Taking a stand....

  • Thread starter Thread starter sadie2723
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sadie2723

Guest
I am concerned about the Church. I think it is time that we all took a stand on certain issues. I think it is time to take a stand against people in Congress that support abortion, stem cell research, and other items prohibited by Catholic teaching while still trying to call themselves Catholic. This makes a mockery of the Church and her teaching. I think that it is time that WE as the faithful do something about this.

I think that we need to approach priests that give the Eucharist to these people and demand that they stop doing so. I think it is time we all started emailing the bishops and demand that something be done. The time to stand by and do nothing is over.

What do you think?

Brad
 
I agree that something should be done about these so-called Catholic politicians. Kennedy and Giuliani come to mind right away.
 
Hey Brad.
Code: 
 I think you're right that we do need to speak out, but unless it's like, your job that you go to everyday, most people are too busy to think about it every day.  (For example, if you work at HLI or the National Right to Life Committee, then you're set!)

 I try to do some things in my life here and there that help the pro-life cause.  During the recent 40 Days for Life protest, I prayed outside two different abortion clinics one time each.  I participated in a prayer protest of the Da Vinci code.  I try not to buy stuff made by companies that I know give money to Planned Parenthood.  You can get a list from HLI (Human Life International) or they can at least tell you where to get one.  I had parishioners sign a petition against partial birth abortion when it was bouncing around in Congress.  (That was a few years ago.)  I think I got at least 100 signatures because I took it to work, too.  I've done a walk for Heartbeats Pregnancy Center in Rutherfordton, NC.  That was a good while ago too.  I also attended the Right to Life March in Washington, DC twice.  At any rate, these are some great examples of how you can help the pro-life movement without spending your whole life doing it.  All these things I did was over the course of about 7-8 years, but as I'm actually seeing now, it kinda adds up!
Tracy - 100% Pro-Life!
 
Tracyms1974 said:
Hey Brad.
Code: 
 I think you're right that we do need to speak out, but unless it's like, your job that you go to everyday, most people are too busy to think about it every day.  (For example, if you work at HLI or the National Right to Life Committee, then you're set!)

 I try to do some things in my life here and there that help the pro-life cause.  During the recent 40 Days for Life protest, I prayed outside two different abortion clinics one time each.  I participated in a prayer protest of the Da Vinci code.  I try not to buy stuff made by companies that I know give money to Planned Parenthood.  You can get a list from HLI (Human Life International) or they can at least tell you where to get one.  I had parishioners sign a petition against partial birth abortion when it was bouncing around in Congress.  (That was a few years ago.)  I think I got at least 100 signatures because I took it to work, too.  I've done a walk for Heartbeats Pregnancy Center in Rutherfordton, NC.  That was a good while ago too.  I also attended the Right to Life March in Washington, DC twice.  At any rate, these are some great examples of how you can help the pro-life movement without spending your whole life doing it.  All these things I did was over the course of about 7-8 years, but as I'm actually seeing now, it kinda adds up!
Tracy - 100% Pro-Life!
Click to expand...
Thanks Tracy!

I was more on track with getting the Church to take a stand toward those who claim to be Catholic but vote Pro-Choice.

But, your post is well taken. Thanks!

Brad
 
It is a shame that the most publicized Catholic laity are a lot of times the least favorable for the image of the Church.
 
sadie2723 said:
Thanks Tracy!

I was more on track with getting the Church to take a stand toward those who claim to be Catholic but vote Pro-Choice.

But, your post is well taken. Thanks!

Brad
Click to expand...
Well, unfortunately I don’t keep up with the news much. I know [Mod edit: removed politician’s name] was an example of one of these, but I don’t know of many others. What can you do with these people, really, except write them a letter telling them to either stop or change religions. I really don’t have an answer. As far as the Communion thing, yes, a public denouncement of abortion would be nice, but not every American is going to hear it anyway. Also - what if some of these bishops and priests who are just as clueless as I am give Communion to, let’s say, a pro-abortion congressman because they don’t know any better. Surely you can’t blame them. The only way I can see to make it work is to maybe have a “list” of these people and refuse according to the list. However, in the event a person changes to a pro-life supporter, the list will not reflect that and - it all just seems too hard to do.

Tracy
 
I saved two babies from abortion about an hour ago. You could try that for being pro-life.
 
We could come up with a list of all the Catholic politicians who are pro-death, and post the telephone numbers. Perhaps then we could gather a number of people, and decide to call them all in protest on the same day.
 
Kevin42 said:
We could come up with a list of all the Catholic politicians who are pro-death, and post the telephone numbers. Perhaps then we could gather a number of people, and decide to call them all in protest on the same day.
Click to expand...
I like that idea. The TFP people would like it too. (Tradition, Family, and Property.)

