More on Kerry's claims to be Catholic

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The first one is absolutely true.

The second one is potentially true, only if you believe that every Catholic must believe in all aspects of their faith.

However, I'll take myself as an example here. (I'm Catholic afterall.) For myself, I have always been opposed to abortion in the sense, "If I got someone pregnant I would want her to have the baby." I'm married now, so getting my wife pregnant wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm speaking of the first 29 years of life when I wasn't married. My problem is, even though I would never want a child I fathered to be aborted, I cannot see how I can press my moral philosophy onto others. And that's where the problem hits. In addition to being a Catholic, I'm also an American.

If abortion is wrong because a CHURCH says it is murder, but the medical or scientific community cannot answer that question, it clearly appears we a making a law based on a church doctrine, which supposedly isn't allowed (in USA and many other countries). So, I believe you can be pro-Choice and Catholic. I believe you can be opposed to the principle of abortion, but at the same time acknowledge that your opposition stems from your religious faith, and you cannot impose your faith or moral code onto others. (Which is why Kerry can vote in his consituents interests and still be Catholic.)

And this isn't a unique issue either. I know a bunch of people who are opposed to having guns in the home (myself included) and yet we don't think gun ownership should be outlawed. We can disagree with the principle of having a gun in the house, and still acknowledge that others are free to decide to own one. I honestly don't see how this issue is much different. The fact that it stems from a Church teaching does not, IMO, add more weight to the arguement. It's all part of having your own moral philosophy, and yet not imposing that will upon others when there are disagreements.

EDIT: And don't bring up something ridiculous like saying something to the affect of: "Well then we don't need any laws. You shouldn't impose your will against theft - just because you think it's wrong, people who don't agree with you should be allowed to rob banks."

The point I'm raising here is for issues where there is dispute as to what the moral right and the moral wrong is. Everyone (or very nearly everyone) is in agreement that robbery is wrong. Not everyone agrees that abortion is wrong.

[ June 30, 2004, 17:19: Message edited by: Aldeth the Foppish Idiot ]

 

@BTA: I believe you have hit the nail on the head. Any politician who claims to be Catholic should equate abortion with murder; therefore, voting for abortion would be enabling murder.

Back to the original topic: I feel that John Kerry should make up his mind about his affiliation with the Catholic church. To disagree with a vital part of church doctrine repeatedly raises questions in my mind about his committment to his faith.

 

Will It Go Round In Circles by Billy Preston.

Oh wait, this isn't "What Song Can't You Get Out Of Your Head"! For the life of me, I can't imagine why I was thinking about that song.

 

Interestingly enough, this subject was already covered in the June 21 issue of Time magazine...I stumbled on to it by accident. I don't think it's available online, and I don't feel like transcibing the article...but it clearly comes to the decision (as arrived at through Catholic, Protestant and even Muslim Theologians), that holding a Pro-life stance is a true defining element of a Catholic...If you claim to be Catholic and hold a Pro-Choice position, you are indeed "something else"...there are, after all, 200,000 non-Catholic denominations of Christianity. Anyone who can read the insert on "Catholic Teaching" on page 37 will find that this argument is really over before it begins.

On a side note, the article also shows that there may actually be a majority of voters that claim a Catholic faith who sympathize with Kerry, who feel that he is being attacked. Unfortunately, they are less likely to vote than those who are orthodox. Too soon to tell what the effect will be in the polls.

But really, folks...read what the experts say...there is no longer any need to argue this issue.

 

I find it humorous, at best, to say that there are "experts" from various faiths that all agree on a complete definition of what a Catholic is. It's humorous, because by what right does a Muslim or Protestant Theologian have to tell a Catholic how to observe their faith? The only way they could know is based on what they read, which is most likely the Vatican's "official" stance. We've already stated that the Vatican's stance is abortion is murder, so saying they think this way is nothing new, and just reiterating the old arguement. I seriously doubt they conducted a poll of a few thousand Catholics and came to this conculsion because the majority of Catholics felt this way. While all of these people may well agree that Catholics, in principle, should be Pro-Life, they are living in a fantasy world, because there are thousands, if not millions of Catholics in the world, many of whom are in good standing with the RCC, that are pro-Choice.

As has been brought up earlier in this thread, you have about as much say in your religion as you do about your nationality and ethnicity - in other words, none. You were born into a particular religion, and really the choice of deciding on your own was not available to you until you at least became old enough to drive to go to other types of religious functions. However, by that time, you are also usually comfortable enough to stay with your faith. Practicing your religion becomes as much of a custom as Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house, or family reunions. The point being, to say to someone who has been Catholic for all their lives to suddenly renounce their faith because they disagree with the Church on one issue is unreasonable. Religion is far more than just a belief system - it cuts across your social, familial, and even personal life. So with all due respect to the theologians in the article, I think they need a reality check.