Priest says Social Justice is More important than abortion

[Ender]

Unfortunately, our two party system often divides these issues and makes them mutually exclusive for all practical purposes. This then divides people of good will who sincerely want to work for justice.

This is an assertion generally believed by those who want to support politicians who support abortion. It is a rationalization aimed at rendering that support irrelevant. After all, if both sides are wrong on some of the major moral issues there is no moral obligation to prefer one over the other.

The assertion is false. Very few of what are claimed to be moral issues involve any moral choices at all. There are only a handful of issues that deserve to be called moral issues, and pretty much all of them involve choices that are intrinsically evil. I may support or oppose raising the minimum wage, building a fence across our border, raising or lowering taxes without once encountering a moral choice. The only obligation is that I sincerely do what I think is best; that is the only moral requirement. That is, it is my intention that determines the morality of my choice. With regard to abortion (gay “marriage”, euthanasia, etc), however, some choices are forbidden regardless of my intention; they are wrong without exception.

When someone claims that practical issues involving prudential choices are actually moral issues, what they are really claiming is not that the choices are wrong per se, but that the people taking the opposing position do so for immoral reasons. It is not the choices that are condemned, but the people making them. It is not clear how an uncharitable judgment of someone else’s intentions justifies labeling them as not of good will and unwilling to work for justice.

Ender

 

[estesbob]

I once heard a priest wryly note how there are four sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance: one party supports the first two, the other party supports the second two, and through bipartisan compromise they enact all four into law…

Which two sins does the GOP support that cry out for vengeance to the Lord?

 

[Galnextdoor]

Which two sins does the GOP support that cry out for vengeance to the Lord?

I know this isn’t addressed to me, but from the way that the priest talks at church, I would say capitalism and the death penalty are the “sins” for which the GOP is supposedly guilty.

 

[estesbob]

I know this isn’t addressed to me, but from the way that the priest talks at church, I would say capitalism and the death penalty are the “sins” for which the GOP is supposedly guilty.

Interesting since the Catholic Church supports both of these and the Democrat Party supports the Death penalty also

 

[Ender]

Interesting since the Catholic Church supports both of these and the Democrat Party supports the Death penalty also

Well, since neither capitalism nor the death penalty are sins, I wouldn’t think this is what the priest had in mind, although the death penalty is at least a possibility since many people misunderstand what the church teaches. Perhaps he was thinking of torture, although I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen an endorsement of torture in the Republican party platform. In any event - on the issues that actually involve moral choices - there is no equivalence between the two parties.

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[Matilda_Bennett]

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