Tracy
 
Kevin42 said:
We could come up with a list of all the Catholic politicians who are pro-death, and post the telephone numbers. Perhaps then we could gather a number of people, and decide to call them all in protest on the same day.
Click to expand...
I’m quite sure there’s already a list out there.

Unfortunately, due to our status as a 501(c)(3) organization, you will not be permitted to post such a list here.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Mane Nobiscum Domine,
Ferdinand Mary
 
Kevin42 said:
We could come up with a list of all the Catholic politicians who are pro-death, and post the telephone numbers. Perhaps then we could gather a number of people, and decide to call them all in protest on the same day.
Click to expand...
That’s a great beginning but more to the point of Sadie’s intent in starting this thread, I think we should also identify each of these excommunicated Congressmen’s bishops and start a letter writing campaign to each one insisting that the Law of the Church be upheld. I’m talking about a massive amount of letters and emails! And then loads of press releases.

And it should be done in the next 9 months with plenty of press releases to make the biggest media impact so as to influence the 08 elections as much as possible.

Oooh, I just thought of something. Then we can start picketing the Bishop’s offices too. Or some sort of public display, hmmm, maybe public prayers at the Bishop’s offices.
Ferdinand_Mary said:
Unfortunately, due to our status as a 501(c)(3) organization, you will not be permitted to post such a list here.
Click to expand...
It’s a terrible thing in a free country where churchmen can’t discuss politics freely in any venue at any time. Rather unconstitutional really.

There is need of legal reform in the U.S.
 
I wrote a letter to Priests for Life concerning a statement within their overall endorsement of the recently issued document by the USCCB. What I wrote can be found here. Surprisingly, I have received absolutely no response from them. It makes me a bit uncomfortable thinking I might be “more pro-life than Priests for Life.” 🙂

Part of what I wrote is:

[T]oo much attention is being paid to how we should vote and not enough about how we should act as Catholics. Since only a small percentage of Catholics are engaged in the political arena, it’s easy to use them as poster children for the question of whether someone should be denied Communion. They are “others” and, like the “poor,” we can speak about them abstractly without taking into account the state of our own beliefs and their consequences.

One usually knows whether a Catholic politician is for or against abortion, but one doesn’t usually know whether the person in the pew next to you is for or against abortion. If a Catholic politician who supports abortion should refrain from presenting him/herself for Communion, then so should any other Catholic. Where do you ever hear THAT preached??!! People who reject Church teaching on that which is intrinsically evil have rejected the Church and are, therefore, “not in communion” with the Church any more than a similarly believing Catholic politician. Why, then, are they not so informed, and why are they admitted to Communion? If they are not so informed, their conscience can be said to be malformed but clean, laying blame for their ignorance at the feet of our pastors and shepherds who refrain from teaching sensitive and controversial and potentially offending Truth.

Finally, how can we allow public ministers, public representatives of the Church, be they clergy or lay people, to function as such in the Church? Why should it be allowed that a person who supports abortion rights may function as a Lector, or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, or teacher in religious education, or even as Priest or Bishop? Focusing, as we do, all our attention on politicians, we’re failing to look in the mirror and judge our own complicity in the intrinsic evils which have become embedded in our society.

An annoying case in point: the Bishop of our Diocese, in Fort Worth, TX, has forbidden Catholics who participate in abortion protests to carry any signs with words on them. He has also forbidden anyone to carry an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (this in a Diocese with a very large Hispanic population). I could be wrong, and I ask correction from anyone who knows better, but is this within the sphere of a Bishop’s authority? Can a Bishop bind one’s conscience on a matter of “strategy”?

Not only do we not hear teaching from the Diocese or the pulpit about the intrinsic evil of abortion and its complete incompatibility with Church teaching, we are told to restrain ourselves at peaceful protests that also include people who are “offended” by the Catholic image of “a pagan goddess” (actual quote).

Arguing about whether we should or can vote for politicians who support abortion is, of course, very important. But what about our brothers and sisters in the pews? Have we sunk to such a level of “accommodation” that our fear of offending or losing parishioners, or placing our tax exempt status in jeopardy, has made “prudential fear of consequences” our new standard of guidance? Should Thomas More now be viewed as an “extremist” who could have done more good if he had just compromised a little more?

Can a Bishop forbid me to make the Sign of the Cross before grace at a meal in a public restaurant? What limits are there to what a Bishop can say and bind our consciences to obedience? Someone in another thread said “Many of our priests, nuns, and bishops use our obedience and silence as a way to cow the orthodox faithful.” Are we really bound by obedience, or are we just spineless?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top