Signing petitions for a good cause with a group which previously had petitions for contraception, etc

[nahbios]

I tried to fit the gist of my question into the thread title, as you can see! Essentially, what should one do when presented with a petition for an objectively good cause (e.g., ban on cluster bombs) run by a group which has run petitions which were against Church teaching (e.g., a petition to Pope Benedict implicitly in support of the distribution of condoms for the prevention of AIDS)?

I’m sure this kind of question has been dealt with before, but I’m not sure what keywords to use to get a thread close enough to this subject.

Many thanks… May God bless you!

 

[nahbios]

Received more of these petitions since my original post. I welcome advice!

 

[BlueEyedLady]

I would think that it would be just fine. Your signature is going to further a cause, not the organization collecting the signatures.

 

[puzzleannie]

I tried to fit the gist of my question into the thread title, as you can see! Essentially, what should one do when presented with a petition for an objectively good cause (e.g., ban on cluster bombs) run by a group which has run petitions which were against Church teaching (e.g., a petition to Pope Benedict implicitly in support of the distribution of condoms for the prevention of AIDS)?

!

who is collecting the signatures, that is, what is the credibility of this group?
how will the petition be used?
if it is a petition to be presented to a legislator, for instance, who is able to influence the issue by his vote, that is a good thing objectively, but the other side of the coin is which group will be presenting the petition to him?

If you sign, you are identifying yourself not with this issue alone, but also with the group, its entire agenda, tactics, strategy and purpose.
Is that where you want your name to be?

The legislator will not be responding so much to the individual names on the petition, but on the power of the group to command an aggregate of such persons in favor of their issue. This implies they can deliver the same support to other, possibly immoral, issues.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

who is collecting the signatures, that is, what is the credibility of this group?
how will the petition be used?
if it is a petition to be presented to a legislator, for instance, who is able to influence the issue by his vote, that is a good thing objectively, but the other side of the coin is which group will be presenting the petition to him?

If you sign, you are identifying yourself not with this issue alone, but also with the group, its entire agenda, tactics, strategy and purpose.
Is that where you want your name to be?

The legislator will not be responding so much to the individual names on the petition, but on the power of the group to command an aggregate of such persons in favor of their issue. This implies they can deliver the same support to other, possibly immoral, issues.

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines, but couldn’t get it together.

 

[Jonatello]

you’re never going to find someone who agrees with you on everything.

if you dig deep enough, i’m sure most honest people you know probably have a position on something that you find completely wrong. You know what they say “if 2 people always think the same, somebody’s not thinking.”

it’s important to remember we’re all brothers and sisters, no complete person can be summed up by one static position, almost everyone has something good and something bad to offer.

the key is to find the “something-good” (common ground) and help one another in those things.

 

[timeandeternity]

you’re never going to find someone who agrees with you on everything.

if you dig deep enough, i’m sure most honest people you know probably have a position on something that you find completely wrong. You know what they say “if 2 people always think the same, somebody’s not thinking.”

it’s important to remember we’re all brothers and sisters, no complete person can be summed up by one static position, almost everyone has something good and something bad to offer.

the key is to find the “something-good” (common ground) and help one another in those things.

Sure, Jonatello. But what you’re talking about has nothing to do with affiliating yourself with an organization (not just an individual) that has an agenda that you cannot, morally speaking, agree with. According to Catholic moral theology (I just talked with a moral theologian about this, actually), it is not acceptable to support an organization that provides something good if it is clearly involved with evil as well. For example, it would not be acceptable to support an organization that refers for abortions just because it also provides necessary healthcare for the underprivileged. You would need to go find another organization that provides that healthcare without also referring for abortions.

However, things can become a little different when you’re dealing with individuals. It is possible to cooperate with someone in “something-good” even if they have views that are different than yours. Again, it becomes different if your cooperation contributes to their sinful behavior, but if not, then you’re fine.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Sure, Jonatello. But what you’re talking about has nothing to do with affiliating yourself with an organization (not just an individual) that has an agenda that you cannot, morally speaking, agree with. According to Catholic moral theology (I just talked with a moral theologian about this, actually), it is not acceptable to support an organization that provides something good if it is clearly involved with evil as well. For example, it would not be acceptable to support an organization that refers for abortions just because it also provides necessary healthcare for the underprivileged. You would need to go find another organization that provides that healthcare without also referring for abortions…

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid even if it has only 1% cyanide.

 

[Jonatello]

Sure, Jonatello. But what you’re talking about has nothing to do with affiliating yourself with an organization (not just an individual) that has an agenda that you cannot, morally speaking, agree with. According to Catholic moral theology (I just talked with a moral theologian about this, actually), it is not acceptable to support an organization that provides something good if it is clearly involved with evil as well. For example, it would not be acceptable to support an organization that refers for abortions just because it also provides necessary healthcare for the underprivileged. You would need to go find another organization that provides that healthcare without also referring for abortions.

However, things can become a little different when you’re dealing with individuals. It is possible to cooperate with someone in “something-good” even if they have views that are different than yours. Again, it becomes different if your cooperation contributes to their sinful behavior, but if not, then you’re fine.

organization or individual, if its a specific effort of theirs that you’re supporting (and not just a blind donation to anything the organization wants to do with it), it shouldn’t be a problem.

affiliating yourself with any organization over a specific common cause isn’t the same thing as attaching yourself to everything they do.

the important factor is probably the form of support.

 

[nahbios]

My goodness - I’d presumed my post was going to be buried! I didn’t realise anyone had commented until I checked my email a short while ago. Sorry for the late response to you all.

PuzzleAnnie: The group is a group called Avaaz. One of the good things about them is that their petitions are brief and the wording is understandable. I really do applaud the good work that they do. Trying to assume the best out of the situation, perhaps they are just ignorant of Catholic doctrine on faith and morals through little or no fault of their own.

However, I’ve decided to abstain from signing further petitions with them for the foreseeable future. Their intentions may be good, but God’s Will is greatest.

Sincere thanks to all who took the time to write a reply! :flowers:

May God bless you.