call them vile names as well, and act like jackasses. But we’re asking about how Mass-going Catholics can be comfortable with a Democratic platform that includes abortion as a ‘right’. And since that’s what being discussed, the point is that for most people in the US the whole cultural phenomenon of the Democrat as ‘the party of the people and social justice” appealed to many working class AND wealthier Catholics for decades, and just as many CINO Christmas and Easter Catholics identify as cultural Catholics but reject nearly every dogma, both groups choose to identify as “Democrat” and “Catholic” even if they personally reject huge key points regarding either group. Being a Democrat means more than embracing the whole platform, and being a Catholic means more than ‘accepting all the rules’.
It’s cognitive dissonance and it’s fast reaching a breaking point.